Could the Governor Reduce Benefit Payments, Medical Services, or Eligibility to Achieve Savings in Entitlements?
Some health and social services programs are “entitlements” under current state law, meaning that individuals meeting specified eligibility criteria are entitled to the benefit regardless of whether adequate funds have been appropriated in the budget. Major entitlement programs are mainly in the health and social services area, and include Medi-Cal, CalWORKs, and SSI/SSP. The measure provides the Governor with the power to reduce spending on entitlement programs. However, it does not provide the Governor with authority to change the laws which govern the entitlement (such as the amount of a monthly welfare grant payment, the scope of a medical service, or who is eligible for a particular program). Consequently, in the absence of a change by the Legislature to the underlying laws, these programs would continue to operate under the terms of existing law until the remaining funds were exhausted.
