Elderly Simplified Application Project gets a user-friendly paper application form to help community members apply for CalFresh

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By Shelly Dieu & Anae Evangelista

Earlier this year, the California Department of Social Services released a simplified application form, the CF 485, meant to help older adults and people with disabilities apply for food benefits via the CalFresh program. Historically, it has been difficult for seniors and individuals with disabilities to apply for and receive benefits due to lack of awareness, technological barriers, and misconceptions of the application process. Our network of application assisters in community-based organizations (CBOs) in San Diego County can assist with the CalFresh application in person with printed forms. 

What is CalFresh? 
CalFresh provides families with monthly benefits that can be used to purchase groceries – which allows families to access healthy, nutritious, and culturally appropriate foods. Through CalFresh, households of 4 can even get as much as $973 a month for groceries.  

What is the Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP)? 
The Elderly Simplified Application Project is a demonstration program that aims to increase the participation of the elderly and disabled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)/CalFresh program. ESAP is a collection of policy and process changes that simplify the application, interview, and verification processes for SNAP/CalFresh.  

Some of these benefits include:  

  1. A simplified paper application with the CF 485 form. 
    -    The application was formatted to be easy to read and understand, and may submitted in-person to a county Family Resource Center or online via the Benefitscal platform.

  2. Reductions in verification requirements.
    - Electronic data matches can be used to verify identity, income, residency, medical expenses, and other verification requirements.
    - Applicants will not be required to submit as many documents and can ask for county workers to assist them in locating verifications via backend systems.

  3. Extension of the certification period to 3 years for elderly/disabled households with no earned income. 
    -    After approval for CalFresh, most families will have to renew every 6 months through a SAR7 form. However, through ESAP, older adults and individuals with disabilities will only need to renew their benefits every 3 years. 
    - This will make it easier for households to keep their benefits after being approved!

  4. Waived interview requirements during renewal. 
    - During recertification of benefits, an interview is typically required for the CalFresh household. However, through ESAP, it is waived, and elderly/disabled households will not have to complete one. 

Only households made up of older adults and/or individuals with a disability with NO earned income are eligible for ESAP – this includes SSI recipients. 

Through ESAP, it’s easier than ever for older adults and individuals with disabilities to apply for and be approved for CalFresh benefits.  

By Shelly Dieu (she/her), CalFresh Program Manager & Anae Evangelista (she/her), CalFresh Program Coordinator