State of Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services
Don Jordan, Secretary
Integrated Service Delivery - Candy Shively, Deputy Secretary (785) 296-3271
Economic and Employment Support - Bobbi Mariani, Director (785) 296-3349
....Enriching lives today and tomorrow

MEMORANDUM

This memo provides implementation instructions and information for the following May 1, 2007 policy changes in the Kansas Economic and Employment Support Manual (KEESM):

1. ALL PROGRAMS
   
   
   1. Safe at Home Program - See Summary of Changes item I, A, 1, and Sections 1321.3 and 1723.
      
      The 2006 Kansas Legislature created an address confidentiality program called the Safe at Home Program (SaH). The Secretary of State’s (SoS) office administers this program which benefits victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and/or human trafficking who have moved to a new location - unknown to their abuser. This program creates a substitute mailing address for the SaH participant as well as free mail forwarding service for first-class mail. This law allows SaH participants to use the substitute address in lieu of their residential address on all public records. The substitute address is P.O. Box 798, Topeka, KS 66601-0798. More information and accompanying documents are located on the intranet at http://srsnet/commissions/ees/PolicyProc/sahmain.htm
      
      The SaH program should not be confused with the OARS program. Most OARS participants will not be enrolled in the SaH program. All SaH TAF customers should be in OARS. It is anticipated that a limited number of SRS customers will enroll in the SaH program.
      
      
      1. Identification of SaH participants - It is the responsibility of the SaH participant to notify SRS that he/she is a enrolled in the SaH program. The SaH participant is under no legal obligation to disclose that he/she is enrolled in the program. However, if the participant notifies SRS of his/her active enrollment we must accept the Safe at Home address. When the customer’s enrollment in SaH is questioned, the worker may confirm participation by contacting the Secretary of State’s office or by requesting a copy of the SaH Identification card from the customer. It is important for staff to remind the customer of their reporting responsibilities especially concerning address and household changes.
         
         
      2. Case Management - Due to the extreme risk to this population, each SRS region and the Clearinghouse will have single point of contact (SPOC) staff managing these cases. The list of SPOC staff is located at http://srsnet/commissions/ees/PolicyProc/sahmain.htm
         
         Once the applicant or recipient has been identified as a SaH participant, the case shall be transferred to the SPOC for that region. The SPOC will determine initial and on-going eligibility. The actual county of residence is placed on the ADDR screen (for enrollment in medical managed care) and the EXNS screen (for determination of correct TAF grant based on shelter group). However, the physical address shall not be placed on the system. More details about this are in item 3 that follows.
         
         When verifications are requested by mail, allow the customer an additional 7 days to provide the requested documents or information, realizing the mail must be forwarded through the Secretary of State’s office. For purposes of timely and adequate notice, the processing deadlines for the mailing of notices on the KAECSES code cards are applicable to notices mailed to the post office box address. Expedited services outlined in KEESM 1415 pertain to the SaH population. No exceptions or special processes for the SaH participants have been developed around expedited services.
         
         Send new medical cases to the Clearinghouse for maintenance. The Clearinghouse will also have a single point-of-contact person. Safe-At-Home cases should be identified as such on the transfer form. If a case is already open at the Clearinghouse, the EES worker shall communicate to the Clearinghouse about the participation in the SaH program, the change of address and correct county code.
         
         Local procedures will be communicated to staff by their management teams.
         
         
      3. Documentation and Verification - State law prevents documenting the participant’s physical address anywhere in any public record which will impact case file documentation and the KAECSES or KSCARES systems. The physical address of a SaH participant shall be obtained for purposes of determining eligibility and benefit level, but must not be recorded or documented in the case log or any other agency records. The SaH program does not exclude any program eligibility requirements, including but not limited to Kansas residency and shelter, citizenship and identity verification.
         
         The worker can fulfill these requirements by visually looking at the customer’s records without making a copy for the case file or by making collateral contacts. The worker will log in the case file how the information was verified and also document specific information that would affect the benefit level such as county of residence, rent amount, type of utilities paid or household composition. If the agency receives paper documentation containing the customer’s physical address the paper documentation will be returned to the customer. Once again, do not record the physical address in the case file, or anywhere in the agency.
         
         To ensure the participant’s address is protected, only the SaH mailing address will be entered in KAECSES and KSCARES. The county of residence must, however, be recorded on KAECSES in order to issue correct benefits and for proper managed care assignment. Staff will note in the case file that the customer is a SaH participant.
         
         
      4. Child Support Good Cause - Safety is the primary goal when working with SaH participants. It is expected that the need for Good Cause will be explored with all SaH participants regarding any absent parent. If a CSE referral is made, staff will note on the narrative of the CHSE screen that the customer is a Safe At Home participant.
         
         
      5. Termination of Safe at Home participation - The normal SaH certification period is four years. The participant’s certification may be cancelled early in some situations. More information concerning this can be found on the SRS intranet at http://srsnet/commissions/ees/PolicyProc/sahmain.htm
         
         Prudent person philosophy is applicable. Should the validity of the participant’s enrollment be questioned, contact the Safe at Home Program Coordinator at 785-296-3806 for confirmation of participation.
         
