M E M O R A N D U M

TO:                 EES Program Administrators

FROM:           Dr. Carla Whiteside-Hicks, PhD. - EES Director

DATE:           July 1, 2025

SUBJECT:    Implementation Instructions - KEESM Revision 120

This memo provides implementation instructions and information for the following July 1, 2025, policy changes in the Kansas Economic and Employment Services Manual (KEESM).

1. Child Care
   
   To bring Kansas’s 12-month eligibility policy into compliance with federal regulations, we are required to ensure that a child added to an existing child care program receives 12 full months of child care eligibility. To accomplish this, child care plans for all children in the program will end on the 12th full month of the added child’s eligibility. The eligibility review month for that family will be changed to the last month of the newly added child’s eligibility period. There is no limit to the number of times the family’s period of eligibility can be extended, also known as the Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period, when adding a new child to a program. To resolve another compliance issue, beginning July 1, 2025, if a family’s child care program is closed before the end of an established GE period and the family requests child care be reinstated before the end of that previously established eligibility period, the child care program must be reinstated for the remainder of that established eligibility period with no change to eligibility.
   
   No application is required to reinstate assistance during the established GE period.
   
   The GE period will be ended when a program is closed for the following reasons and a new application will be required:
   
   
   • The family moved out of state,
   • The case head passed away, or
   • The household's income increased so that the total countable income exceeded 85% of the state median income (SMI).

New terminology is being introduced with these changes:

• Child’s Initial Eligibility Period (CIEP) - This is the minimum period of time a child must be granted eligibility based on the date benefits were requested, processed, and begin. This value begins at the child's date of application and ends, allowing for 12 full months of benefits. These do not have to be the same for all children in the program.
  
  
• Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period – This term refers to the period of time in which a family can re-access Child Care Assistance benefits without needing a new eligibility determination or application. The end date of the GE period should always match the end date of the “Child’s Initial Eligibility Period" that is furthest out. During a GE period, the Family Share Deduction (FSD) may not increase, and approved hours of care may not decrease if the family is still receiving child care services for that child.
  
  
• Hard Closure – This is a program closure reason that terminates the Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period.
  
  
• Soft Closure – This is a program closure reason that does not terminate the Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period.

The Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period and the Child’s Initial Eligibility Period (CIEP) are program-level and do not follow a child from one program block to another.

Reinstatement of Assistance – See Summary of Changes section I.A.1. Effective July 1, 2025, if a child care program is discontinued before the end of the Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period and an adult on the program requests child care to be reinstated before the end of the GE period, the child care program must be reinstated for the remainder of the GE period with no change to eligibility (without requiring an application). For reinstatement, the family’s countable income must not exceed 85% of the State Median Income (SMI) at reinstatement, unless it is TANF child care or care is needed and approved for a social service need reason. The client’s statement regarding income will be accepted unless there is a documented reason that it is questionable. It must be documented that income remains at or below 85% of the State Median Income (SMI). Benefits for the month of request will not be prorated for children who already have a Child’s Initial Eligibility Period (CIEP), and child care plans will begin on the first day of the month of request. Changes may be made to pay the correct provider, update the qualifying need reason for the parent, add or remove information on the child care need page, and update schedules. Benefits may change if due to a new provider’s rates, including if they are not approved for previously paid enhanced rates, or a child’s age change, but the hours authorized will be no less than those authorized at the time of the closure, and the family share deduction (FSD) will be no more than it was at the time of closure. Hours can be increased, and family share deductions(FSD) may be decreased.

The guaranteed eligibility period (GE Period) will be ended when a program is closed for the following reasons, which are considered hard closure reasons, and a new eligibility determination and application will be required:

• The family moved out of state,
• The case head passed away, or
• The household's income increased so that the total countable income exceeded 85% of the state median income (SMI).

All other reasons that a program may be closed are considered soft closure reasons. Reinstatement of the child care program may occur if a child care program was closed for a soft closure reason without a new eligibility determination and application, but not if it was closed for a hard closure reason.

