2835 Income Eligible (Non-TANF)
Child Care -This type of shild 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. For the first two
months following the loss of TANF eligibility, recipients are not
required to be employed a minimum number of hours. However, after
those two months, they must be employed a minimum of 28 hours per
week (average). See 3410.
- FAET Participation - To allow food assistance work registrants to participate in the
Food Assistance E&T work program in approved
counties. 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 who are not employed.
If the client is both employed and participating in the Food Assistance
E & T work programs, child care will be accessed through the Maintain Employment child care reason and a family share will be assessed. One child
care plan per child for each provider is developed, combining the
hours child care is needed for employment and FA E & T work program
participation. In a two-parent household where one parent is employed
and the second parent is participating in FA E & T work programs,
child care plans should be set up under the work program participant
using the Income Eligible Child Care with no family share.
Maintain Employment child care reason may also be provided to food assistance work program
participants referred to Disability Employment Services after notification has
been received that the Individual Plan for Employment (IPE) development
has been completed by Kansas Rehabilitation Services. Child care costs
incurred after referral but prior to IPE completion will be paid by
Kansas Rehabilitation Services.
- Maintain Employment - A
primary purpose of the child care program is to support employment
for adults employed an average of at least 28 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 28 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 28 hours per week with net income equivalent to the federal
minimum wage per hour. If working an average of at least 28 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, desk reviews of those cases will
be completed after six months of self-employment, and if they are
not earning the equivalent of the federal minimum wage per hour at
that time, child care plans will be terminated.
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 without
a family share deductions for two months following TANF case closure.
For those two months following TANF closure, former TANF recipients
would not be subject to the 28-hour-per-week work requirement. However,
child care may not be authorized beyond those two months if the recipient
is not employed a minimum of 28 hours per week.
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 28 hour per week work requirement
in order to qualify for child care benefits.
- 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 they will complete
within 24 months, with the goal of 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 after 6 months if the client 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, http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/wages/minimumwage.htm,
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. 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.
- Family receiving services through a family preservation
contractor or DCF Prevention and Protection Services (PPS)
Social Worker.
- 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”, 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.
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.
The family share deduction is determined by the income of the family and
the number of family members. The adjudicated juvenile offender is included
in the family size for the purpose of assessing the family share deduction.
The Social Service child care reason would not be used
for :
- Children placed with a non-licensed, approved relative where
the relative is employed. The Maintain Employment reason code should
be used.
- Children in licensed foster care (foster care contractors are
responsible for child care). EES child care subsidy would not
be used.
- 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)
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 shall
be determined by a means test using only the non-exempt income of
the teen parent and the teen's children. An application must be completed.
If the teen parent is under the age of 18 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. The Primary Applicant is not
required to meet the 28 hour per week work requirement in these situations.
The family share deduction is calculated according to the family composition
of Primary Applicant, teen parent and the teen's children. If the teen is 18, 19
or determined able to act in their own behalf, the teen is listed
as the PI and the family share deduction calculated according to the
non-exempt income of the teen parent and the teen's children. 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 28 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 70% 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, 4, and 6 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 -185% - of the current federal
poverty guidelines for initial eligibility. The family share deduction is redetermined at review
or more often if the gross monthly income or household size increases
or decreases (see 7541).
2836 Reserved