Some seniors, disabled will not get state payments

Some 23 million Californians' bank accounts will get a boost of $200 to $1,050, thanks to a new round of payments approved by state lawmakers.

But the payments, aimed at mitigating higher prices for gas and other goods, will leave out lots of low-income Californians. Among those passed over are some seniors, many living on disability benefits and some of the lowest-income adults.

That's because the direct deposits and debit cards — expected to begin arriving in late October and conclude in January 2023 — will be sent out based on tax returns.

About 3 million Californians are in families that earn little enough that they aren't required to file taxes, according to research by Public Policy Institute of California for its 2019 California Poverty Measure.

The poverty rate among people who live in families that don't need to file taxes is 60%, the institute estimates. Neither the state Department of Finance nor the Franchise Tax Board, which is responsible for collecting state personal income tax in California, knew exactly how many Californians will be left out of the rebate.

Tying the payments to taxes feels like a Catch-22 to Kerry Weber, a retiree in San Diego. He and his wife live on Social Security retirement benefits, a “tiny” pension and some veterans disability benefits. That adds up to “lots less” for the two of them, he says, than a joint income of roughly $51,000 above which they'd have to pay taxes — so they don't file.

But Weber has felt inflation squeeze his fixed income. Higher gas prices have made road trips to San Francisco and Tahoe to visit his children pricier, and the lumber he bought to build a table for his granddaughter is now much more expensive.

“They're saying: `Look, pal, you don't make enough money