Frequently Asked Questions
Financial Management
Q: Will all county rates be uploaded to this system? What about Level of Care (LOC), specialized rates, clothing, and general funds?
A: The Financial Management Team is looking at developing rate tables. However, for standard state rates (Level of Care, Short Term Residential Therapeutic Program, etc.), the CWS-CARES user will select the rate type/subtype and send that to CalSAWS. CalSAWS will receive the rate type/subtype and use that to determine the rate from the tables in its system. The CWS-CARES user will only need to enter rate amounts for non-standard rates (rates that are not the same for all counties), such as clothing allowances.
Q: Will a check be distributed without an aid code?
A: Issuance records used to create checks are distributed from CalSAWS after the Eligibility Determination and Benefit Calculation (EDBC) is run; there is no change to this functionality in CalSAWS.
Q: We were informed that a Financial Management Coordinator position is being introduced and that the position is to be filled from an outside entity. Will that individual need to have access to CWS-CARES?
A: Per ACIN I-33-11, the authority to determine who should have access to CWS-CARES is delegated to the county. We recommend that counties work with their county counsel to decide whether or not this position will have a business need to access CWS-CARES in accordance with Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) 827 and WIC 10850.
Q: Would time study for staff be integrated into CWS-CARES?
A: Time study will not be in CWS-CARES Version 1 (CARES V1).
Q: Will there be an Assistance Cost dashboard and reports for program/fiscal managers?
A: Yes, there will be reports available in CWS-CARES related to assistance costs and caseloads for counties to use.
Q: Will counties that developed some forms be reimbursed for the work that they did to develop those forms?
A: Any forms that have been previously developed may claim CCP funding as development activity.
Q: Does CEC data coming from CECRIS need to be child-specific?
A: CWS-CARES will receive DFA600 data from CECRIS in CWS-CARES V1. All of this data is aggregated and program code specific.
Q: Will County Expense Claim Reporting Information System (CECRIS) be integrated with CWS-CARES?
A: Yes, in CARES V1, the CECRIS Integration will pull DFA600 data one-way from CECRIS to CWS-CARES. All CECRIS data in CWS-CARES will be read-only; users will not be able to edit/change this data in CWS-CARES.
Q: If we have a case specific expense, do we manually enter that?
A: No, counties will not be expected to do that. Case specific costs will be transmitted to CWS-CARES via an interface with CalSAWS.
Q: Will the transfer of data from County Expense Claim Reporting Information System (CECRIS) into CWS-CARES be after the files are audited/approved by CDSS? Will CWS-CARES also receive revised CECRIS Claims?
A: CWS-CARES will receive both the unaudited and audited Original claims approved by the state as federal reporting requires both. CWS-CARES will also receive the approved Adjustment claims. The interface data exchange with CECRIS occurs on a monthly basis. This data will be sent once CECRIS has received all prior to audit claims for each county OR when all audited claims have been approved by CDSS (i.e., when all Original claims have been approved by CDSS, all approved Original claims for each county will be sent to CWS-CARES at once).