Starting November 1, 2026, seven California counties will have a federal waiver of the CalFresh time limit for certain adults without dependents. Monterey is covered. Neighboring Santa Cruz is not. For regional workforce partnerships, the same referral script will not work everywhere.
Source checked October 12, 2026 · APPROVED WAIVER · FUTURE PERIOD · Issued September 14, 2026 · Official source ↗ · AI-assisted
WDB decision strip
Status
Action
Primary owners
Key date
Impact
APPROVED WAIVER · FUTURE PERIOD
CHECK COUNTY + UPDATE REFERRALS
County CalFresh · WDB/AJCC teams · partners
November 1, 2026–October 31, 2027
CalFresh eligibility · cross-county referrals
The bottom line. ACL 26-63 confirms a one-year federal waiver of the CalFresh ABAWD time limit for Colusa, Imperial, Kings, Merced, Monterey, Plumas, and Tulare counties. The waiver runs November 1, 2026, through October 31, 2027. It does not eliminate all CalFresh work rules, and not everyone is subject to the ABAWD time limit in the first place. WDBs and AJCC partners should make county-specific referrals, check exemptions, and avoid telling participants the rules are identical across a region.
What changed
Policy change
What the source says
Why it matters to WDBs
Approved 2026–27 counties
Colusa, Imperial, Kings, Merced, Monterey, Plumas, and Tulare have the waiver for the new period.
Local referrals must reflect where a person lives, not the location of the workforce office alone.
County list changed
Kings is included for 2026–27; Alpine’s previous waiver ends October 31, 2026. Santa Cruz is not in the approved list.
Regional partners cannot rely on last year’s county list.
What is waived
The federal ABAWD three-countable-month time limit is waived in listed counties for the stated period.
The waiver does not automatically suspend general CalFresh work registration or all other rules.
Duties remain in waived counties
Counties must continue identification, exemption screening, work-rule notices, oral explanations, and required reporting.
Even where the time limit is waived, screening and clear information still matter.
Basis and duration
The approval relies on the seven counties’ average unemployment rates exceeding 10% from January to March 2026; it expires October 31, 2027.
A waiver is time-limited and cannot be treated as an ongoing permanent exemption.
What this could look like locally
A workforce partner serves residents on both sides of the Monterey–Santa Cruz county line. Two people may receive similar training services, yet encounter different ABAWD time-limit rules because the federal waiver is geographic. Staff should confirm county of residence and individual exemptions before giving program-specific guidance; county CalFresh offices make eligibility determinations.
Operational considerations for WDBs
Replace region-wide scripts. Use a county-aware referral sheet that separates Monterey and other waived counties from non-waived counties.
Check the individual, not only the map. Determine whether the participant may qualify for an exemption or meet the applicable requirement through work, volunteering, education, training, or another qualifying route; refer eligibility decisions to county CalFresh staff.
Coordinate cross-county handoffs. Make sure WDBs, AJCCs, colleges, and community partners are not passing along outdated 2025–26 waiver information.
Track the end date. Plan to refresh guidance before October 31, 2027, rather than treating the approved waiver as permanent.
Required / Local choice / Good practice / Watch out
Label
Practical meaning
Required
The approved time-limit waiver applies only to the seven named counties and stated 2026–27 period. Counties must continue identifying ABAWDs, screening exemptions, informing recipients of applicable rules, and submitting required reports.
Local choice
WDBs may organize county-specific outreach and partnerships. A WDB cannot decide eligibility, grant an individual exemption, or extend the federal waiver.
Good practice
Use a short, county-specific desk aid and test it with frontline staff. Treat benefits guidance as a referral to county eligibility experts, not a WDB eligibility ruling.
Watch out
Do not say every CalFresh recipient in a non-waived county must complete 80 hours or lose benefits; many exemptions and qualifying routes exist. Do not use the prior waiver county list for periods beginning November 2026.
By role
Role
Question to take back
County CalFresh
What forms, notices, exemptions, and work-rule scripts will change on November 1?
WDB/AJCC
Do our cross-county referral materials distinguish the correct waiver period?
Community partners
Where should individuals go for individualized eligibility and exemption questions?
APPROVED WAIVER · FUTURE PERIOD. Issued September 14, 2026. USDA approved the waiver on the dates described by CDSS; effective November 1, 2026 through October 31, 2027.
Checked
October 12, 2026. Compared key claims against the original letter and the agency’s 2026 guidance index.
Limitations / watch
The CDSS public ABAWD overview page still displays the November 2025–October 2026 county list as of this check. ACL 26-63 is the controlling letter for the upcoming 2026–27 waiver period. Do not infer individual eligibility from county status alone.
