CalWORKs Policy - Department of Public Social Services

Is a GAIN sanction a mandatory county-initiated
sanction?
Yes, a GAIN sanction is a county-initiated change.
Therefore, it can be imposed at any time during the
quarter.
When can benefits be reduced/stopped as a
result of a GAIN sanction?
Benefits will be reduced on the first of the month
following the imposition of the sanction with the
issuance of a 10-day Notice of Action (NOA).
EXAMPLE 1
A participant failed to comply with Job Club
requirements and a GAIN sanction was imposed on
September 16. The participant will be removed
from the Assistant Unit (AU) and benefits reduced
effective October 1.
EXAMPLE 2
A participant failed to attend Orientation and a
sanction was imposed on July 25. Since a timely
10-day NOA cannot be provided, the participant will
be removed from the AU and benefits reduced
effective September 1.
How is a GAIN sanction imposed?
When a participant does not show up for a
mandatory appointment or does not participate in an
assigned GAIN activity, the GSW must determine
why the participant is not complying.
The GSW initiates the noncompliance process on
GEARS and LEADER is automatically updated with
this information. With the initiation of a
noncompliance, LEADER automatically generates a
Notice of Action, NA 840, which is sent to the
participant.
NOTE: It takes two working days for GEARS to
update LEADER.
The GSW is responsible for recommending a GAIN
sanction. The sanction is only imposed after
attempts to resolve the noncompliance fail.