KANSAS DEPARTMENT FOR CHILDREN
AND FAMILIES
Family Services
DCF Administration Building
555 S. Kansas Ave., 6th Floor
Topeka, KS 66603

OVERVIEW OF CHANGES

A brief overview of the major changes is described below. Other clarifications and technical corrections are also included and described in the next section. Additional technical corrections not mentioned here are being incorporated in KEESM as needed.

Child Care – New poverty-level guidelines have been published by the Department of Health and Human Services. These guidelines affect the eligibility standards in the Child Care program. State Median Income figures are also being adjusted. Family share deductions are also being adjusted.

Maximum benefit rates are being adjusted, as are the age groupings for children receiving child care assistance. These changes are based on findings from the Child Care Market Analysis completed in early 2021, and rates are set at an average of the 85th percentile of the child care market rates. This means that 85% of child care providers charge rates that are less than or equal to the maximum rates allowed by the state.

The policy allowing child care to be authorized for a 3 hour minimum per day if the provider charges for it is being eliminated, as it is now obsolete due to the change made on October of 2020 authorizing child care in part-time and full-time blocks of time.

Other minor changes are being made to clean up and align wording with current policy.

DESCRIPTION, PURPOSE, AND DETAILS OF POLICY CHANGE

1. All Programs
   
   
   1. Changes
      
      
      1. Safe at Home – KEESM 1723 was modified prior to this revision to indicate the Safe at Home Program is now administered by the Attorney General’s Office rather than the Secretary of State's Office.
         
         
   2. Clarifications
      
      None
      
      
2. Child Care
   
   
   1. Changes
      
      
      1. Termination of Assistance – KEESM 1424 is being modified to reflect current policy related to 12 month child care eligibility.
         
         
      2. TANF Child Care – KEESM 2831 is being modified to remove reference to using TANF child care for TANF applicants, as TANF child care is used only for TANF recipients.
         
         
      3. Determining Scheduled Hours – KEESM 7620, Item 6, The three-hour minimum, is being removed, as this is no longer necessary due to authorizing child care in blocks of time. The items following that will be renumbered accordingly.
         
         
      4. Termination of Child Care Plans – KEESM 7640, item #9, is being modified to indicate that both timely and adequate notice are necessary to terminate child care prior to the end of an eligibility period when a recipient is no longer using their DCF approved child care provider.
         
         
      5. Suspending Benefits – KEESM 7660 is being modified to reflect current child care policy around 12 month eligibility periods, not limiting suspension of benefits to 90 days.
         
         
      6. Additional Enrollment and Monitoring Procedures for In-Home Relative Child Care Providers – KEESM 10036 is being modified to align with current policy using blocks of time to determine a family’s benefit amount.
         
         
   2. Clarifications
      
      
      1. Duplicate Benefits – KEESM 2151 is being modified to clarify that child care benefits may be authorized for a child on more than one case for the same month.
         
         
3. Employment Services
   
   
   1. Changes
      
      
      1. Failure to Meet Work Related Requirements – KEESM 3500 (1) is being modified to reflect the policy change prior to this revision that the E-6 (The Work Program Penalty Checklist for Administrative Review) is no longer required.
         
         
   2. Clarifications
      
      None
      
      
4. Food Assistance - USDA FNS policy does not allow TALX/Work Number to be considered verified upon receipt. Policy is being updated to match USDA FNS policy that at Interim Report and 12 month report the household does not have to report income changes of $100 or less. FNS policy requires changes to the E-26, this document must be verbally and in writing explained to clients who must register for work and ABAWDs.
   
   
   1. Changes
      
      
      1. Notes added to 1322.1(1)(e), 9122.6(1)(d), 9333. are being modified to indicate that TALX/Work Number are not considered verified upon receipt for earned income verification.
         
         Text changed in 9122.6(1)(c)(ii)(2).
         
         
      2. Interim Report – KEESM 9122.6 NOTE is being modified to go with the updated Interim Report and 12 Month Report form in KEES.
         
         
      3. 9122.6 (1) (b) (ii) is being modified to reflect changes in gross unearned income of $100 or less need not to be reverified unless questionable.
         
         
      4. 9122.6 (1) (c) (v) is being modified to reflect changes in gross earned income of $100 or less need not to be reverified unless questionable.
         
         
      5. 9122.6 (1) ( c ) (vi) is being modified to reflect current policy for resource limits.
         
         
      6. 9122.6 (1) ( c ) (ix) (x) (xi) (xii)(xiii) NOTE is being added to reflect changes to the Interim Report and 12 month Report form.
         
         
      7. 2527 (1) is being modified to reflect that the E-26 is required to be completed verbally and in writing with ABAWDs.
         
         
   2. Clarifications
      
      
      1. KEESM 1426 - 5/1/2019 Implementation Memo is being modified to reflect that Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) no longer allows secondary verification for death and prisoner matches for medical cases. For Food Assistance USDA requires secondary verification for all death and prisoner data matches, information from the medical case will no longer be used as secondary verification for such data matches.
         
         
5. LIEAP
   
   
   1. Changes
      
      None
      
      
   2. Clarifications
      
      
      1. Clarification is being added to KEESM 13450 Overpayment adjustments. This clarification details process the Agency follows to recover overpayments starting with recovery directly from the vendor through recoupment of future benefits and repayment by client.
         
         
6. TANF
   
   
   1. Changes
      
      
      1. Counting Cash Assistance Received From Other States Toward the 24-Month Time Limit – 2241(1) is being modified to reflect current time-limited assistance policy related to diversion payments received in Kansas, other states, or tribes.
         
         
   2. Clarifications
      
      
      1. Households Required to Change Report – The Change Reporting Requirements table in KEESM 9121 was corrected before this revision to reflect the October 2021 resource limit increase to $2,500.
         

FORMS (Explanation provided if not mentioned previously in this summary.)

Food Assistance

ES-3114 & ES-3114S Interim Report, is being removed from KEESM effective April 1, 2022.

ES-3115 & ES-3115S 12 Month Report, is being removed from KEESM effective April 1, 2022.

APPENDIX (Explanation provided if not mentioned previously in this summary.)

Child Care

C-18, Maximum Hourly Child Care Benefit Rates chart,(county by county)is being modified with the new rates that are effective April 1, 2022.

C-18a, Maximum Hourly Child Care Benefit Rates chart (by county groupings), showing the new rates is being added to show all counties in a single page format, as there are no longer differences in rates among counties in the same county grouping.

F-1, Monthly Family Income and Family Share Deduction Schedule, is being updated with the information related to the new poverty-level guidelines.

Food Assistance

A-12, Citizenship and Identity Verification. Added LexisNexis ID Verify to Identity Verification section.

MISCELLANEOUS FORMS (Explanation provided if not mentioned previously in this summary.)

EFFECTIVE DATE

All changes are effective April 1, 2022.

EFFECT ON LOCAL STAFF (No significant effect if not explained below.)

MATERIALS OBSOLETED BY THIS REVISION

W-11, Over 85% SMI Worksheet, is being removed from the appendix, as it is obsolete now that the KEES system determines if income exceeds 85% SMI.

COORDINATION EFFORTS

This change was coordinated with staff in Economic and Employment Services (EES), Executive leadership, and the EES Program Administrators.

Sincerely,
Sandra Kimmons, EES Director
Economic and Employment Services
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