2835 Income Eligible
(Non-TANF) Child Care -This type of child care is available
to child care nuclear families (as defined in KEESM 4410)
where no one receives TANF.
Income Eligible Child Care may be used for the following reasons:
- Work Program Participation -
This reason code is used for former TANF recipients who need child
care when their TANF case has closed but will continue to receive
provider services and other support services through Work Programs.
During the remaining child care eligibility period, no minimum number
of hours of employment is required, nor is a family share deduction
assigned to the case. If new application for child care is made within
the first two months following the loss of TANF eligibility,the minimum
hours of employment are not required in order to be approved for a
12-month eligibility period with no family share deduction. However,
at the time of the next review, they must be employed a minimum of
20 hours per week (average), or meet another approvable need reason
to be approved for a new 12-month eligibility period. See 3410.
- Food Assistance E&T Participation
- To allow food assistance work registrants to participate
in any Food Assistance work program in approved counties. This
includes the GOALS program. See 3100.
Good cause shall be given to food assistance work registrants for
failure to participate if they can demonstrate that child care is
unavailable. The client must be advised of this exception. No family
share will be assigned to food assistance work program participants.
- Maintain Employment - A
primary purpose of the child care program is to support employment
for adults employed an average of at least 20 hours per week and earning
at least the federal minimum wage per hour. All adults must be earning
at least the federal minimum wage per hour for either regular employment
or self-employment, and for tipped professions, the adult’s combined
wages plus tips must equal at least the federal minimum wage per hour.
All adults included on a child care case must meet the 20 hour per
week work requirement unless they are not capable of meeting it due
to a documented physical or mental condition. For post-secondary education
students whose education plan has been approved, child care may also
be provided with this reason for hours of actual participation in
the federal Work Study Program if the student is participating at
least 15 hours per week (average) in the Work Study Program or a combination
of the Work Study Program and private employment and does not need
child care for their school hours. If child care is needed for the
student’s school hours, the Post-Secondary Education reason code should
be used (see item 4 below). Child care may also be provided for activities
directly related to the hours of work and retention of the client's
current employment. Examples include but are not limited to: child
care for administrative leave for jury duty, ongoing mandated drug
and alcohol counseling, required in service training, and sick leave
when the parent-guardian- caretaker is too ill to care for the child.
A suggested guideline is to approve child care for such activities
for no more than 10 days.
Individuals who are self-employed must be working an average of at
least 20 hours per week with net income equivalent to the federal
minimum wage per hour. If working an average of at least 20 hours
per week, individuals beginning new self -employment may be approved
for child care with net earnings equivalent to less than the federal
minimum wage. However, when the review is completed at
the end of the 12-month eligibility period, if they are not earning
the equivalent of the federal minimum wage per hour at that time,
child care will be denied.
Former TANF recipients who need child care for employment when their
TANF case has closed and earned income is a factor in the closure
shall receive child care under Income Eligible Child Care and the
Maintain Employment reason code without meeting the minimum work requirement
and without a family share deduction for the remaining child care
eligibility period. If new application for child care is made within
those two months following TANF closure, former TANF recipients would
not be subject to the 20-hour-per-week work requirement in order to
be approved for child care. However, when the case is reviewed at
the end of the 12-month eligibility period, the adult(s) must be employed
a minimum of 20 hours per week or meet another approvable need reason
.
For child care cases in which the only child(ren) receiving benefits
is the child(ren) of a minor parent who is working on completion of
high school or obtaining a GED, the adult parents included on the
cases are not required to meet the 20-hour-per-week work requirement
in order to qualify for child care benefits.
Job Corps participants are not required to meet the 20-hour work requirement.
- Post-Secondary
Education - Child Care may be provided under this reason
for persons needing to enhance current employment and/or earning potential
through education and/or training. See Appendix
E-11, Education and Training Assistance Aid.
The following lists basic criteria for approving education and/or training
under this subtype:
- Post- secondary education must be expected to lead to a degree
or certificate.
- DCF will not provide child care assistance for clients to complete
a degree or certificate program unless their goal is employment
in their field of study. Child care may be allowed for school
hours and 1 hour of study time each week for each class if needed.
(Example: A student may be taking five classes for 15 credit hours.
Five hours of study time per week could be authorized).
- DCF will not provide child care for the pursuit of a second
associate’s degree or a second bachelor’s degree. Child care will
not be allowed for the pursuit of a degree higher than a bachelor’s.
- The client must be engaged in paid employment for a minimum
of 15 hours per week. If self-employed, child care plans shall
be terminated at the end of the current eligibility period if
the client has been self-employed for at least 6 months and is
not working a minimum of 15 hours per week and earning the equivalent
of the federal minimum wage per hour. To find the
current minimum wage click this link, https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/wages/minimumwage,
then scroll down and click on ‘What is the Minimum Wage?’ If the
post-secondary student is participating for more than 15 hours
per week in an unpaid internship for which college credit is given,
those hours over 15 may be counted toward the 15 hours per week
that the student is required to be employed.