Examples:

1. Ongoing child care program for Mom and her two children with a Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period of July 2025 through June 2026. Each Child’s Initial Eligibility Period (CIEP) is from July 2025 to June 2026. Mom works 35 hours per week, and each of the two children is authorized for full-time blocks of care (215 hours per month), and the family share deduction (FSD) is $84 per month. On September 10, 2025,, Mom requests that her child care program be closed. The worker discontinues the program effective September 30, 2025, but the Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period end date remains June 30, 2026, as this is a soft closure. On February 7, 2026, Mom requests that child care for her two children be reinstated and reports that she’s still working the same number of hours, using the same provider as before, and her income is less than 85% of the State Median Income (SMI). The worker reapplies the child care program block with an application date and beginning date of aid of February 7, 2026. The worker does not add a new Family Plan, and instead edits the previous plan. The worker adds the new child care plans for February 1, 2026 through June 30, 2026, which extends the Family Plan end date to match the end of the existing Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period. A new Child’s Initial Eligibility Period (CIEP) is not established because the children have already received care during the current Guaranteed Eligibility Period (GE Period). The hours authorized will be 215, and the family share deduction (FSD) will be $84 per month from February 2026 to June 2026. KEES will not look at child support penalties or resources when reinstating benefits, and the review month will remain the same (June 2026). February’s benefits will not be prorated, and a new application is not required.
   
   
2. Same scenario as example 1, except when Mom requests reinstatement of child care, she reports that she’s only working 10 hours per week, and her income has decreased. A collateral contact with the employer is made to verify the current income and is budgeted starting February 1, 2026. Mom reports that she is using the same provider and income verification received through employer verifies that her income is under 85% of the State Median Income (SMI). The worker reapplies the child care program block with an application date and beginning date of aid of February 7, 2026. The worker does not add a new Family Plan, and instead edits the previous plan. The worker adds the new child care plans for February 1, 2026, through June 30, 2026 (benefits are not prorated), which extends the Family Plan end date to match the end of the Guaranteed Eligibility Period (GE Period). New Child’s Initial Eligibility Periods (CIEPs) are not established because the children have already received care during the current Guaranteed Eligibility Period (GE Period). Even though Mom only needs part-time care based on her new work hours, the child care program will be reinstated with the full-time block of hours that had been authorized previously for this eligibility period. The Family Share Deduction (FSD) is changed to zero beginning with February 2026 based on the income change.
   
   NOTE: If the income verification is not able to be obtained for this scenario through a collateral contact, households will be given 10 days to provide it. Benefits shall be set up using the previously established family share deduction (FSD) while waiting for verification. If received within the 10 days and the family share deduction (FSD) decreases, supplemental benefits shall be issued back to the date of reinstatement. If income verification is received after the 10 days and it decreases the FSD, increased benefits are effective the first month following the month the verification was provided.
   
   
3. Same scenario as example 1, except Mom reports that she is now working 45 hours per week, and her income is somewhat higher than it was before, but still under 85% of State Median Income (SMI). Allowing for travel and lunch breaks, she needs 237 hours of care per week. She provides documentation of the need for additional hours. The worker reapplies the child care program block with an application date and beginning date of aid of February 7, 2026. The worker does not add a new Family Plan, and instead edits the previous plan. The worker adds the new child care plans for February 1, 2026, through June 30, 2026 (benefits are not prorated), which extends the Family Plan end date to match the end of the Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period. New Child’s Initial Eligibility Periods (CIEPs) are not established because the children have already received child care during the current Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period. Since Mom needs more hours of care than previously determined, 237 hours of care will be authorized for each child starting February 1, 2026, through June 30, 2026, as hours can increase during the certification period. The family share deduction (FSD) will remain at $84 per month for the remainder of the eligibility period, as the family share deduction (FSD) cannot increase during a certification period. If Mom had not provided documentation for the need for additional hours, the plan would have been set up as previously determined.
   
   
4. Same scenario as example 1, except at the time Mom requests reinstatement of her child care program on February 7th, she also reports that her school-aged child, who had been living with his father, is now living with her. She reports she needs child care reinstated immediately for her two children, along with child care for her school-aged child before and after school, and full-time care for the summer months. On February 14th. the worker is processing the requested reinstatement and contacts the client to verify hours of care needed for a school-aged child, the provider for all three children, and to confirm that the household’s income remains under 85% of the State Median Income (SMI). The worker reapplies the child care program block with an application date and beginning date of aid of February 7, 2026. For the school-aged child, it is determined that a part-time block of care is needed and will begin on February 7th. A new Child’s Initial Eligibility Period (CIEP) for that child is established for February 7, 2026, through February 28, 2027, and a child care plan is created to allow for the full 12 months of eligibility and extend the family plan through February 2027. For the two children who had been on the child care program block before, the worker adds new child care plans for each child for February 1, 2026, through February 28, 2027, for 215 hours per month (same hours as previously). Their Child’s Initial Eligibility Periods (CIEPs) do not change. They authorize benefits using the “Extends CC Review Date” run reason, which will extend the Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period and Review month. The family share deduction (FSD) is recalculated with a household of 4, which reduces the family share deduction (FSD) to $78.
   
