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 into KEESM, as needed.

Food Assistance -

Annual Poverty Level Adjustments: 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 $24. The maximum gross resource limits remained the same at $4500 for households with at least one member who is 60 or older or disabled and $3000 for all other households.

In Kansas, there is an increase in the maximum benefit. The increase is based on the re-evaluation of the Thrifty Food Plan. The Thrifty Food Plan is based on current food prices, food composition data, consumption patterns, and dietary guidance.

Food Assistance Mandatory Employment and Training - A new activity has been added to the program. Additional information about how a client can overturn a Food Assistance Mandatory Employment and Training violation before the violation begin date has been added.

DESCRIPTION, PURPOSE, AND DETAILS OF POLICY CHANGE

1. Child Care
   
   
   1. Changes
      
      None
      
      
   2. Clarifications
      
      
      1. TANF Child Care – KEESM 2831 has been revised to clarify that foster care children returning to the home are eligible for social service child care, unless they are eligible for maintain employment child care.
         
         
      2. Income Eligible (Non-TANF) Child Care – KEESM 2835 has been revised to clarify that foster care children returning to the home are eligible for social service child care, unless they are eligible for maintain employment child care.
         
         
      3. Eligibility Period for Child Care Assistance – KEESM 7340 has been revised to clarify that eligibility is prorated based on date of application, provider start date, or need of care, otherwise plans should start on the first day of the month.
         
         
      4. Duration of Child Care Plans – KEESM 7610 has been revised to clarify that eligibility is prorated based on date of application, provider start date, or need of care, otherwise plans should start on the first day of the month.
         
         
      5. Termination of Child Care Plans – KEESM 7640 has been revised to clarify non-temporary loss of employment.
         
         
      6. Households Required to Change Report – KEESM 9121 has been restructured to increase readability, and clarification has been added that client statement regarding the household’s income remaining under 85% is sufficient to reinstate Child Care Plans during the guaranteed eligibility period.
         
         
         
2. Food Assistance
   

1. Changes
   
   
   1. Annual Adjustments to the Food Assistance Program Standards – Effective October 1, 2025, the following documents are being updated to incorporate the annual federal adjustments to the Food Assistance program. The standard deduction for household size of 1-3 has increased to $209. The standard deduction for a household size of 4 has increased to $223, and household size of 5 has increased to $261. There is an increase in the gross and net income limits, and an increase in the maximum excess shelter deduction to $744. The Food Assistance mass change process will run all Food Assistance cases through EDBC for October 2025, with information currently in KEES, which can cause benefits to change or cases to be discontinued. Examples include income changes, verification of 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
      
      
   2. Standard Deduction – Section 7222 is being modified to increase the standard deduction amounts. The new amounts effective October 1, 2025, are:
      
      Household size 1-3 = $209
      Household size 4 = $223
      Household size 5 = $261
      Household size 6 or more = $299
      
      
   3. Shelter Costs – Sections 7226, 7226.3 and 7226.6 are being modified to change the excess shelter deduction to $744. The SUA is increasing to $469, and the LUA is increasing to $345. The telephone standard is increasing to $44.The Homeless Shelter Expense is increasing to $198.99. Language is being added to clarify households that only incur a telephone expense, whether that is a cell phone or a landline, are entitled to the telephone standard.
      
      
   4. Food Assistance Standards – Section 7420 is being modified to reflect a federal adjustment to the minimum benefit.
      
      
   5. Information/Verification – Section 9333 is being modified to establish that non-citizen status must be reverified by running SAVE at recertification.
      
      
   6. Interim Report and 12–Month Report Form – Section 9122.6 is being modified to reflect the correct unearned income reporting threshold of $100.
      
      
2. Clarifications
   
   
   1. Expedited Services for the Food Assistance Program – Language is being modified in section 1415.1 to clarify that any utility standard a household is entitled to should be used in determining eligibility for expedited service.
      
      
   2. Food Assistance Noncooperation – Section 2165.2 is being modified to clarify that if a prior determination of noncooperation is unresolved at the time of application, eligibility will be determined for the remaining household members.
      
      
   3. Agency Action on Timely Reapplication – Language is being added to sections 9340 and 9350 to clarify what a timely filed recertification is.
      
      
3. Food Assistance Mandatory Employment and Training
   
   
   1. Changes
      
      
      1. Work Experience for Food Assistance Mandatory Employment and Training - This new activity for the program has been added to KEESM 3340.11.
         
         
      2. Determination of Failure to Cooperate for Food Assistance Mandatory E&T - Information on how to overturn a violation if compliance with the program begins before the violation date has been added to KEESM 3520.2.
         
         
   2. Clarifications
      
      
      1. Regaining Eligibility - The TAA program is no longer available and has been removed from KEESM 2522.
         
         
      2. Food Assistance Mandatory Employment and Training (E&T) Initial Appointment - The time in which E&T tasks must be worked has been changed to five days in KEESM 3120.2.
         
         
      3. Work Requirements for Recipients - KEESM 3100.2 #2b has been updated to clarify that if the individual is exempt from ABAWD due to being 55 or older, the individual must meet an exemption under the work-related exemption or be screened out of Mandatory E&T. Being exempt from ABAWD requirements due to being over 54 is not a Mandatory E&T exemption.
         
         
4. LIEAP
   
   
1. Changes
   
   None
   
   
2. Clarifications
   
   
   1. KEESM 13350 has been added to clarify LIEAP auto-issuance.
      
      

Appendix

All Programs

B-7, Overpayment Checklist, has been updated for accessibility, correct references, and child care included.

Food Assistance

B-4, Motion to Dismiss, has been updated.

F-2, Food Assistance Program Standards, has been updated.

F-3, Food Benefit Table has been updated.

P-2, Procedures for Responding to Unclear Information During the Review Period, has been moved to Training by Topic and is accessible to staff only.

Whole Family Services

E-5, Work Programs Penalty Checklist, has been moved to Case Managment Resources (DCFnet) and is accessible to staff only.

E-10, Whole Family Program Comparison Chart. This document is being removed because the information is available in other documents.

E-14, Work Program Assessment Protocol, has been removed.

R-4, ES & VR Coordination Procedure, has been removed.

Forms

Food Assistance

ES-1510.1, Computation of Food Assistance Benefit, is being moved to EES Case Management Tools (DCFnet) and is accessible to staff only.

ES-2007 and ES-2007S Insert, Food Assistance Brochure and Insert – Income guidelines have been updated on the insert.

TANF

ES-4412, SRCC EES Referral, Report and Turnaround Document, has been updated with test rescheduling procedures.

Whole Family Services

ES-4303, Sample Month Participant Letter, has been removed.

ES-4304, TANF Work Hours Verification List, has been moved to Case Management Resources (DCFnet) and is accessible to staff only.

ES-4305, TANF Sample Review Guide, has been moved to Case Management Resources (DCFnet) and is accessible to staff only.

ES-4314, Supervisor Checklist for Vehicle Purchases, has been moved to Case Management Resources (DCFnet) and is accessible to staff only.

ES-4316, Screening/Referral Form, has been removed.

ES-4317, KHPOP Questionnaire for TANF Customers, has been removed.

 

EFFECTIVE DATE

All policies in this revision are effective October 1, 2025.

Effect on Local Staff

COORDINATION EFFORTS

The material in this letter and manual revision has been coordinated with staff in Economic and Employment Services, Executive leadership, the EES Program Administrators, and the Implementation Planning Team.

Sincerely,
Carla Whiteside-Hicks, PhD
Economic and Employment Services Director
CWH:cw