Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Has the Go-Live Support Group been replaced, and what should counties know about the transition?
A: The Service Desk County Advisory Committee (CAC) now replaces the Go-Live Support Group. To maintain continuity, the February 3rd announcement suggests that counties include their former Go-Live Support members if they choose to participate in the Service Desk CAC.
Q: Is there a specific number of participants expected during Production Simulation?
A: All counties are expected to engage in Production Simulation. The state is working on getting an All County Letter (ACL) that will outline that guidance. We will continue to communicate about this through all county channels.
Q: Will data entered or changed in the Production Simulation environment be saved or written back to CWS/CMS?
A: CWS/CMS production data will be loaded into the Production Simulation environment, but updates or changes will not be automatically saved in CWS/CMS. Any changes will be lost each time the Production Simulation environment is refreshed with new data. Please note that data entered into the Production Simulation will not transfer to CWS/CMS. Since the simulation is strictly a practice environment, CWS/CMS remains the sole statewide system of record. Consequently, any data required for official records will still require entry into CWS/CMS.
Q: Will counties be expected to participate in Production Simulation?
A: Yes, there is an expectation for engagement in Production Simulation. The state is working on getting an All County Letter (ACL) that will outline that guidance (aiming to get it out ASAP). We will continue to communicate about this through all county channels.
Q: Will the State set up all county users/teams/caseloads/offices in Production Simulation?
A: Yes, we will work with your county admin person to set up those users with the exact permission settings they should have and validate that they are correct.
Q: After Go-Live, will there be a procedure manual on how to use CWS-CARES?
A: Yes, we are continuing to work on plans for training; there will be a Procedure Manual with "Cheat Sheets" that you can utilize as you're training.
Q: Will the CWS-CARES project provide guidance on which permissions users will need for Production Simulation?
A: Guidance will be provided as to what various CWS-CARES users will need for permissions in Production Simulation.
Q: When will the legacy data layer be available?
A: The Legacy Data Layer is available in CWS-CARES environments. Documentation is included in the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary and SqlDBM. County Developers have access to this in CARES102 (CountyDev) and this feature will be included in the Production Simulation environment once this is made available to the counties.
Q: Will there be a "train-the-trainer" approach to get county trainers ready before Go-Live?
A: Yes. Train-the-Trainer (TTT) runs June 15 – August 14, 2026 and prepares county trainers and Super Users to lead training within their own organizations ahead of Go-Live. Each trainer completes foundational, self-paced Salesforce Enablement training beforehand, then attends TTT sessions (estimated up to two weeks, adjusted for prior experience with CWS/CMS and CWS-CARES). Ongoing office hours and a support channel continue through October to keep trainers supported. For questions, contact OTSICWDSTraining@otsi.ca.gov.
Q: Will there be a system where the most updated training materials are available for users?
A: Training materials will be accessible to all Production Simulation users. We're currently finalizing the approach to ensure everyone has the most up-to-date resources, and additional details will be shared as soon as they're ready.