   
5. Ongoing child care for Mom and one child with an established Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period of May 2025 through April 2026. On August 6th, Mom reports that she got a new job making a better income, and her income now exceeds 85% of the State Median Income (SMI) for her household size. On August 12th, a worker processes the change to the child care plans to end effective August 31, 2025, and discontinues the child care program for excess income. On October 3rd, Mom contacts the agency and says that things didn’t work out with her promotion, and she’s going back to the same job she had before, and her income will be the same as it was before. She needs child care for her child again immediately. Even though the previous Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period ran through April 2026, Mom’s child care was closed for a hard closure reason, and the Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period was terminated with that closure. Mom will need to reapply for child care, and the application will be processed using the initial application eligibility rules.
   
   
6. Ongoing child care for Mom and her two children with an established Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period of July 2025 through June 2026. Mom works 35 hours per week, and each of the two children is authorized for full-time blocks of care (215 hours per month) with a family share deduction (FSD) of $84 per month. On September 1st, Mom reports that she has lost her job and now has no income. She is looking for another job. The worker end dates the income record effective September 30th and shortens the family plan by selecting “Continuation of Care” from the change reason menu to allow for 3 continuation months of October through December. The hours of child care remain the same, but with no income, the family share deduction (FSD) decreases to zero. Mom does not find a job during the 3 continuation months, and the child care program closes December 31, 2025. On February 7th, Mom contacts the agency and says she’s found a part-time job, 15 hours per week, making $15 per hour, and she’d like to get child care for her two children again. Since the request for reinstatement is before the end of her previously established Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period and was for a soft closure reason, no application is required, and her child care program can be reinstated. The worker reapplies the child care program block with an application and beginning date of aid of February 7, 2026. The worker does not add a new family plan and instead edits the previous plan. The worker adds the new child care plans for February 1, 2026, through June 30, 2026, which extends the family plan end date to match the Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period end date. New Child’s Initial Eligibility Periods (CIEPs) are not established, as the children have already received care during the current Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period. Care is authorized for 215 hours per month for each child as previously established, and the family share deduction (FSD) remains at zero.
   
   
7. Ongoing child care program for Mom and her 3-year-old son with an established Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period, Child’s Initial Eligibility Period (CIEP), and review period of June 2025 through May 2026. Mom reports on August 10th that the child has gone to live with his father, and she no longer needs child care. The worker edits the family plan to end effective August 31st and discontinues the child care program effective August 31, 2025. On September 2nd, Dad applies for child care for the 3-year-old. The worker registers the application with the beginning date of aid and the application date of September 2, 2025. The worker processes and approves the application on September 12th, which establishes a Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period, Child’s Initial Eligibility Period (CIEP), and review period on Dad’s child care program from September 2025 through September 2026. On December 12th, Dad reports that the child will go back to his mother's home for Christmas and will remain with her after the holidays. On December 15th, the worker edits the family plan to end effective December 31st and discontinues the child care program effective December 31, 2025. On January 2nd, Mom submits another application for child care for her son. She is still employed at the same job, making the same income, and will be using the same provider. Since her child care program closed before the end of the previously established Guaranteed Eligibility Period (GE Period) for a soft closure reason and she has requested child care again before the Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period end date, her child care program block is reapplied with an application date and beginning date of aid of January 2, 2026. The worker does not add a new family plan and instead edits the previous plan. The worker adds a new child care plan effective January 1, 2026, through May 31, 2026. A new Child’s Initial Eligibility Period (CIEP) is not established, as the child has already received care during the current Guaranteed Eligibility Period (GE period). Child care benefits are authorized for the same number of hours previously calculated, with no change to the family share deduction (FSD). Note: In this child care program, Mom submitted an application to reopen her child care, but that was not required. Her verbal request would have been treated the same.

