M E M O R A N D U M

TO:                 EES Program Administrators

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

DATE:           June 1, 2026

SUBJECT:    Implementation Instructions - KEESM Revision 128

This memo provides implementation instructions and information for the following June 1, 2026, policy changes in the Kansas Economic and Employment Services Manual (KEESM).

Child Care – See Summary of Changes section IB and KEESM section 7640.

Effective June 1, 2026, Child Care Assistance policy is being updated to align with guidance from the federal Office of Child Care. When all adults on an open Child Care Assistance case experience a non-temporary loss in employment or stop participating in an approved education or training activity (including TANF or Food Assistance work program participation), their Child Care Assistance plans are to remain open for three additional months following the month the change occurs. If there are fewer than three months left in the review period, the extension will last until the end of the review period. In households with two parents or caretakers, the continuation of care applies when both adults have experienced a non-temporary loss in employment or have stopped participating in an approved education or training activity. If at least one parent or caretaker is employed or participating in an approved education/training program, the case will remain open at the same number of hours as originally approved. The change for June 1 applies to any situation in which all adults on the case experience a non-temporary loss of employment or stop participating in an approved education or training activity, and do not verbally or in writing request their case be closed. Requests for case closure will need to be clearly documented in the case file in accordance with KEESM 7640.3.

Examples:

1. Violet and her three children are approved to receive Child Care Assistance from April 5, 2026, to April 30, 2027, as she is working 38 hours a week. In July, she reports losing her job and is allowed the 3-month continuation of care for August, September and October. In September, Violet reports a new job working 15 hours per week. The family’s Child Care Assistance case will continue for the remainder of the guaranteed eligibility period (until April 30th) with the same number of hours originally approved. When the review is completed in March, the 20-hour-per-week minimum work requirement, along with other eligibility requirements, must be met.
   
   
2. Violet and her three children are approved to receive Child Care Assistance from April 5, 2026, to April 30, 2027, as she is working 38 hours a week. In July, she reports losing her job and is allowed the 3-month continuation of care for August, September and October. She does not report finding another job before the extension ends. KEES automatically closes her case at the end of October. On January 12th, Violet reports new employment and needs Child Care Assistance again. Since her household’s income is below 85% of the state median income (SMI), her case is reinstated. The worker reapplies the child care program block with an application date and beginning date of aid of 01/12/2027, edits the Family Plan, and adds new child care plans for 01/01/2027-04/30/2027.
   
   
3. Grace and Dean are both employed full-time and receive Child Care Assistance for their two-year-old child. Their guaranteed eligibility period is from October 2026 to October 2027. On February 15th, Grace reports losing her job. The family’s Child Care Assistance case remains open without changing the hours of care. If the family has a family share deduction, it would be lowered due to the decrease in income.
   
   
4. Maya is employed full-time and receives Child Care Assistance for her two children. Their guaranteed eligibility period is from August 2026 to August 2027. On December 10th, Maya reports her boyfriend, Danny, has moved into the home. Danny is not employed and has no other sources of income. The family’s Child Care Assistance case remains open without changing the hours of care. If the family has a family share deduction, it would be lowered due to the change in household size. When the review is completed in July, all eligibility requirements, including personal need for both adults, must be met.