(a)

1. (1) Extended support services (ESS) are available to certain families who lose eligibility for TEA due to earnings.

2. (2) These services are:

   1. (A) Child care;
   2. (B) ESS employment bonus and transportation assistance;
   3. (C) ESS job retention;
   4. (D) ESS case management services; and
   5. (E) Medicaid.
3. (3) Eligibility for these services will be determined by the Program Eligibility Specialist.

(b) Extended support service child care (ESS/CC).

1. (1)

   1. (A) Eligibility for extended child care will be determined if a TEA case closes while the participant is employed.
   2. (B) This includes cases involving earned income but which close at the participant’s request.
   3. (C) An application is not needed to determine eligibility.

2. (2)

   1. (A)

(i) Childcare assistance is available to help meet childcare expenses for a child for whom child care would be guaranteed while the family was receiving TEA cash assistance.

1. (ii) Refer to 20 CAR § 503-212.

   1. (B) Child care will also be available to a child who is born or enters the home after the transitional employment assistance (TEA) case closes but during the ESS childcare period provided the child is one described in 20 CAR § 503-212.

2. (3)

   1. (A) For ESS/CC cases, the county cap rate will apply to the total charges by the provider.
   2. (B) The county cap rate is the sum of the amount paid by TEA and the amount assessed the participant.
   3. (C) Refer to 20 CAR § 503-212(c).

3. (4)

   1. (A) ESS childcare assistance will be available for a lifetime limit of two (2) years (twenty-four (24) cumulative months).
   2. (B) The first year (twelve (12) months) of ESS child care will be at no cost to the participant.

   3. (C)

      1. (i) The second year (thirteen (13) to twenty-four (24) months) will be on a cost sharing basis that is based on the Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education’s current fees.
      2. (ii) Refer to Appendix C.

4. (5)

   1. (A) Any month in which a childcare provider bills the Department of Human Services for five (5) or more days will count as a month toward a participant’s twenty-four (24) cumulative months of ESS child care.

   2. (B)

      1. (i) If more than one (1) child receives child care services, at least one (1) of the children must receive childcare services for five (5) days for the month to count toward the limit.
      2. (ii) See example below.
   3. (C) A day in which any part of the day is billed counts towards the limit.

5. (6)

   1. (A) For purposes of the lifetime count, this policy is retroactive to September 2001.
   2. (B) Any month, beginning with September 2001, in which five (5) or more days were billed for a child will count toward the lifetime limit. Example: The participant has two (2) children who received childcare services at a local daycare center. Both children were at the daycare center for three (3) days during the month for which the services were billed. This will not count as a month towards the participant’s twenty-four-month lifetime limit as neither child received at least five (5) days of childcare services.

6. (7) If a participant has not needed child care prior to obtaining employment, but later requests child care to accept or maintain employment, the participant may receive ESS childcare assistance.

   1. (c) Minimum hours of work requirement.

7. (1) To receive ESS childcare assistance at no cost during the first twelve (12) months at least one (1) of the following conditions must be met:

   1. (A) Earnings alone caused the family to be income ineligible for TEA; or
   2. (B) The participant is employed an average minimum of twenty (20) hours per week.
8. (2) To receive ESS childcare assistance during the second year, a participant must be employed an average of twenty-five (25) hours per week.

9. (3) Note.

   1. (A) Income is not considered the first year, just required hours.
   2. (B) When the participant makes an initial request for ESS child care, their declaration of the number of hours worked is accepted.
   3. (C) The Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education worker will only verify hours the second six (6) months of the first year.
   4. (D) During the second year, the division worker will verify both hours and income because hours of employment and income are both considered when determining where the participant falls on the fee scale.
   5. (E) If the verified hours are less than twenty (20) or the earnings are not sufficient to cause TEA ineligibility, the ESS childcare assistance case will be closed.
10. (4) The participant will be advised of the minimum hours of work requirement prior to authorization of the ESS child care via form DCO-1413, Notice of ESS Child Care Lifetime Limit and Minimum Hours of Work Requirement.

11. (5) At each authorization the participant will be notified via DCO-1412, TEA Notice of Child Care Action, of the number of months remaining in his or her lifetime limit.

    1. (d) Verification of hours of employment.
12. (1) Local offices responsible for keying child care will follow the procedures outlined in this section.

13. (2)

    1. (A) At the initial request for ESS childcare assistance, the participant’s declaration regarding the number of hours worked per week or the amount of earnings received will be accepted.
    2. (B) However, prior to renewal of the authorization for the second six (6) months of the first twelve (12) months, the hours of employment or earnings must be verified.
    3. (C) Form TEA-1414, ESS Child Care Request for Verification of Earnings and Hours of Employment, will be sent to the participant to request the verification.
    4. (D) If the verified hours of employment are less than twenty (20) hours per week and the earnings are not sufficient to cause TEA ineligibility, the ESS childcare case will be closed after appropriate notice.