         
   2. Senior Community Services Employment Program (SCSEP) - See Summary of Changes item 1, A, 3 and Section 6410 (40).
      
      
      SCSEP provides part-time subsidized employment in community service arrangements for Kansans age 55 or older. This may be an appropriate resource to meet work participation requirements for TAF customers age 55 or older. A listing of these TAF customers will be sent to EES Program Administrators on April 20. These TAF cases should be reviewed by June 1 to determine if SCSEP is an appropriate work activity for these individuals.
      
      
2. MULTIPLE PROGRAMS
   
   
1. Alimony Income - See KEESM Revision 31, Summary of Change, item II, B, 2. This revision clarifies that alimony income shall be treated the same as child support income, i.e., averaged or prospected as appropriate. This change applies to the Food Stamp and Child Care programs and shall be applied to new applications processed on or after May 1, 2007 and for ongoing cases at the time of the next review.
   
   
3. FOOD ASSISTANCE
   
   
1. ABAWD Labor Surplus County Changes - See KEESM Revision 31, Summary of Change, item IV, A,1. These implementation instructions apply to all staff, not just those in the exempt ABAWD counties. In particular, staff in the non-exempt counties need to review the section on inter-county transfers.
   
   Currently Exempt Counties That Will Remain Exempt: Anderson, Atchison, Cherokee, Coffey, Doniphan, Douglas, Geary, Greenwood, Jefferson, Labette, Leavenworth, Linn, Montgomery, Osage, Shawnee, Sumner, Wabaunsee, Woodson, Wyandotte, the City of Hutchinson and the City of Wichita.
   
   Newly Exempt Counties: Brown, Chautauqua, Clay, Crawford, Elk, Franklin, and Jackson.
   
   County that is NO longer Exempt: Wilson.
   
   
2. General Rules for the Exempt Counties/Cities:
   
   
   1. Exemption from ABAWD Status - Exemption from the ABAWD provisions applies to the person’s county or city of residence. Special provisions continue this year due to the exemptions for the cities of Wichita and Hutchinson as follows:
      
      
      1. Wichita - Residents of the city of Wichita with street addresses using the following zip codes will be exempt from the ABAWD criteria: 67201, 67202, 67203, 67204, 67205, 67206, 67207, 67208, 67209, 67210, 67211, 67212, 67213, 67214, 67215, 67216, 67217, 67218, 67219, 67220, 67226, 67227, 67228, 67230, 67232, 67235.
         
         
      2. Hutchinson - Residents of the city of Hutchinson with street addresses using the following zip codes will be exempt from the ABAWD criteria: 67501 and 67502. Residents of South Hutchinson with a zip code of 67505 will NOT be exempt from the ABAWD criteria.
         
         For both Wichita and Hutchinson, post office boxes in all above zip codes will not be acceptable proof of residence. The person must actually be living in the zip code to be considered exempt from the ABAWD provisions. Homeless persons living in the above listed zip codes will also be considered exempt from the ABAWD criteria.
         
         
   2. Application and Review Processing in the Exempt Counties - In the exempt areas, applications and reviews processed that contain persons who would otherwise be an ABAWD, can be certified for 12 months instead of the maximum of 6 for a case containing an ABAWD. These cases will now be required to complete an IR, so an IR due date will need to be set.
      
      
   3. Intercounty Transfers - If a person who would otherwise be an ABAWD in an exempt area moves to an area that is NOT exempt from the ABAWD provisions, the provisions will apply in the receiving county effective with the month following the month the case is received if they have not already received their three ABAWD months in the current 36 month period. The three months of ABAWD eligibility will start the month following the month the case is received in the new county. The notice F845 - FS Important Information - ABAWD, must be sent to the customer to notify he/she of the three month eligibility time limit in the new area. This notice must meet adequate notice requirements. The month the case is received in the new area shall not be considered an ABAWD month. In addition, notice F849 FS Information -ABAWD/ICT is available to notify persons moving from a non exempt ABAWD county to one that is exempt.
      
      
   4. KAECSES Coding Issues in the Exempt Areas:
      
      
      JOPR: Persons who would otherwise be an ABAWD shall be coded as mandatory (MD) on JOPR. This will apply to new applications and reviews as they are processed. Existing cases shall be changed at the time of the next review.
      
      PRAP: Persons in the exempt areas who would otherwise be an ABAWD shall be coded on PRAP with the person alert of ?A. This coding means the person resides in an area that is exempt from the ABAWD provisions (and would be an ABAWD otherwise.) Use of this coding is important for identifying persons that might be subject to the ABAWD provisions should they move to a county that is not exempt from the ABAWD provisions, or if the area is later determined to be non-exempt, and ABAWDs must be identified on reports for necessary case actions. The current PRAP code of AB means the person is an ABAWD in a non-exempt county. AB codes on persons in the newly exempted areas can be changed at the time of the next review or when a previously set 3 month alert is generated.
      
