General Assistance/Relief

The county may only give you General Assistance or General Relief for 3 months in a 12 month period if the county decides you are able to work. Tell the county if you think you cannot work because of a disability or illness. The county might ask their doctor to examine you or might ask for a statement from your doctor.

If the county says you can work (that you are “employable”), the county should give you a written notice about that. If you think the county is wrong and you cannot work, you can appeal and have your case heard by an independent hearing officer. The written notice should tell you how to appeal and how long you have to appeal. If the county does not say you can work but ends your benefits after three months, you can appeal.

Once you appeal, there will be a hearing scheduled to give you a chance to explain why you cannot work and for a hearing officer to decide if the county is right or wrong. If the hearing officer decides you are right, the hearing officer can order the county to continue paying your benefits for more than 3 months.