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 - To comply with the Office of Child Care’s interpretation of 12-month eligibility, policy around when to begin counting the 12 months for initial eligibility approvals for child care is being revised.

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 increased to $20. In Kansas, there is an approximate 21% increase in the maximum benefit. The increase is based on the re-evaluation of the Thrifty Food Plan. The 2018 Farm Bill mandated a re-evaluation of the Thrifty Food Plan by 2022 and that it must be re-evaluate every five years thereafter. The Thrifty Food Plan is based on current food prices, food composition data, consumption patterns, and dietary guidance. The increase is permanent and does not include any Pandemic relief funding.

The resource limit for households with at least one member who is age 60 or older or is disabled increased to $3,750 and all other households the resource limit increased to $2,500.

DESCRIPTION, PURPOSE, AND DETAILS OF POLICY CHANGE

1. Child Care
   
   
   1. Changes
      
      
      1. Duration of Child Care Plans– KEESM 7610 is being modified to change the length of the initial eligibility period, depending on when action is taken to approve a child care case and when child care benefits will start. The initial eligibility period must include 12 full months following the month action is taken or beginning the first subsequent month for which benefits are authorized, whichever is later.
         
         
      2. Licensed Providers, Headstart Programs – KEESM 10021.1(7) is being modified to add a reference back to KEESM 7620 regarding the initial 12-month eligibility period for new approvals.
         
         
   2. Clarifications
      
      None
      
      
2. Employment Services
   
   
   1. Changes
      
      
      1. Vocational Education - KEESM 3310.7 is changed to allow GOALS and E&T to use the vocational education activity for all educational programs without changing the guidelines for TANF. #1 lists programs that qualify under TANF and #2 lists programs that qualify under GOALS and E&T.
         
         
      2. Job Search/Job Readiness - ‘Employed or self-employed and working a minimum of 30 hr/week and being paid at least federal minimum wage,’ is being removed from the list in KEESM 3310.8 which cites when the Job Search/Job Readiness activity should not be used.
         
         
      3. Work Program Penalty activity - KEESM 3330.12 is being changed to include potential employment violations. The Note at the bottom is also being changed as a client is not always required to be in an activity when they are receiving transitional services.
         
         
      4. TANF only activities – KEESM 3310.4 Work Experience, 3310.5 On-the-Job Training, 3310.6 Supervised Community Service Program, 3320.1 Job Skills Training, 3320.2 Education Directly Related to Employment, 3330.1 Alcohol and Other Drug Assessment and Treatment, 3330.6 Mental Health Care, 3330.10 Physical Health Care, 3330.13 Workforce Investment Opportunity Act, and 3330.14 Kansas Health Profession Opportunity Program are being identified as TANF only activities.
         
         
      5. Mentoring – 3330.8 is being identified as a TANF or E&T only activity.
         
         
   2. Clarifications
      
      
      1. Potential Employment – KEESM 3540 & 3540.1 is being clarified by replacing the word penalty with disqualification since a potential employment violation is a disqualification not a penalty.
         
         
3. Food Assistance
   
   
   1. Changes
      
      
      1. Annual Adjustments to the Food Assistance Program Standards – Effective October 1, 2021 the following documents are being updated to incorporate the annual federal adjustments to the Food Assistance program. The standard deduction for households’ size 1-3 has increased to $177. The standard deduction for household size of 4 has increased to $184. There is 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 2021, 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. The new amounts effective October 1, 2021 are:
         
         Household size 1-3 = $177
         
         Household size 4 = $184
         
         Household size 5 = $215
         
         Household size 6 or more = $246
         
         
      3. Shelter Costs – Section 7226 is being modified to change the excess shelter deduction to $597. The SUA is decreasing to $392, and the LUA is increasing to $286. The telephone standard is increasing to $37.The Homeless Shelter Expense is increasing to $159.73.
         
         
      4. Resources – Section 5100 is being modified to increase the resource limits for Food Assistance. The resource limit for households with at least one member who is age 60 or older or is disabled increased to $3,750 and all other households the resource limit increased to $2,500.
         
         
      5. Food Assistance Standards – Section 7420 is being modified to reflect the increase in the minimum FA benefit of $20.
         
         
      6. Expunged Benefits – Section 11130 & 11126.6 is being modified to change the amount of time Food Assistance benefits can go unclaimed from 12 months to 9 months. After 9 months Food Assistance benefits will age off.
         
         
   2. Clarifications
      
      None
      
      
4. TANF
   
   
   1. Changes
      
      
      1. Resource Limit – The maximum allowable nonexempt resource limit for cash is being increased to $2,500.
         
         Section 5110 is being modified to reflect this increase.
         
         
   2. Clarifications
      
      None
      

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

Employment Services

ES-4322, Community Service / Work Experience Two-Week Time Sheet

IS-4315, Employment Services (ES) Referral to Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)

Food Assistance

ES-1510.1, Computation of Food Assistance Benefit

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

Employment Services

E-10, Employment Services Program Comparison Chart

R-4, Employment Services (ES) & Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Coordination Procedure/Best Practice

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, 2021.

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, EES Director
Economic and Employment Services
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