California was the first state in the country to receive federal approval to use Medicaid to cover services for people still inside -- up to 90 days before release. That is how seriously California treats the reentry gap. Before you walk out, your healthcare coverage is supposed to already be in motion. Your state ID is supposed to already be in process. A Parole Services Associate is supposed to have met with you 180 to 210 days out to start pre-release planning.
That is the system as designed. Whether it has been activated for you depends on whether you have asked. Here is what exists, what you are entitled to, and what you do if any of it was not started.
The CAL-ID Program: Your State ID at Release
California Penal Code Section 3007.05 established the California Identification Card Program -- known as CAL-ID. It provides eligible incarcerated people with a free California state ID card at the time of release. The program is available at every adult CDCR institution in the state.
You can apply for the CAL-ID within 13 months of your release date. Under Senate Bill 629, CDCR staff use state-issued tablets to take a new photo and submit your application electronically to the California DMV. You do not have to go to the DMV yourself to get the card -- CDCR handles the submission. The card is free.
Eligibility requirements: You must have no active felony hold, warrant, or detainer that would result in additional incarceration, and no active ICE hold resulting in deportation. You must also have had a California ID or driver license issued by DMV within the previous 10 years (DMV verifies this upon application). You will need an address, including a zip code -- your parole or probation office address can be used in place of a residential address.
If you are not eligible for CAL-ID or your card has not arrived by release day, you can apply at any California DMV office. Standard state ID fee is currently $35 for most applicants. If you receive public benefits such as CalFresh, CalWORKs, or General Assistance/General Relief, you qualify for a reduced-fee state ID for $8 -- bring DMV Form DL 937 completed and signed by your benefits caseworker. Find DMV office locations at dmv.ca.gov.
To prove your identity to the DMV outside the CAL-ID program, you can request a Legal Status Summary from the CDCR Archives Unit (2015 Aerojet Rd., Suite D, Rancho Cordova, CA 95742). Send a letter with your name, CDCR number, phone number, signature, and a mailing address. You can also ask your parole agent for a certification letter with a color photo.
Getting Your Social Security Card
Contact the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213, apply online at ssa.gov, or visit your nearest SSA office. Replacement cards are free. Bring your CAL-ID or California state ID and birth certificate.
Your Parole Services Associate (PSA) -- who meets with you 180 to 210 days before release -- should initiate the SSA pre-release process. If this was not done, the TCMP helpline (below) can assist with verifying SSA card status after release.
Getting Your Birth Certificate
If you were born in California, request a certified copy from the California Department of Public Health Vital Records office at cdph.ca.gov or by calling (916) 445-2684. The standard fee is $25 per copy. Authorized copies are required for most identity verification purposes.
If you were born in another state, contact that state's vital records office. Your PSA or a community reentry organization can help identify the correct contact.
Medi-Cal: Healthcare Coverage
California's Medicaid program is called Medi-Cal. California expanded Medi-Cal under the Affordable Care Act, making it available to low-income adults regardless of family status or disability.
California was the first state in the nation to receive federal approval to use Medi-Cal to cover services up to 90 days before release from a state prison. This is part of the CalAIM Justice-Involved Initiative. Under this program, eligible people are enrolled in Medi-Cal before release and connected to physical and behavioral health services in their receiving county. A new benefit called Enhanced Care Management is available to the reentry population starting January 2024.
CDCR and the California Department of Health Care Services have had a pre-release Medi-Cal application agreement in place since 2008. For eligible people releasing from CDCR, a pre-release Medi-Cal application should have been submitted and, if approved, a temporary Benefits Issuance Card (BIC) provided at release. Ask your PSA whether your pre-release Medi-Cal application has been submitted and your BIC is ready.
If you are released without Medi-Cal in place, apply immediately at your county's Department of Social Services or Health and Human Services office, or online at coveredca.com or benefitscal.com. Bring your CAL-ID, Social Security card, and proof of California residency.
CalFresh: Food Assistance
California's SNAP program is called CalFresh. California does not impose a lifetime ban on CalFresh for people with felony drug convictions.
California is actively working toward CalFresh pre-enrollment for people releasing from prison under SB 1254 (2024), which established a workgroup and directed the state to seek a federal waiver for pre-release CalFresh enrollment. As of 2026 this process is underway -- ask your PSA or the TCMP helpline whether pre-enrollment has been activated at your facility.
After release, apply for CalFresh at your county social services office or online at benefitscal.com. CalFresh benefits are typically issued on an EBT card within 30 days of a completed application. Expedited benefits for households with immediate need can be issued within 3 business days in California.
If you are receiving Medi-Cal, CalWORKs, or other public benefits, you may be automatically screened for CalFresh eligibility -- ask your caseworker.
SSI and SSDI
SSI (Supplemental Security Income) and SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) are federal programs available if you have a qualifying disability.
SSI payments are suspended after one full calendar month of incarceration. If you were incarcerated for less than 12 consecutive months, SSI can be reinstated the month you are released. Contact SSA immediately upon release. If incarcerated 12 or more consecutive months, file a new application.
SSDI payments are suspended after 30 continuous days of incarceration following conviction. Contact SSA upon release with your official release documents.
The TCMP helpline (888-544-TCMP / 888-544-8267) assists CDCR parolees with verifying SSI/SSDI status and benefit restoration for up to 60 days post-release. Use it.
Veterans Benefits
If you served in the U.S. military, VA benefits may be available after release. Contact the California Department of Veterans Affairs at calvet.ca.gov or the nearest VA facility. The VA Healthcare for Re-Entry Veterans (HCRV) program provides transitional case management specifically for veterans leaving incarceration.
VA benefits suspended during incarceration can be reinstated after release. Bring your DD-214 and release documents to your first VA appointment. The TCMP helpline also assists parolees in verifying VA benefit status for up to 60 days after release.
The TCMP Helpline: Post-Release Support
The Transitional Case Management Program (TCMP) operates a helpline at 888-544-TCMP (888-544-8267) that assists CDCR parolees for up to 60 days after release. Community Resource Specialists can help you verify the status of and navigate issues with:
Medi-Cal and your Benefits Issuance Card (BIC)
SSI and SSDI
VA benefits
CalFresh
Social Security card
If you are on parole and hit a wall with any of these benefits, call TCMP before you assume there is no solution. This resource exists specifically for the first 60 days -- the most critical window.
Start Before You Leave
Your Parole Services Associate meets with you 180 to 210 days before release. That is nearly six months out. At that meeting, your CAL-ID application should be initiated, your pre-release Medi-Cal application should be submitted, your SSA contacts should be started, and your reentry plan should begin taking shape.
If those conversations have not happened and your release is within that window, bring them up yourself. Ask specifically:
Has my CAL-ID application been submitted to DMV? Has my pre-release Medi-Cal application been submitted? Has the SSA prerelease process been initiated for my Social Security card? Is CalFresh pre-enrollment available at this facility?
California's reentry infrastructure is deeper than any other state in this series. Use it. Root and Rebound's Roadmap to Reentry (rootandrebound.org/roadmap-to-reentry) is the most comprehensive legal guide available for people returning to California communities -- it covers ID, benefits, housing, employment, and more in detail.
The TCMP helpline covers you for 60 days out. Medi-Cal should be active on the day you release. Your CAL-ID should be arriving in the mail. CalFresh you apply for immediately. Everything that stabilizes the first week flows from ID and healthcare coverage. Both should be in motion before you leave.