General Relief / General Assistance

• Income – All income received by the individual applying for or receiving benefits is considered income in the month it is received, and is deducted from the grant amount.
• Resources – The combined value of an individual’s real and personal property shall not exceed $50. One vehicle with a value of less than $1500 is allowed and will not be counted toward the property limit..
• All individuals applying for General Relief and who own their home are required to sign an agreement to reimburse Placer County for all General Relief benefits they receive. This agreement is recorded and a lien is placed on the real property.
• Age – individuals applying for benefits must be at least 18 years old.
• Residency – Individuals must be a resident of Placer County for at least 15 days, and must provide verification of intent to continue to reside in the county.

There may be other factors considered when determining eligibility. Client Services Program Specialists meet with individuals to discuss household situations at the time of the application.

Employable Applicants / Recipients

A person who is employable:

• Must register for employment with the California State Employment Development Department
• Must apply for Unemployment Insurance Benefits (UIB) if potentially eligible.
• Recipients are limited to a time limit of 3 months of benefits in a twelve month period, whether or not the months are consecutive. This includes time on aid in other California counties as an employable person. Individuals who are determined to be unemployable may be excluded from the time limit.

Unemployable Applicants / Recipients

A person who states that they are unemployable must:

Applying for Aid

To apply for General Relief benefits, you must visit one of the offices listed below. You will be asked to complete application forms and have an interview with a program specialist.

All applicants are required to sign an SSI/SSP interim assistance agreement. If an individual has already applied for SSI/SSP, or later applies, this agreement allows the County to be repaid from the retroactive SSI/SSP award should the individual be approved for SSI/SSP.

Where to Apply

The General Relief program is administered by the Placer County Department of Human Services.  You must apply for the program in person.

What to Bring

The following items of verification (if applicable) are required to process your application:

• A picture identification card
• Social Security card
• Rent and utility receipts / proof of residency
• Vehicle registration
• Bank account statements
• Proof of any income you receive

Amount of Aid

Your program specialist will calculate the amount of benefits that you can receive. The maximum benefits are listed below:

# of Persons	*Housing	*Utilities	*Food	*Incidentals	Mandatory Medical Care Deduction	Total Maximum Grant
1	$137	*31	$77	$15	-$40	$220
2	$189	$33	$169	$28	-$40 per person	$339
3	$210	$38	$220	$50	-$40 per person	$398
4	$229	$39	$275	$71	-$40 per person	$454
5	$233	$39	$336	$93	-$40 per person	$501

* If you do not actually incur this expense, or someone else pays for it, these amounts are not included in the total grant amount.

Client Responsibility

After aid is granted, you must report any changes to your income, household composition, and property to a program specialist on your Monthly Eligibility Report (CW7).

How Will I Get My General Relief Payments?

General Relief benefits are issued on a plastic card called an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card.  Money can be accessed by making purchases from stores that have POS (point of sale) machines, or at ATM’s displaying the “QUEST” logo.

To report public assistance fraud, including IHSS fraud, please call 888 385-5160 or 916.784.6180, or send an e-mail to:  ReportWelfareFraud@placer.ca.gov