14. (3)

    1. (A)

       1. (i) The participant must return the completed form TEA-1414, ESS Child Care Request for Verification of Earnings and Hours of Employment, and provide verification of income and number of hours of employment per week for the second year of ESS childcare assistance.
       2. (ii) See subsection (e) of this section.
    2. (B) If the verified hours of employment are less than the required minimum hours the ESS childcare case will be closed after appropriate notice.
15. (4) Failure to verify income and the hours of employment will result in the ESS childcare case being closed after appropriate notice.

16. (5)

    1. (A) The participant will be advised of the closure via TEA-1412, Child Care Notice of Action.
    2. (B) The childcare provider must also be notified that the childcare case is being closed via TEA-1404, Termination or Change of Service.

(e) Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education fees.

1. (1)

   1. (A) The fee scale is used by the worker in the second year of ESS/CC to determine the percentage of the childcare payment for which the family will be responsible.
   2. (B) See Appendix C.
2. (2) This will be determined using earnings information reported by the participant for each employed TEA adult participant and verified by the worker.

3. (3) The fee scale is used as follows:

   1. (A) Take the total gross wages for each adult participant and multiply by:

      1. (i) Four and three hundred thirty-four thousandths (4.334) if paid weekly;
      2. (ii) Two and one hundred sixty-seven thousandths (2.167) if paid biweekly;
      3. (iii) Two (2) if paid semi-monthly; or
      4. (iv) One (1) if paid monthly;
   2. (B) Total the monthly earned income for all employed TEA adult participants;

   3. (C)

      1. (i) The parent or caretaker relative who is employed at least thirty (30) hours per week will receive a one hundred dollar ($100) work-related deduction from his or her gross income.
      2. (ii) If the adult participant is employed less than thirty (30) hours per week, no deduction is allowed;
   4. (D) Add the unearned income to the earned income total, after appropriate deductions;
   5. (E) Use the total income amount in subdivision (e)(3)(D) of this section to determine which income group the family belongs, according to family size (parents or caretaker relative and siblings); and

   6. (F)

      1. (i) The fee percentage the participant will be required to pay can be found on the bottom row of the scale.
      2. (ii) A different fee rate is found beneath each income level and ranges from zero percent (0%) to full rate.
      3. (iii) Refer to Appendix C.

(f) Participant’s responsibility to pay ESS fees to provider. The following will be explained to the participant:

1. (1) The participant’s responsibility for paying registration and activity fees, as determined by the provider;
2. (2) The amount the participant is expected to pay to the provider (fee scale);
3. (3) The participant’s responsibility for making timely payments to the childcare provider;
4. (4) When and how often payments will be made will be based on arrangements made between the participant and provider; and
5. (5) Failure to pay required fees may result in termination of ESS/CC benefits.

(g) When the participant fails to pay required fees.

1. (1) When the childcare provider notifies the local office that the participant has failed to pay the required fee, the worker will obtain the following information from the provider:

   1. (A) Total amount of delinquent fee;
   2. (B) Time period for which fees are owed; and
   3. (C) Date last payment was made by the participant.

2. (2)

   1. (A) Using the above information, the worker will notify the participant that the ESS/CC case will be closed within ten (10) calendar days of the date of the notice.
   2. (B) The notice will include the reason or reasons why the action is being taken and steps the participant can take to avoid the action.

3. (3) To avoid closure the participant must:

   1. (A) Pay all delinquent fees to the provider prior to expiration of the notice and provide proof to the local office; or
   2. (B) Make satisfactory arrangements with the provider to repay the delinquent fees and provide proof of arrangements.

4. (4)

   1. (A) If the participant pays all fees or makes satisfactory arrangements with the provider to pay the delinquent amount and provides proof to the local office (statement, receipt from provider) prior to expiration of the notice, ESS/CC will continue and no further action is required.
   2. (B) The case record will be documented accordingly.

5. (5) If the participant fails to respond to the notice, the worker will:

   1. (A) Close the case; and
   2. (B) Notify the participant and the provider via TEA-1404, Termination or Change of Service.

(h) Notifying provider when services are changing/terminated.

1. (1)

   1. (A) When childcare services change or terminate, the worker will notify the provider of the change or termination via form TEA-1404, Termination or Change of Service, within ten (10) days of the date the change or termination is determined.
   2. (B) The worker may advise the provider in person or by telephone in addition to the written notice.

2. (2) A copy of the TEA-1404, Termination or Change of Service, will be sent to the participant at the same time the form is sent to the provider.

   1. (i) Notifying the provider when participant’s share of fee changes. If at any time the participant’s share of the child care cost changes (increases/decreases) from the amount previously keyed, the information will be entered in the Kid Care System.

(j) Deobligation of certificate.

1. (1)

   1. (A) When it becomes necessary for the worker to deobligate a certificate, the information will be entered into the Kid Care System.
   2. (B) This applies to local offices that key child care.
2. (2) In all situations, the case narrative will be documented in ANSWER and Kid Care.