I.
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Notification Stage: Initial
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II.
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Status: Request for participation in development of policy
Comment Due Date: 11/14/2008
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III.
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Description of Proposed Policy:
Food Assistance and Child Care
Simplify the budgeting of child support and alimony income for the food assistance and child care programs. Income would be averaged, unless it is just starting to be paid and then it would be prospected based on available information. The following provisions requiring staff to go from an average to a prospective budget are being removed from the KEESM:
• There is an existing court order and the court ordered obligation increases or decreases
• Wage withholding of the AP starts
• Wage withholding ends as AP no longer working for employer
• Child support that becomes assigned to the State (TAF approval) or is no
longer assigned to the state (TAF closure)
The established average would stay in place if any of these changes are reported. A special note is being added to provide guidelines for staff if a household’s child support ends and no more child support can be reasonably anticipated.
LIEAP
a. Allow payments made by customers to any energy vendor to be considered when determining if the LIEAP self-payment requirement has been met.
Currently, the self-payment requirement for LIEAP only allows for consideration of payments made to the primary heating vendor. The proposed change would allow payments to all energy vendors that are made during the qualifying period to be considered when determining if the customer has met the self-payment requirement.
b. Increase the threshold for the LIEAP self-payment exemption.
Currently, the self-payment exemption stipulates that the household is exempt from the self-payment requirement if the gross monthly household income is at or below $200. This policy change would increase the threshold by linking it to the maximum SSI benefit for a one person household which is currently $637.
Successful Families
The Work Incentive payment is being implemented to allow TAF recipients to receive a transitional TAF benefit of $50 per month for up to five consecutive months when their case would normally close due to excess income when earnings are included.
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IV.
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Reason for Proposed Policy:
Food Assistance and Child Care:
This change will simplify the budgeting of child support for staff and will not adversely affect customers. Currently the budgeting of child support income is very complex, error prone and labor intensive. It is expected that this change will make the process simpler, faster and less error prone.
LIEAP:
a. This change will make it easier for customers to qualify since it will broaden the potential sources that can be considered when determining if they have met the self-payment requirement. It should also speed up eligibility determinations since staff can consider other energy payments besides those made to the primary heating vendor and not have to contact the customer to ask them to make another payment to the primary vendor before they can qualify.
b. Increases access for customers that have not been able to satisfy the self-payment requirement.
Successful Families:
The TAF Work Incentive payment will allow TAF benefits to continue so families have time to transition from cash eligibility to self-sufficiency as their earnings increase. Also, once full time employment is reached most families lose TAF assistance and cannot be counted in the Work Participation rate. We are not meeting the participation rate
of 50%, in part, because we have been successful in moving families off cash assistance. By helping families transition successfully off of the TAF program, we can include those successes in the participation rate and provide work program services for an additional five months to assist them in maintaining employment.
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V.
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Major Changes Made Since Initial Notification:
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VI.
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Contact Person(s): Allen Mossman, 785-296-3340 or e-mail Allen.Mossman@SRS.KS.GOV
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VII.
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Time Frame for Implementation:
January 01, 2009
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VIII.
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Fiscal Impact Information:
The cost of the implementation of phase two of the Work Incentive program is estimated to be $336,183 in FY 2009 and $1,030,983 in FY 2010. The funding source in the enhancement request is from the balance of the TANF Block Grant. It is estimated that this would increase our work participation rate by 16% by 2010.
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IX.
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Changes Required:
Changes to the policy manual thoughout.
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X.
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Review of Impact:
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Mission of SRS: All changes are consistent with the mission of SRS.
Successful Families
The work incentive supports the SRS Mission to assist customers in achieving self-sufficiency by giving additional support for maintaining employment.
Stakeholders (internal and external):
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Customers: Food Assistance:
This change will not adversely affect customers. The guidelines being included will help staff with making case decisions when the loss of child support income is reported and verified. If child support has stopped, then it will be removed from the budget and the household would experience an increase in food assistance and a lower family share for child care.
Successful Families:
The work incentive will benefit customers by enabling those employed individuals to maintain cash benefits while transitioning into the world of employment. This will also enable those individuals to maintain child care and child support services.
Employees: Food Assistance:
This change will simplify the budgeting of child support income. It will be less error prone and less time consuming.
Successful Families:
Employees will see an increase in work participation rates for their caseloads based on customers being able to maintain assistance for an extended time frame.
Other Programs or Divisions: Food Assistance: Staff may have a reduced need to contact CSE staff for verification/clarification of child support income records found on the KAECSES-CSE system. The CSE screens are very complex for EES staff, and often require EES staff to contact CSE staff for help in interpreting the screens. This change may reduce the need for that.
Successful Families: KHPA and EES are discussing the impact to the medical cases this change will have.
Other Policies: No impact.
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Budget of SRS: Successful Families:
1,131 families are expected to be impacted for fiscal year 2009. FY 2010 will serve 3,340 families.
Information Technology: Successful Families
TAF Work Incentive: IT has begun work on the necessary changes to the KAECSES system, and the scheduled completion is set for November, 2008.
Any Political Impact: None
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XI.
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Training/Educational Requirements:
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Staff: The Implementation Memo will be issued for the January 1, 2009 changes. In addition, a teleconference will be held to discuss the implementation memo which will address any questions. The following additional elements will be addressed:
Food Assistance:
Information may also be addressed via a desk aide for staff. Formal training will not be needed.
LIEAP:
Changes will be addressed with information provided by regional LIEAP supervisors to staff hired to process LIEAP applications.
Customers: LIEAP:
Changes will be included in updated informational material provided in mass mailing to past recipients and current customers on benefit rolls.
Successful Families:
Staff will notify customers as they attain eligibility for the incentive
payment through a change notice.
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Supporting Documents and Downloads
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SOC Rev 38 0109
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Advocate and Consumer Feedback
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