- Education/Training shall be skill specific (such as VoTech/Certificate
programs) and/or create greater earning potential for the client
upon completion. The client must maintain a 2.0
cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale or its equivalent in another grading
system. Grades/progress shall be verified within
30 days of the end of each term.
- Supervisory approval is required for plans with more than 240
hours per child. (Relative providers are limited to 215 hours
per child.)
- A Statement of Understanding, ES-1640 form must be completed
and signed by the client and received by the worker prior to approval
of education/training child care hours. Non-receipt of the Statement
of Understanding shall not delay eligibility determination and/or
plan authorization for employment.
- DCF will provide child care for the pursuit of any degree or
certification if the occupation has at least an average job outlook
listed in the Occupational Outlook Handbook on the website of
the US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (http://www.bls.gov/ooh/a-z-index.htm#C). For
occupations with less than an average job outlook, educational
plans will require approval of an EES supervisor (using form ES-1640
Statement of Understanding). Child care may also be approved if
the student provides verification of a specific job offer that
will be available to them upon completion of their program. Supervisory
approval is not required if the student provides verification
of such a job offer.
- Child care for post-secondary education will be allowed for
a lifetime maximum of 24 months per adult. Those 24 months do
not have to be consecutive.
Note: In a two-parent/adult household,
child care would not be allowed if both parents/adults are attending
a formal education or training program at the same time. The household
may choose which one of the parents/adults is participating as
a post-secondary student. The other parent/adult must meet another
approvable criteria for child care subsidy.
For tracking purposes, when a client successfully completes their
approved educational program, an ES-1640a
Educational Plan Completion Tracking form must be completed and
sent to the Child Care Subsidy Program Manager in EES Administration.
For clients who have been approved for employment and education/
training and subsequently lose employment with good cause as defined
in 3530, child care plans may continue
for education/training through the month following the month the
employment is lost. Clients should be reminded that employment
is an eligibility criteria and should be encouraged to obtain
employment as soon as possible.
- Social
Services - Income Eligible (Non-TANF) recipient families
who have a temporary emergency need. This is primarily based upon
the parent/caretaker’s need and will be authorized for up to twelve
(12) months except as noted below. Financial eligibility tests including
income and resources are waived for families using this need reason
except as noted below and there will be no family share deduction
assessed. Twenty-four (24) hours of care per day may be available
for a period not to exceed 30 days dependent upon the situation. Regulated
providers need to have a written authorization for an exception from
the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Child Care Licensing
and Registration to provide more than 18 hours of care per day by
the same person.
Children in families with or without open social service cases may
be eligible.
Qualifying social service reasons would be:
- “Parents with Crisis”:
- Parent hospitalized or otherwise temporarily unable
to provide adequate care for the child. This could be inpatient
or outpatient, for physical health, mental health or substance
abuse treatment. There is no other adult to care for the child.
- Family in the process of DCF Intake and Assessment
through Child Protective Services.
- Family receiving services through a family preservation
contractor or DCF Prevention and Protection Services (PPS)
Social Worker.
A completed “Request for Social Service Child Care” form
ES-1627 is required.
- Juvenile offenders in the custody of the Juvenile Justice Authority
when the foster parent is employed and needs child care. The foster
parent will need to apply at the local DCF Service Center. The
foster parent will be the Primary Applicant on the case. A completed
“Request for Social Service Child Care,” form
ES-1627, and a copy of the journal entry as documentation of the
child’s status will be given to the foster parent by designated
JJA-contracted staff and must be retained in the DCF case file
along with the application.
- Children in Foster Care. Child care for these families will
not be limited to 12 months as with other social service child
care. A request for Foster Care Child Care may come via the ES-3100FC,
the ES-3100
accompanied by an ES-1627b,
or an ES-1512FC
- Children whose caretaker has placed them with a “Safe Family”
due to a family crisis, thereby avoiding placement of the children
in Foster Care. These children are not in Foster Care. Child care
for these children must be needed due to the employment or education/training
of the adults in the “Safe Family”. A completed “Child Care for
Children in Safe Families or Relative or Kinship Foster Care”
form
1627b must accompany the application for child care. This form
is to be completed by a representative of the Safe Families agency.
Child care for these families will not be limited to 12 months
as with other social service child care.
- Parents Performing Essential Functions during a Disaster or
Emergency. When a disaster or emergency has been declared by Kansas
Government and child care is needed for parents to continue performing
essential functions, eligibility for Child Care Assistance may
be granted under the social service need reason. When a disaster
or emergency has been declared, specific guidance will be provided
in a separate Policy Memo for each event due to the limitations
of funds and variations in the number of parents who may be eligible.
