(a) In addition to the personal property permitted by this part, recipients of aid under CalWORKs shall be permitted to retain savings and interest thereon for specified purposes. Interest earned from these savings and deposited into a restricted account shall be considered exempt as income for purposes of determining eligibility for aid and grant amounts if the interest is retained in the account. If the interest is not deposited by the financial institution into the account, the interest shall be treated as a nonqualifying withdrawal of funds from the account as specified in subdivision (b). This section shall not apply to applicants. Funds may be used by the family for education or job training expenses for the accountholder or his or her dependents, for starting a business, for the purchase of a home, or for costs associated with securing permanent rental housing or to make rent payments to overcome an episode of homelessness. Recipients who wish to retain savings for these purposes shall enter into a written agreement with the county to establish a separate account with a financial institution, with the account to be used solely for the purpose of accumulating funds for later withdrawal for a qualifying expenditure. A qualifying expenditure shall be defined by department regulations and shall be verified by the recipient. The recipient shall agree to provide periodic verification of account activity, as required by department regulations. The agreement shall notify the recipient of the penalty for nonqualifying withdrawal of funds.

(b) Any nonqualifying withdrawal of funds from the account shall result in a calculation of a period of ineligibility for all persons in the assistance unit, to be determined by dividing the balance in the account immediately prior to the withdrawal by the minimum basic standard of adequate care for the members of the assistance unit, as set forth in Section 11452. The resulting whole number shall be the number of months of ineligibility. The period of ineligibility may be reduced when the minimum basic standard of adequate care of the assistance unit, including special needs, increases.

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(c) If the California Savings and Asset Project is established pursuant to Chapter 17 (commencing with Section 50897) of Part 2 of Division 31 of the Health and Safety Code, then to the extent permitted by federal law, a recipient shall be eligible to receive matching funds derived from federal contributions for the purpose of establishing an individual account in an amount not to exceed three thousand dollars ($3,000) in addition to the amounts specified in subdivision (a) and a fiduciary organization may provide amounts in excess of the first three thousand dollars ($3,000) limitation if contributed solely through private sources.

(Amended by Stats. 2008, Ch. 485, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2009.)