2009 California Welfare and Institutions Code - Section 13600-13601 :: Chapter 5.8. Disaster Relief Grants

13600.  (a) The State Department of Social Services may provide
state supplemental grants to meet disaster-related necessary expenses
or serious needs of individuals and households adversely affected by
any disaster declared by the President of the United States in those
cases where individuals and households are unable to meet those
expenses or needs through assistance under Section 408 of the Robert
T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (P.L.
93-288, as amended by P.L. 106-390 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 5174)), or from
other sources.
   (b) Grants shall only be made to individuals and households
determined to be eligible for the federal assistance to individuals
and households program under Section 5174 of Title 42 of the United
States Code and who still have unmet serious needs and have suffered
losses reimbursable under that program in excess of the maximum
federal grant amount.
   (c) The State Department of Social Services may make a grant to
those individuals and households equal to the difference between the
federal grant awarded and federally eligible appraised loss, not to
exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000) per individual or household.
   (d) Application procedures established for the administration of
this chapter shall conform to the procedures required in the Robert
T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (P.L.
93-288, as amended by P.L. 106-390). The State Department of Social
Services shall ensure that applicants for relief under this chapter
have exhausted all other available means of seeking relief for
disaster damage prior to receiving any grants pursuant to this
chapter.
   (e) Application procedures utilized in the administration of this
chapter shall be subject to the following criteria:
   (1) All applications, forms, and other written materials presented
to persons seeking assistance shall be available in English and in
the same language as that used by the major non-English-speaking
group within the disaster area.
   (2) Bilingual staff who reflect the demographics of the disaster
area shall be available to applicants.

13601.  There is hereby created in the State Treasury the California
Individual and Family Supplemental Grant Fund. Moneys in the fund
shall be available to pay claims from individuals and families for
losses or damages occurring during the incident period of a
Presidential disaster declaration for individual assistance. Any
moneys appropriated to the fund by the Legislature shall be allocated
to the State Department of Social Services to provide supplemental
individual and family grant assistance for unmet needs. The funds
shall not be used to fulfill matching fund requirements for federal
disaster assistance, but shall be used to supplement the federal
assistance to individuals and households program under Section 5174
of Title 42 of the United States Code. Notwithstanding Section 13340
of the Government Code, moneys in this fund are continuously
appropriated, without regard to fiscal years, for the purpose of
making grants pursuant to this chapter.