STATE DEPARTMENT FOR CHILDREN                                       12/31/15
AND FAMILIES
Family Services
DCF Administration Building
555 S. Kansas Ave., 6th Floor
Topeka, KS 66603

To:	Regional Directors Economic and Employment Services Program Administrators Economic and Employment Services Staff KDHE-HCF Staff, including the KanCare Clearinghouse Prevention and Protection Services Administrators Other Staff
Re:	Summary of Changes for Kansas Economic and Employment Services Manual (KEESM) Revision No. 75 effective January 1, 2016

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.

Low Income Energy Assistance Program - Income guidelines for 2016 are being added to KEESM.

Successful Families - The restrictions regarding a child aged 13 is being removed from the Two-Parent Child Care Component. The Physical Health Care component PHC can now be used for a client whose presence is temporarily required at home to care for another household member. KEESM is being updated to indicate that a vehicle purchased by the state of Kansas is exempt from Kansas sales tax(es) even when the vehicle is not titled in the name of the state of Kansas.

DESCRIPTION, PURPOSE, AND DETAILS OF POLICY CHANGE

1. Employment Services
   
   
   1. Changes
      
      None
      
      
   2. Clarifications
      
      
      1. Request for Retest - Explanation of the process for clients who want to pursue a retest is being added. The client is responsible for contacting RDC to begin the retest process. The Work Program case manager is only responsible for providing RDC’s contact information to the client and notifying RDC that the client should be making the contact.
         
         KEESM 2260.8 is being updated with this information.
         
         
      2. Work/Self-Sufficiency Requirements - The job contact requirement at application is being removed from KEESM 3100 because it has been replaced by KWK. This should have been removed at the time KWK was implemented.
         
         
2. Food Assistance
   
   
   1. Changes
      
      None
      
      
   2. Clarifications
      
      
      1. Civil Rights Complaint Processing System - KEESM 1630.3 is being updated with new addresses for the DCF EEO Section and the USDA Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights.
         
         
      2. Methods of Collecting Payments - KEESM 11126.1 is being changed to show that a payment schedule shall be negotiated by the Central Collections Unit.
         
         
      3. Work Program Comparable Penalties - Text is being removed from the first note in KEESM 2552.1 to make it clear that CSS cooperation for food assistance is required.
         
         
3. Low Income Energy Assistance Program
   
   
   1. Changes
      
      
      1. Income Guidelines - KEESM 13362 is being updated with the current 130% federal poverty level amounts.
         
         
   2. Clarifications
      
      
      1. DCF Regional LIEAP Processing Offices - References to to LIEAP processing locations are being changed from “DCF LIEAP Processing Center” to “DCF Regional LIEAP processing office” wherever they occur in KEESM.
         
         
      2. Energy Vulnerability Requirement - The definition of "Deep Subsidy" is being added to KEESM 13340.
         
         
      3. Payments Methods - Verbiage is being updated in KEESM 13421 to clarify options for recipients to pay energy costs with LIEAP benefits.
         
         
4. Successful Families
   
   
   1. Changes
      
      
      1. Two Parent Child Care Component (PRC)-TANF Only - The restriction to having a child under 13 or a child 13 or older that has been approved for special services is being removed from 3330.7.
         
         
      2. Physical Health Care (PHC)-TANF Only - The component PHC can now be used for a client whose presence is temporarily required at home to care for another member of the home whose condition does not permit self-care. The ES-4310 is required.
         
         KEESM 3330.10 is being updated with this information.
         
         
      3. Special Services Allowance - The statement regarding the payment of sales tax when purchasing a vehicle is being removed from 3411.2 and an explanation is being added that explains a vehicle purchased by the state of Kansas is exempt from Kansas sales tax(es) even when the vehicle is not titled in the name of the state of Kansas.
         
         
   2. Clarifications
      
      
      1. Failure to Comply - A note is being added to 2124.2 to clarify that the Work Program case manager will determine when a work program penalty is to be applied for failure to cooperate in obtaining medical coverage.
         
         
      2. Orientation - A clarification is being added to 3120 that Orientation and the SASSI are required for all TANF applicants with a note that explains when an applicant could be exempted from attending orientation.
         
         To reflect this clarification, verbiage has been removed from 3130.2 so it is clear that the only exemption from screening is when there is not local resource available for the LEP individual.
         
         
      3. Alcohol and Other Drug Assessment and Treatment (AOD) - TANF Only – An explanation is being added to 3330.1 that the AUDIT or the DAST may be used instead of the SASSI when SRCC deems it appropriate.
         
         
      4. EES case manager - Where appropriate in KEESM 3330 subsections, "EES case manager" is being changed to "Work Program case manager" to clarify the responsibility for the action falls to Work Programs instead of Eligibility.
         

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

1. Food Assistance
   
   ES-3143, Food Stamp Replacement During Household Disasters. "For Agency Use Only" is being added to the top of the form as a measure to discourage other entities from accessing and completing the form.
   
   
2. LIEAP
   
   ES-3500, Kansas Low Income Energy Assistance Application
   

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

1. All Programs
   
   X-5, Back of Notices of Action, is being updated; the civil rights statement was removed along with other minor changes.
   
   
2. Food Assistance
   
   X-13, USDA Nondiscrimination Statement, is a new document to be included with all manual notices.
   
   
3. Child Care
   
   C-18, Maximum Hourly Child Care Benefit Rates, is being updated with new county groupings and rates effective January 1, 2016.
   
   W-13, Child Care Plan Hours Worksheet: The updated version of the worksheet and instructions are being posted in the January 2016 KEESM revision.
   

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

None

EFFECTIVE DATE

All policies in this revision are effective January 1, 2016. Additional information is being included in the implementation memo.

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

MATERIALS OBSOLETED BY THIS REVISION

None

COORDINATION EFFORTS

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

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