Any financial eligibility tests applicable for these families
will be outlined in the Policy Memo. In addition to an application,
reasonable verification that the parent performs an essential
function that was approved in the Policy Memo will be required.
If the foster parent is also applying for child care subsidy
for other children in the household, the Maintain Employment reason code
will be used for those children. A family share deduction will not be
determined for a household when any child is using the “Social Service”
need reason.
The Social Service child care reason would not be used
for :
- Children in foster care being placed back with the parent on
a limited basis and child care is needed due to parent employment.
The Maintain Employment reason code should be used.
- Respite care.
- SSI children.
- Children over the age of 13. The appropriate reason code would
be used based on the need for care.
- Disabled children. The appropriate reason code would be used
based on the need for care.
A Request for Social
Services Child Care form
(ES-1627 or ES-1627b) is required and must be signed by the EES/SS Program
Administrator or designee in the respective DCF Service Center. At
the end of the twelve (12)-month timeframe, the family must meet another
of the qualifying reasons for child care in order to continue receiving
child care assistance.
- Teen Parent – Education and
Training - Child Care is available for Income Eligible (non-TANF)
teen parents needing child care to complete high school or obtain
a GED. Eligibility and the family share deduction shall be determined
by a means test using the non-exempt income of the teen parent,
the other parent (biological or adoptive) of the teen parent’s child
who also lives in the home and the teen's children. An application
must be completed. If the other adult parent (biological or adoptive)
of the teen parent’s child lives in the home, they may complete the
application and be the Primary Applicant. The guidelines below are
to be followed when a teen parent is a minor or an adult.
- Minor: If the teen parent is under the age
of 18, the only parent of the child in the home and not determined
able to act in their own behalf, the teen's parent-guardian-caretaker
should be listed as the Primary Applicant on the case and will
be included in the family composition count, although their income
and resources are not used in the means test. The Primary Applicant
is not required to meet the 20 hour per week work requirement
in these situations.
- Adult: If the teen is 18, 19 or determined
able to act in their own behalf, the teen or other adult parent
(biological or adoptive) of the teen parent’s child who also lives
in the home may be listed as the Primary Applicant. The teen’s
parent-guardian caretaker should not be included on the case.
Teen Parent – Education and Training child care may also be provided
for summer breaks if the teen parent is employed and plans to return
to high school in the fall. However, if a minor teen parent drops
out of high school with no intention of returning and then needs child
care for employment, all members of the nuclear family are included
in the household and all nonexempt available income is considered
when determining initial eligibility and the family share deduction.
The Maintain Employment reason code would be used in this situation.
When a teen parent requires child care for both employment and education/
training purposes, the Teen Parent – Education and Training reason
code should be used. The Teen Parent – Education and Training reason
code should be used if the teen is in high school/GED and employed
even if child care is only being asked for the hours of employment.
When child care is needed for employment only, the Maintain Employment
reason code should be used. If the teen parent turns 20, child care
under this reason code may continue for the completion of the school
term, as long as the plan was approved prior to age 20. If the teen
parent turns 20 while completing the GED, child care under this reason
code may continue for up to nine months past their 20th
birthday as long as the plan was approved prior to age 20. An employed
teen parent who is working on completion of a high school diploma
or GED is not required to meet the 20 hours per week employment requirement
in order to qualify for child care benefits for school hours or employment
hours.
Teen parents enrolled in high school are required to make passing grades
or adequate progress as established by the educational institution.
- EHS Partnership - Child care
is available for families participating in the Kansas Early Head Start/Child
Care Partnership program. EES staff will determine if the family has
any outstanding cooperation or fraud issues, but all other aspects
of eligibility shall be determined by the Early Head Start grantees
based on Early Head Start eligibility standards. No family share deduction
will be assigned to families in which any of the children requesting
child care assistance are participating in the partnerships.
Income Eligible Child Care recipients whose income falls below 100%
of the federal poverty level are not assigned a family share deduction.
All other Income Eligible Child Care recipients are assigned a family
share deduction each month, except as noted in 1, 2, 5, and 7 above. The
family share deduction, which is used to reduce the monthly benefit, is
based on the size of the family and the family’s countable gross income.
(Refer to the current Monthly Family Income and Share Deduction Schedule
for Child Care Services, Appendix Item F-1.)
However, the family income may not exceed 85%
of the current State Median Income
for eligibility. The family share deduction is redetermined at review
or may be reduced earlier if a reported change results in a decreased
family share deduction. Reported changes that would increase
the family share deduction will not be acted on until the next review.
2836 Reserved