Processing Changes Reported by Change Reporting Households - See Summary of Changes section I.A.6. Adding a New Child to a Child Care Program Block - Effective July 1, 2025, when adding a child to an existing child care program, the newly added child must receive 12 full months of eligibility, with the 12-month period determined the same way it is done for a child care application. In addition, the child will be added to the child care program effective with the month of the request, not the month after the request. Child care for the new child will begin on the date of the request, or the date care is to begin, whichever is later. To allow for the full 12-month eligibility when adding a child to an existing child care program, the family plan and the review period for the entire family will be changed to end in the last month of the newly added child’s 12 months of eligibility, also known as Child’s Initial Eligibility Period (CIEP). For children already in the existing child care program, new plans will be added for the months of the extended eligibility period. Eligibility is not being redetermined, but the duration of the plans and the eligibility review date are being extended. There is no limit to the number of times an eligibility period and review period can be extended. This will result in some child care programs that may potentially go for a number of years without a review (i.e., Foster Care Child Care programs where there are frequent changes in placements of children in their care).

Examples:

1. The household consists of Mom and her two children, ages 2 and 4. Mom is receiving child care benefits for both children while she works full time. Their Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period is from May 2025 through April 2026, and they have a family share deduction (FSD) of $90 per month. On August 12, 2025, Mom reports her 6-month-old niece has come to live with her, and she’ll need child care for the 6-month-old beginning right away. On August 23, 2025, the worker adds the child to the child care program block with an application date and beginning date of aid of August 12, 2025. The worker adds the child care plan for the new child beginning August 12, 2025 through August 31, 2026, allowing for 12 full months of eligibility. This establishes the Child’s Initial Eligibility Period (CIEP) of August 2025 through August 2026 for the new child and extends the Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period for the whole family. New child care plans for the 2- and 4-year-olds are added for May 1, 2026, through August 31, 2026, to match the new Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period. No new Child’s Initial Eligibility Periods (CIEPs) are established for them. The worker authorizes benefits using the “Extend CC Review Date” run reason, recalculating the family share deduction (FSD) from $90 to $86, effective August 2025 for the remainder of that extended eligibility period and extending the Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period and Review month to August 2026.
   
   
2. Same scenario as example 1 above, but the change was reported on August 23, 2025, and was processed on September 3, 2025. The worker adds the child to the child care program block with an application date and beginning date of aid of August 23, 2025. The worker adds the child care plans for the new child beginning on August 23, 2025, through September 30, 2026, allowing for the full 12 months of eligibility, establishing the Child’s Initial Eligibility Period (CIEP), and extending the family plan. New child care plans for the 2 and 4-year-olds are added for May 1, 2026, through September 30, 2026, to match the new Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period. No new Child’s Initial Eligibility Periods (CIEPs) are established for them. The worker authorizes benefits using the “Extend CC Review Date” run reason, recalculating the family share deduction (FSD) from $90 to $86 effective August 2025 for the remainder of that extended eligibility period and extending the Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period and Review month to September 2026.
   
   
3. The household consists of Mom and her 3-year-old child. She receives child care for the 3-year-old as she works full time. The Child’s Initial Eligibility Period (CIEP), the Family Plan, Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period, and Review period are established from July 2025 through June 2026 with a family share deduction (FSD) of $51. On February 7, 2026, Mom reports that her 10-year-old, who has been living with his father, will be coming to live with her beginning March 15, 2026, and she’ll need child care for him when school is out, beginning May 27, 2026, for the summer months only and will not need care when school starts again on August 19, 2026. On February 15th, an eligibility worker processes this change. The worker adds the child to the child care program block with an application date and beginning date of aid of February 7, 2026. Child care plans will begin on the date of request or the date of care, whichever is later. The worker adds the new child plans for the new child beginning May 27, 2026 through August 31, 2026, establishing the Child’s Initial Eligibility Period (CIEP), which allows for the full 12 months of eligibility for May 2026 through May 2027, and extending the family plan. New child care plans for the 3-year-old are added for July 1, 2026 through May 31, 2027, to match the new Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period. No new Child’s Initial Eligibility Period (CIEP) is established for him. The worker authorizes benefits using the “Extended CC Review Date” run reason, recalculating the family share deduction (FSD) from $51 to $0 effective March 2026 for the remainder of that extended eligibility period and extending the Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period and Review month to May 2027.
   
   
4. Household consists of Mom, who is pregnant, and her two children, ages 2 and 4. Mom is receiving child care benefits for both children while she works full time. Their family plan, review period, and each Child’s Initial Eligibility Period (CIEP) are from January 2025 through December 2025, with a family share deduction (FSD) of $71 per month.
   
