Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI) in Santa Clara County

A directory listing, not an eligibility decision.

UniHealth can identify a possible match, but the responsible program makes the final decision.

What to know

Why it may fit: Your circumstances can be checked against the program’s published guidelines.
What to do next: Monthly cash for some immigrants who are 65 or older, blind or disabled, with low income and savings. It is for people who cannot get SSI, the federal cash aid, only because of immigration status. You apply with your county by phone, in person, mail, fax or email.
Who runs it: County of Santa Clara / CDSS

What the program may consider

Age 65, blind, or disabled
You are in an immigration category CAPI covers
Immigration status is the only reason you cannot get SSI or SSP
Income and resources counted the way SSI does, including a sponsor's

How to get it

Monthly cash for some immigrants who are 65 or older, blind or disabled, with low income and savings. It is for people who cannot get SSI, the federal cash aid, only because of immigration status. You apply with your county by phone, in person, mail, fax or email.

Before you start

Apply for this first Supplemental Security Income / State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP). Most people must also apply for SSI when the county tells them to. CAPI is not paid until you show proof. The proof shows SSI said no because of immigration status, or that you applied and are still waiting.
Having this helps Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). Are you under 65, and has Social Security already found you disabled? Then you usually skip the state's disability review.

How to apply

CAPI application (SOC 814) at the Santa Clara County General Assistance office

Apply by phone, email, fax, mail or in person. CAPI is not on BenefitsCal. The county also has you fill out two short intake forms, and mails more forms after you apply.

PhoneSanta Clara County benefits line: (408) 758-3800Apply or ask questions by phone, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
EmailSanta Clara County CAPI applications by email: ga@ssa.sccgov.org
FaxSanta Clara County CAPI fax: (408) 292-3988
MailSanta Clara County CAPI mail: CAPI, 1919 Senter Rd, San Jose, CA 95112
In personSanta Clara County General Assistance Services office: 1919 Senter Rd, San Jose, CA 95112Apply or drop off papers for General Assistance or CAPI here. There is a drop box. Other county benefits offices also take CAPI applications and send them here.
In personSanta Clara County benefits offices: 1867 Senter Rd, San Jose; 1330 W. Middlefield Rd, Mountain View; 379 Tomkins Ct, Gilroy
In personYour county social services officeApply for CAPI with your county by phone, in person, by mail, fax or email. Find your county's office and phone here.
PhoneEBT card customer service: 1-877-328-9677Set or change your PIN, or report a lost card.

Getting help

Someone can apply for you

Anyone can help you fill out the application and send it in. You can also name someone you trust to sign forms, send papers and go to meetings. It must be a person, not an organization. Use the county's form SCD 2594 or a note you sign. Sign it in pen. It ends after 12 months. It ends sooner once the county decides your application, unless you appeal. To keep their help at your yearly renewal, sign a new form.

You can name one person (not an organization) to act for you: ask for CAPI Authorized Representative form (SCD 2594).

