KANSAS DEPARTMENT FOR CHILDREN
AND FAMILIES
Family Services
DCF Administration Building
555 S. Kansas Ave., 6th Floor
Topeka, KS 66603

OVERVIEW OF CHANGES

A brief overview of the major changes is described below. Other clarifications and technical corrections are also included and described in the next section. Additional technical corrections not mentioned here are being incorporated in KEESM as needed.

Child Care – Effective October 1, 2020, child care benefits will be authorized in blocks of time based on the calculated hours of care needed per month. This change is being made to align child care assistance with common practice in the way child care providers charge families for their services.

Employment Services – Updated KEESM to align with current policy and procedures regarding individuals served under GOALS and Employment & Training programs.

Food Assistance – This revision incorporates the annual adjustments to the Food Assistance program that are effective October 1 of each year. These changes will be processed in KEES. This batch will run before negative action in September.

The minimum allotment will remain unchanged at $16. There is an approximate 5% increase in the maximum benefit, the maximum monthly benefit allotment will be at the highest level in the history of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

DESCRIPTION, PURPOSE, AND DETAILS OF POLICY CHANGE

1. Child Care
   
   
   1. Changes
      
      
      1. Determining Scheduled Hours – KEESM 7620 is being revised to indicate that after the hours of child care needed are calculated, child care benefits will be authorized in blocks of time – 129 hours per month when hours needed are 108 or less, and 215 hours per month when hours needed are more than 108. Additional hours may be authorized if justification is provided
         
         
   2. Clarifications
      
      
      1. The Child Care Plan – KEESM 7600 is being modified to clarify that supervisory approval for child care plans over 240 hours is required in KEES only if an individual child care plan exceeds 240 hours.
         
         
2. Employment Services
   
   
   1. Changes
      
      
      1. Work Related Requirements, Definitions, and Work Requirements – These changes are being made in KEESM 2515, 2527, 3100
         
         
         1. Removed reference to Employment & Training program only being available in certain counties changes.
            
            
         2. Removed age limit of 60 for GOALS.
            
            
      2. Employment Service Participation (E & T Only) and Transportation – These changes are being made in KEESM 3420.1, 3420.2
         
         
         1. Updated eligibility requirements for the Employment & Training program.
            
            
         2. Removed reference that Employment & Training is an ABAWD only program.
            
            
   2. Clarifications
      
      None
      
      
3. Food Assistance
   
   
   1. Changes
      
      
      1. Annual Adjustments to the Food Assistance Program Standards – Effective October 1, 2020 the following documents are being updated to incorporate the annual federal adjustments to the Food Assistance program. The changes for October 1, 2020, include an increase the standard deduction amounts for households of 4 or more. The standard deduction for households’ size 1-3 has gone unchanged, an increase in the gross and net income limits, and an increase in the maximum excess shelter deduction. The Food Assistance mass change process will run all Food Assistance cases through EDBC for October 2020, with information currently in KEES, which can cause benefits to change or cases to be discontinued. Examples include, income changes, verification date of death, etc. Households will be notified of any changes to their benefits with the mass change notice issued after rollover in September.
         
         Documents being changed are:
         
         Appendix Item F-2, Food Assistance Program Standards
         
         Appendix Item F-3, Food Assistance Benefit Tables
         
         Form ES-1510.1, Computation of Food Assistance Benefit
         
         
      2. Standard Deduction – Section 7222 is being modified to increase the standard deduction amounts for households of 4 or more. The standard deduction for households size 1-3 has gone unchanged. The new amounts effective October 1, 2020 are:
         
         Household size 1-3 = $167
         
         Household size 4 = $181
         
         Household size 5 = $212
         
         Household size 6 or more = $243
         
         
      3. Shelter Costs – Section 7226 is being modified to change the excess shelter deduction to $586. The SUA is decreasing to $359, and the LUA is decreasing to $246. The telephone standard remains the same $35. The Homeless Shelter Expense is increasing to $156.74.
         
         
      4. Exempt Income – Section 6410 (35), which exempts Interest and Dividends less than $50, is being removed. Subsequent items are being renumbered as appropriate.
         
         
      5. Types of Countable Unearned Income – Section 6220 (11) is being updated to reflect that Interest and Dividends are countable unearned income. Text is being removed that indicates only the amount that exceeds $50 per month is counted.
         
         
   2. Clarifications
      
      None
      
      
4. TANF
   
   
   1. Changes
      
      None
      
      
   2. Clarifications
      
      
      1. Non-Cooperation with Work Programs When in Hardship Status – Verbiage is being added to 2243.1 to clarify that this section pertains only to mantatory work programs.

FORMS (Explanation provided if not mentioned previously in this summary.)

Child Care

ES-1610, Referral for Child Care Assistance for Participants in Kansas Early Head Start Child Care Partnerships – This form is being updated to reflect the new blocks of time that are effective October 1, 2020.

ES-3100FC (Spanish), Application for Foster Care Child Care Benefits. Prior to this revision the voter registration information was added to the Forms list and posted.

Food Assistance

ES-1510.1, Computation of Food Assistance Benefit. A field is being added to the form to calculate the Homeless Shelter Expense.

ES-2007 Insert. The income amounts are being updated with the Oct. 1, 2020, changes to English and Spanish versions.

LIEAP

ES-3500, Low Income Energy Assistance Program Application, is being updated. The Spanish translation will be added as soon as it is available.

APPENDIX (Explanation provided if not mentioned previously in this summary.)

Employment Services

E-1, TANF Coding Chart for Work Programs in KEES. Re-formatted and included TANF Work Program Exemptions.

E-3, SBDT Referral Process Guide (Text Only), was with an additional location that requires staff to provide a UA kit. It has already been linked in Appendix.

E-6/S, Self-Assessment Form, added client email.

E-10, Comparison of TANF and FA E&T Employment Services, Re-named to Comparison of TANF and FA Employment Services and updated to align with current policy changes.

Food Assistance

F-2, Food Assistance Program Standards

F-3, Food Assistance Benefit Tables

MISCELLANEOUS FORMS (Explanation provided if not mentioned previously in this summary.)

EFFECTIVE DATE

All changes are effective October 1, 2020.

EFFECT ON LOCAL STAFF (No significant effect if not explained below.)

MATERIALS OBSOLETED BY THIS REVISION

COORDINATION EFFORTS

This change was coordinated with staff in Economic and Employment Services (EES), Executive leadership, and the EES Program Administrators.

Sincerely,
Sandra Kimmons, Assistant EES Director
Economic and Employment Services
SK:am