      
      
3. County Specific Information
   
   
   1. Current Exempt Areas of- Anderson, Atchison, Cherokee, Coffey, Doniphan, Douglas, Geary, Greenwood, Jefferson, Labette, Leavenworth, Linn, Montgomery, Osage, Shawnee, Sumner, Wabaunsee, Woodson, Wyandotte, the City of Hutchinson and the City of Wichita: No special action is necessary in these counties.
      
      
   2. Newly Exempt Areas of - Brown, Chautauqua, Clay, Crawford, Elk, Franklin, and Jackson: In addition to the general rules noted above, persons currently considered an ABAWD in the newly exempt areas are not to be closed or removed from an active FS case due to the three month time limit effective April 30, 2007 or after. If any cases have been copied forward to a future month and closed, they must be identified and the closure removed.
      
      If the case accidentally closes, it shall be reinstated without requiring a new application and given a review period within the review period limitation of 12 months. The original review period of 6 months can be extended to 12, but be sure to set an IR due date if more than 6 months will be left in the review period. Please note that extending the review period to 12 months only applies to cases that are closed in error. Other ongoing cases shall retain the original 6 month review period. A review period of 12 months (with IR due) can be set when the case comes due for review.
      
      Example: Single person ABAWD case in a newly exempt area closes by mistake May 31. The consumer calls in June about no benefits and the case is reinstated. The original review period was April 1 - September 30. When the case is reinstated, the review period can be lengthened to March 31, 2008. Since there will be more than 6 months left in the review period, an IR due date is set for 9/07.
      
      A case file search of recently closed ABAWD cases in the exempt areas is not required. However, a case file search of ABAWDs coded DI on active food stamp cases in the newly exempt counties will be required. Affected persons must be reviewed and if determined to be an eligible ABAWD, coded IN on the active food stamp case. A printout of all persons coded DI in the exempt counties will be provided on or around April 20,2007. The determinations of eligibility should be made within 60 days of May 1, with restored benefits as appropriate provided back to May 1, 2007.
      
      The title of this report is “Adults Age 18-49 Coded DI on Active Food Stamp Cases”. To help staff further identify ABAWDs on the report coded DI, the citizenship code from ETRC is listed. The review due date is also listed to allow staff to prioritize cases that are due for review in months other than May or June 2007. The JOPR exemption code is also listed to help staff identify ABAWDS (JOPR code of AB).
      
      
   3. No Longer Exempt County of Wilson: Persons currently considered an ABAWD in Wilson county must be identified and notified of their ABAWD status. Wilson county was only an exempt ABAWD county from May 1, 2006 - April 30, 2007. Some persons no longer exempt due to this change may have already received their three ABAWD months in the months from 1/06-4/06. Staff will need to determine if the person has already received their ABAWD months in the current 36 month period of January 2006 - December 31, 2008. If they have not, then their three ABAWD months in this 36 month period will be May, June and July 2007.
      
      To help staff identify ABAWDs that need to be closed due to the loss of the labor surplus exemption status, a report title “ABAWDs age 18-49 Working < 20 Hours Per Week on Active FS Cases” will be provided on or around April 20, 2007 for Wilson county. Persons turning 50 prior to May 2007 will not be included, and expedited/initial benefits as of the time the report was run are flagged E or I. Each case will need to be reviewed to determine if the person listed is an ABAWD and needs to be notified of ABAWD status and an alert set to close them by July 31, 2007 if they do not meet any of the other ABAWD exemption criteria of KEESM 2521. The PRAP code will also be listed (here’s where you’ll see the persons coded ?A) as well as any earned income listed on the case to help staff prioritize cases needing action. Notice F845, Important Information ABAWD, must also be sent notifying the household of the ABAWD provisions.
      
      NOTE: This report should capture most persons that are ABAWDs, either single person ABAWD cases or ABAWDs that are members of an active food stamp household (with no persons under the age of 18). However, some persons identified on the report may not be ABAWDs, therefore the actual case status must be evaluated to determine if the person is an ABAWD that does not meet any exemption criteria. In addition, the report may fail to identify some ABAWDs. If this occurs, the person should be evaluated for case action at the time of the next IR, review or case change, whichever comes first.
      
      
4. SUCCESSFUL FAMILIES
   
   The following implementation instructions were included in EES Policy Memo 07- 02-01. Since 07-02-01 is being obsoleted with KEESM Revision #31, the implementation guidance is being included in this Implementation Memo for ease of reference.
   
   
1. Work Experience (WXN) - See Summary of Changes item VII, A, 1 and Section 3310.4.
   
   Some contracted employment service providers have developed work sites as part of a special projects service provided to TAF customers. Work Experience work sites developed and monitored by contracted employment service providers should have an ES- 4104 in place by August 31, 2007.
   
   
   
2. Supervised Community Service (SRV) - See Summary of Changes item VII, A, 2 and Section 3310.6.
   
   Some contracted employment service providers have developed work sites as part of a special project service provided to TAF customers. Supervised Community Service sites developed and monitored by contracted employment service providers should have an ES- 4105 (Rev. 02) in place by August 31, 2007.
   
   If the October 2006 version of the ES -4105 was utilized when the community service site was developed, the updated ES-4105 (Rev. 02) version should be obtained at the next semi-annual worksite visit.