Social Services reports Q3 caseload declines in some programs; staff will follow up on data spikes

Trish Barbieri, director of the Social Services Division, and Kirk Hendricks presented the department’s fiscal year 2025–26 quarter‑three statistics and trends, including caseload counts, expenses and noted corrections.

Hendricks reported CalWORKs at 486 cases representing 1,234 individuals with just over $1,400,000 in spending; CalFresh at 5,799 cases and 9,984 individuals with just under $5,000,000 in spending; and Medi‑Cal at 9,299 cases and 15,531 individuals. He corrected an IHSS expense line to $363,000 (it had been listed as $2,100,000 in one table).

Staff attributed a national trend of CalFresh caseload decline to HR1 work‑registration rules and the end of COVID‑era benefit flexibilities. Board members asked about spikes in adoptions and adult protective services; Hendricks acknowledged the anomalies and said he would research the November and March spikes and report back to the board.

The department noted routine monthly variation in many programs and said seasonal workforce and tourism patterns can affect eligibility and caseload counts. Staff invited supervisors to follow up with specific questions and promised additional data on the flagged metrics.