Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024
A. Family
Independence Temporary Assistance Program (FITAP) recipients who are
satisfactorily participating in the Strategies to Empower People (STEP)
Program, as determined by the case worker, are categorically eligible. The
program will pay 100 percent of the FITAP/STEP participant's child care costs,
up to the maximum amounts listed in
§5109. B The following
eligibility criteria must be met.
1. The
household must include a child in current need of child care services who is
under the age of 13, or age 13-17 and physically or mentally incapable of
caring for himself or herself, as verified by a physician or certified
psychologist, or by receipt of Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or who is
under court supervision.
B. Low-income families not receiving FITAP
cash assistance, including former FITAP recipients who are given priority
consideration, must meet the following eligibility criteria.
1. The household must reside in Louisiana to
be eligible for child care assistance.
2. The household must include a child in
current need of child care services who is under the age of 13, or age 13-17
and physically or mentally incapable of caring for himself or herself, as
verified by a physician or certified psychologist, or by receipt of
Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or who is under court
supervision.
3. The child must
customarily reside more than half the time with the person who is applying for
child care services. A child is considered to be residing with the head of
household during scheduled absences from the home/day care, lasting up to six
weeks, if there are definite plans for the child to return to the home/day care
facility.
4. Effective September 1,
2002, unless disabled as established by receipt of Social Security
Administration disability benefits, supplemental security income, Veterans'
Administration disability benefits for a disability of at least 70 percent, or
unless disabled and unable to care for his/her child(ren) as verified by a
doctor's statement or by worker determination, the TEMP must be:
a. effective June 1, 2011, employed for a
minimum average of 30 hours per week and all countable employment hours must be
paid at least at the federal minimum hourly wage; or
b. attending a job training or educational
program for a minimum average of, effective June 1, 2011, 30 hours per week
(attendance at a job training or educational program must be verified,
including the expected date of completion); or
c. engaged in some combination of employment
which is paid at least at the federal minimum hourly wage, or job training, or
education as defined in Subparagraph B.4.b of this Section that averages,
effective June 1, 2011, at least 30 hours per week;
d. Exception: a household in which all of the
members described in Paragraph B.4 of this Section meet the disability criteria
is not eligible for child care assistance unless one of those members meets,
effective June 1, 2011 the required minimum average of 30 activity hours per
week.
e. Exception: The employment
and training activity requirements may be waived for a period of 180 days from
the effective date of certification for homeless parents or persons acting as
parents who demonstrate that they are seeking employment or participating in a
transitional living program as defined in
Section
5102 There is a six-month
lifetime maximum for this exception.
5. Household income does not exceed 55
percent of the state median income for a household of the same size.
Income is defined as:
a. the
gross earnings of the head of household, that person's legal spouse, or
non-legal spouse and any minor unmarried parent who is not legally emancipated
and whose children are in need of child care assistance, with the exception of
income from:
i. Corporation for National and
Community Service (CNCS);
ii.
college work study; and
iii.
disaster-related employment.
b. recurring unearned income of the following
types for all household members:
i. Social
Security Administration benefits;
ii. supplemental security income;
iii. Veterans' Administration
benefits;
iv. retirement
benefits;
v. disability
benefits;
vi. child
support/alimony;
vii. unemployment
compensation benefits;
viii.
adoption subsidy payments, and workers' compensation benefits.
6. The child in need of
care must be either a citizen or a qualified alien. CCAP policy on qualified
aliens is the same as policy defined by the Family Independence Temporary
Assistance Program (FITAP).
7.
Effective November 1, 2005, the household must be current on payment of
co-payments to any current or previous provider(s). Verification will be
required that co-payments are not owed when:
a. a change in provider is
reported;
b. at application for
child care assistance, the most recent case rejection or closure was due to
owing co-payments or not making necessary co-payments;
c. a child care provider reports that the
client owes co-payments or is not making necessary co-payments.
C. The family
requesting child care services must provide the information and verification
necessary for determining eligibility and benefit amount, and meet appropriate
eligibility requirements established by the state. However, the verification of
a child's age and/or immunizations may be waived for a period of 90 days from
the effective date of certification for a household in which all of the members
meet the homeless definition described in Section 5102, as long as all other
eligibility factors described in Section 5103, Subsection B, Paragraphs 1-3 and
5-7 are met.
D. Cases eligible for
payment may be assigned a certification period of up to twelve months. However,
cases based on
§5103. B.4.e that have
waived the 30 hours per week employment and training requirement for a homeless
family shall be assigned a certification period of six months.
E. Effective October 1, 2004, all children
receiving services must be age-appropriately immunized according to the
schedule of immunizations as promulgated by the Louisiana Office of Public
Health, or be in the process of receiving all age-appropriate immunizations. No
person is required to comply with this provision if that person or his/her
parent or guardian submits a written statement from a physician stating that
the immunization procedure is contraindicated for medical reasons, or if the
person or his/her parent or guardian objects to the procedure on religious
grounds. However, the verification of a child's age and/or immunizations may be
waived for a period of 90 days from the effective date of certification for a
household in which all of the members meet the homeless definition described in
Section 5102, as long as all other eligibility factors described in Section
5103, Subsection B, Paragraphs 1-3 and 5-7 are met.
F. CCAP households must participate in the
system designated by the agency for capturing time and attendance. This process
may include finger imaging for the head of household and their household
designees. The agency will determine the maximum number of household designees
allowed on a CCAP case. Finger imaging is a requirement to participate in CCAP
if the provider chosen by the client utilizes this as the mechanism for
capturing time and attendance. Exceptions may be granted by the Executive
Director of Economic Stability or his or her designee on a case-by-case
basis.
G. If a client chooses care
in an in-home provider setting, the client must possess a working landline
telephone.
AUTHORITY NOTE:
Promulgated in accordance with 45 CFR Parts 98 and 99,
P.L.
104-193, Act 58 2003 Reg. Session, ACF Guidance:
ACYF-IM-CC-05-03.