What happens after you apply

The county's General Assistance office handles CAPI. It records the day it gets your application. If you apply by phone, staff fill in part of the form with you. You sign it later. If approved, aid starts the first day of the next month, or later if you qualify later.
The county
The county mails you more forms to fill out, sign and send back. It may ask for papers, like immigration papers, a rental agreement and bank statements. One form is form SSP 14. It lets the county be paid back if SSI later pays you for past months.
After the county registers your application
The countyA helper can help with this Send missing forms and papers within 30 days of the day you applied.
The county gives you a referral form to take to Social Security. Apply there for SSI. If you are 65 or older, apply by phone at 1-800-772-1213 or in person, not online. Is your appointment more than 30 days away? Show the county the letter right away. The county must then help start your SSI application.
Only if the county sends you to Social Security
Social SecurityA helper can help with this Apply within 30 days of the county telling you to. A late Social Security appointment, or a good reason like a health problem, can give you more time.
Give the county proof from Social Security. It can be a letter less than 6 months old that says no because of immigration status. Or it can be proof that you applied and are still waiting. The county may wait for Social Security's answer before it pays.
Only if the county sent you to Social Security
YouA helper can do this for you Within 30 days of your Social Security appointment.
The county checks your immigration status with the federal government. Give the county your current immigration papers. Give your Social Security number if you have one.
The countyA helper can help with this
A sponsor is someone who signed a promise to support you when you came to the U.S. The county may count their income. The county mails your sponsor a form. If it is not back after two 10-day notices, CAPI is denied. If you live with your sponsor, CAPI cannot start until it is back. If your sponsor has hurt you, tell the county.
Only if your sponsor's income counts
The countyA helper can help with this 10 days, then 10 more days after a second notice.
If you are under 65, the state decides if you are disabled or blind. This is skipped if you already have that decision. Sign the medical releases and go to any exam. For some serious illnesses, the county may pay up to 6 months while you wait.
Only if you are under 65 and have no disability decision yet
The stateA helper can help with thisNo time is published for this review. The county's 30 days start after it ends.
If you do not live alone, you fill out a form about your home and its costs. It can change your payment amount.
Only if you do not live alone
The countyA helper can help with this
The county may set up an interview, but only if something is unclear. It can be by phone, video or in person, or at home if you cannot travel. A helper you named can go for you. If you miss it, call to set a new time. Missing two can mean a denial.
Only if the county needs it
The countyA helper can help with this
CAPI has no emergency payments. If you need money while you wait, you can apply for General Assistance. It is a separate application. What it pays you is taken out of your CAPI back pay.
Only if you need money before CAPI starts
The countyA helper can help with this
You get a letter that says yes or no, and how much you will get each month.
The countyWithin 30 days of the day you applied. If the state reviews a disability, within 30 days after that review.
Payments usually go on an EBT card, which works like a debit card. The county mails the card. Set your PIN, a secret number, when it comes. You can call EBT customer service to set it.
The countyOnly you can do this
Your first payment also covers past months back to your start date. If you got General Assistance while you waited, that amount is taken out first. After that, money comes each month.
The county
CAPI does not give you Medi-Cal or CalFresh by itself. Ask for them on the regular benefits application at the same time. The county decides each one on its own.
If you want health coverage or food help
The countyA helper can help with this

What only you can do

Sign the CAPI application, or have the person you named sign it.
If you are married and you both apply, each of you fills out and signs your own application.
Sign form SSP 14 yourself. The person you named cannot sign it. A guardian, a conservator, or the person who manages your benefit checks can.
If the county tells you to, apply for SSI within 30 days. Sign the SSI application yourself if you are able.
Apply for any other money you may get, like Social Security, veterans benefits or a pension.
Give the county your current immigration papers. If you have a sponsor, get them to fill out and return the sponsor form.
If you need a disability review, sign the medical releases and go to any exam.
If the county asks you to appeal a Social Security decision, do it within 60 days.
Get your EBT card by mail and set your PIN.
Report changes within 10 days. Your named helper can report most changes. Only you can change your name or address, or agree to share your records.
Fill out and sign your renewal form each year, and apply for SSI again if the county asks. If you traveled outside the U.S., show your original passport.

How long it takes: The county must decide within 30 days, but a late Social Security appointment can add time. The county may also wait for Social Security's answer before it pays. Expect about 1 to 4 months, sometimes more. A disability review can take longer.
You are enrolled when: You are enrolled when you have an approval letter and your first monthly payment. An approval that pays only while a disability review is pending is short-term. It is not full enrollment yet.
To keep it: Renew every 12 months. You may have to apply for SSI again each year. Report changes within 10 days. Keep what you own at $2,000 or less, or $3,000 for a couple. Your home and car do not count. Things you own in other countries do count. If you leave the U.S. for 30 days in a row, CAPI stops until you are back 30 days in a row. If you traveled, bring your original passport, not a copy. If you become a citizen, tell the county within 30 days. A sponsor fills out a new form each year.

Can’t be combined with

Supplemental Security Income / State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP). You cannot get CAPI and SSI at the same time. If SSI says yes, CAPI stops. The county is paid back from your SSI back pay.
General Assistance. Once you get CAPI, General Assistance ends. General Assistance can help while you wait for CAPI. Apply for it separately. It is paid back from your CAPI back pay.

Coming changes

Starting July 1, 2027: Starting July 1, 2027, many adult refugees, asylees and some other immigrants are set to move to limited Medi-Cal. It covers mostly emergencies. CAPI itself does not change.