M E M O R A N D U M

TO:                 EES Program Administrators

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

DATE:           June 30, 2026

SUBJECT:    Implementation Instructions - KEESM Revision 129

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

1. Effective July 1, 2026, verification other than self-attestation (client statement) must be used to confirm the following items for Food Assistance:
   
   
   • Age of each household member requesting assistance
   • Checking, savings, and cryptocurrency account balances

Age and checking, savings, and cryptocurrency account balances can no longer be verified through self-attestation. Any reasonable documentation shall be accepted as verification. Examples of acceptable verification can include, but are not limited to:

• Age
  • EATSS, State ID, Drivers’ License, Birth Certificate/Birth Confirmation Letter, or medical records
• Account balance
  • Monthly statements, screenshot of the institution’s mobile app or website that includes the client’s name and account number, or collateral contact with the financial institution.

For any initial application or review received on or after July 1, 2026, staff must obtain verification of the above items of eligibility . At the Interim Report or 12-Month Report, verification is not required unless a change is reported. Changes reported outside of the Interim Report, 12-Month Report, or review will follow the unclear information process.

2. Effective July 1, 2026, DCF must investigate potential shelter and utility expense changes when a change of address is verified. Standard operating procedures must be followed to obtain expense verifications. If unsuccessful, a request for information notice must be sent to the household, allowing 10 days to provide the expense verification(s).
   
   If verification of the new shelter and/or utility expense is not received, the previously verified expense(s) must be end-dated and benefits calculated without the expense(s), allowing for timely and adequate notice.
   
   Important!! If an address is not verified, it is considered unclear and follows the unclear process defined in KEESM 9122.7.

Examples

1. The Primary Applicant contacts the local office to report an address change. Support staff updates the address in KEES. A task is manually generated for an eligibility worker to investigate shelter expense changes. The eligibility worker picks up the task and calls the client to try to obtain verification of shelter expenses. This change is considered verified, since the household reported the address change.
   
   
   1. The call is successful, and the eligibility worker is able to verify through collateral contact with the landlord and utility company, and updates the shelter expenses.
      
      
   2. The call is unsuccessful, and a 10-day request is sent to the household.
      
      
      1. If expenses are not provided, they will be end-dated and benefits recalculated without the shelter expenses, allowing for timely and adequate notice.
         
         
2. Returned mail is triaged by the support staff, and the household is contacted to verify their address. The support staff is able to reach the household who confirms they moved, and provides their new address. The address is updated in KEES, and a task is manually generated for an eligibility worker to investigate shelter expense changes. The eligibility worker picks up the task. This change is considered verified, since the household reported their new address. The eligibility worker calls the client to try to obtain verification of shelter expenses.
   
   
   1. The call is successful, and the eligibility worker is able to obtain a copy of the lease agreement along with a current utility bill from the household, and updates the shelter expenses.
      
      
   2. The call is unsuccessful, and a 10-day request is sent to the household.
      
      
      1. If expenses are not provided, they will be end-dated and benefits recalculated without the shelter expenses, allowing for timely and adequate notice.
         
         
3. Returned mail is triaged by the support staff, and the household is contacted to verify their
   address. The support staff is not able to reach the household. A journal entry is added to KEES documenting that the returned mail needs to be addressed at the next interim report, 12-month report, or review. This is considered unclear information since the household did not report an address change.

*See the KEES User Manual for details on the updated returned mail process.

3. Effective July 1, 2026, DCF must investigate a household’s resources using a county appraisal search (parcel search), if a search is available for the household’s county of residence. The parcel search must be completed on each household member, including disqualified or excluded members, at application, review, and the addition of a household member.
   
   Parcel search results must be saved to the case file. Documentation is required in cases where there is no parcel search available in the household’s county of residence.
   

Staff should consult with their supervisor for any questions on this memo. Supervisors may direct questions to the SNAP policy questions mailbox.