   On August 20, 2025, Mom reports the birth of her third child, and she’ll need child care for the newborn beginning September 16, 2025. On September 2, 2025, the worker adds the newborn to the program block with an application date and beginning date of aid of August 20, 2025. Child care plans will begin on the date of request or the date of care, whichever is later. The worker adds the new child plans for the new child beginning September 16, 2025, through September 30, 2026, allowing for the full 12 months of eligibility, establishing the Child’s Initial Eligibility Period (CIEP), and extending the family plan. New child care plans for the 2- and 4-year-olds are added for January 1, 2026, through September 30, 2026, to match the new Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period. No new Child’s Initial Eligibility Periods (CIEPs) are established for them. The worker authorizes benefits using the “Extended CC Review Date” run reason, recalculating the family share deduction (FSD) from $71 to $0 effective August 2025 for the remainder of that extended eligibility period and extending the Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period and Review month to September 2026.
   
   On June 5, 2026, Mom reports the birth of a fourth child and says she’ll need child care for this child beginning July 1, 2026. On June 13, 2026, the worker adds the newborn to the child care program block with an application date and beginning date of aid of June 5, 2026 and sets up the new child care plan for July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, allowing for the full 12 months of eligibility, establishing the Child’s Initial Eligibility Period (CIEP), and extending the family plan. New child care plans for the three older children are added for October 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, to match the new Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period. No new Child’s Initial Eligibility Periods (CIEPs) are established for the older children. The worker authorizes benefits using the “Extended CC Review Date” run reason, recalculating the family share deduction (FSD), which will remain at $0 for the remainder of the extended eligibility period and extending the Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period and Review month to June 2027.
   
   
5. The household consists of Mom and her 3 children, ages 6, 8, and 10. Mom receives child care for the two younger children, but doesn’t need care for the 10-year-old, as he goes to his father’s house after school and during the summer months. Their family plan, review period, and Child’s Initial Eligibility Period (CIEP) are from September 2025 through August 2026, with a family share deduction (FSD) of $71 per month. On December 9, 2025, Mom reports that she needs child care right away for the 10-year-old after school and during the summer months because his father has changed jobs, and his work schedule no longer allows the 10-year-old to come to his home during those times. On December 19th, an eligibility worker adds the new child care plans for the 10-year-old beginning December 9, 2025, through December 31, 2026, allowing for the full 12 months of eligibility, establishing the Child’s Initial Eligibility Period (CIEP), and extending the family plan. New child care plans for the other two children are added for September 1, 2026, through December 31, 2026, to match the new Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period. No new Child’s Initial Eligibility Periods (CIEPs) are established for the 6- and 8-year-olds. The worker authorizes benefits using the “Extended CC Review Date” run reason, extending the Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period and Review month to December 2026.
   
   
6. Ongoing child care program for Mom and her 2-year-old and 4-year-old. Their family plan, review period, and each Child’s Initial Eligibility Period (CIEP) are from July 2025 through June 2026. On August 4th, Mom requests that her child care program be closed, and a worker closes the program effective August 31, 2025. On December 2, 2025, Mom contacts the agency and wants child care again, but not for the 2- and 4-year-olds, as they have gone to live with their dad. Mom has a newborn child born on November 10, 2025, and needs child care for the newborn right away. She is still working at the same job, and her income hasn’t changed. Since the closure in August was for a soft closure reason and she has requested child care again within the previously established Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period, no application is required. Mom provides all the necessary documentation for the newborn. On December 10, 2025, the worker reapplies the program block with an application date and beginning date of aid of December 2, 2025. The worker adds the new child care plan for the newborn beginning December 2, 2025, through December 31, 2026, allowing for the full 12 months of eligibility, establishing the Child’s Initial Eligibility Period (CIEP), and extending the family plan. The worker authorizes benefits using the “Extended CC Review Date” run reason, extending the Guaranteed Eligibility Period (GE Period) and Review month to December 2026.

Additional Examples:

1. An application for child care is received on December 15, 2024, requesting care for two children. Care is only needed through May, as they’ll be going to live with grandma in June. The application is processed on December 18, 2024, and the family plan is set up for December 2024 through December 2025. That is the program’s Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period. Child Care plans for each child are set up only for the time care is needed, December 2024 through May 2025. Each Child's Initial Eligibility Period (CIEP) is established for 12 full months, even though the plan is written for a shorter period of time. The review date will match the end of the Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period, December 31, 2025.
   
   
2. An application is processed on December 18, 2024, with the family plan set up for December 2024 through December 2025 (program Guaranteed Eligibility period). The child care plans for each child are set up for December 2024 through December 2025. Each Child's Initial Eligibility Period (CIEP) is established for 12 full months. The review date will match the end of the Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period.
   
   At review, the family’s review application is received on December 26, 2025, but is not processed until January 15, 2026. The family plan and the new program Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period will be set for January 1, 2026, through January 31, 2027. Child care plans for each child will be set up for January 1, 2026, through January 31, 2027, to allow for full 12 months of eligibility and establish their new Child's Initial Eligibility Periods (CIEPs). The next review will match the new program Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period and will be due January 2027.
   
   
3. An application for child care is received on December 15, 2024, requesting care for two children. The application is processed on December 18, 2024. One of the children needs care immediately, but the other child doesn’t need care to start until February 1, 2025. Since each child must receive a full 12 months of eligibility, the child care plan for the child whose 12 months of eligibility will end the latest should be processed first. The second child’s plan is set from February 2025 through January 2026. The first child’s plan is set for December 2024 through January 2026. The Child's Initial Eligibility Periods (CIEPs) for both children are December 2024 through January 2026. The family plan, the Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period, and the review period are all set for December 2024 through January 2026.
   
   A review application for this child care program was received on January 2, 2026, and child care is requested on that application for a third child. The action for the case was taken on January 17, 2026. Because there is a request to add a new child to the program before the end of the current Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period, this will no longer be treated as a review. It will be treated as a reported change. The review is “skipped” by updating the customer reporting page by changing the report status to “CC GE Extend”. A child care plan is added for the new child with a Child’s Initial Eligibility Period (CIEP) from January 2026 through January 2027. New child care plans are added for the other two children from February 1, 2026, through January 31, 2027. The worker authorizes benefits using the “Extend CC Review Date” run reason, instead of the RE run reason.
   
   
4. An application for child care is received on December 15, 2024, requesting care for two children. The application is processed the same day. One of the children needs care immediately, but the other child doesn’t need care to start until February 1, 2025. Since each child must receive a full 12 months of eligibility, the child care plan for the child whose 12 months of eligibility will end the latest should be processed first. The second child’s plan is set from February 2025 through January 2026. The first child’s plan is set for December 2024 through January 2026. The Child's Initial Eligibility Periods (CIEPs) for both children are December 2024 through January 2026. The family plan, the Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period, and the review period are all set for December 2024 through January 2026.
   
   No review application is received before the end of the review period, and the child care program is closed January 31, 2026, for no review. However, on February 17, 2026, a late review application was received requesting child care for the original two children and a third child. This application is processed on February 20, 2026. Late reviews returned in the month following the end of the review period are not prorated but are used to redetermine eligibility. A new family plan and Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period is established from February 1, 2026, through February 28, 2027. New child care plans are written for all three children, and Child's Initial Eligibility Periods (CIEPs) are established for all three from February 1, 2026, through February 28, 2027. The review period is also established for that same time frame.
   
   
5. An application for child care is received on December 15, 2024, requesting care for two children. The application is processed the same day. One of the children needs care immediately, but the other child doesn’t need care to start until February 1, 2025. Since each child must receive a full 12 months of eligibility, the child care plan for the child whose 12 months of eligibility will end the latest should be processed first. The second child’s plan is set from February 2025 through January 2026. The first child’s plan is set for December 2024 through January 2026. The Child's Initial Eligibility Periods (CIEPs) for both children are December 15, 2024, through January 31, 2026. The family plan and the Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period, and the review period are all set for December 2024 through January 2026.
   
   Mom called on May 15, 2025, to report that a third child is in the home and needs care for the summer months beginning from June 2025 through August 2025, while the other children continue to need care all year round. On June 3, 2025, the third child’s plan is established with a Child’s Initial Eligibility Period (CIEP) of May 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, to allow for 12 full months from when the care begins for the newly added child. The Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period is established for December 2024 through June 2026. Plans are written for the third child for June 2025 through August 2025. The worker adds new plans for the first two children for February 2026 through June 2026.
   
   On June 2, 2026, a review application was received requesting child care for all three children. That review application is processed on June 17, 2026. A new family plan and new Child's Initial Eligibility Periods (CIEPs) are established for all three children from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. A new Guaranteed Eligibility (GE) period and a new review period are established for that same period.