Family Eligibility and Requirements
The purpose of the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) is to assist families in accessing and obtaining quality child care. CCAP funds are used to assist families with the cost of child care through payment of full or partial costs. Eligibility for CCAP is based upon the family’s gross monthly income, family size, and ability to meet all technical eligibility requirements.
Who is eligible to receive Child Care Assistance?
Parents of a child under age thirteen (13), or of a child under eighteen (18) who has a verified special need. The parent must also meet one of the following:
- Be employed
- Be enrolled in a full-time educational program, certified trade school, or accredited college
- Participate in the SNAP Employment & Training Program
- Be unemployed but actively participating in an initial job search. Applications approved on Job Search are given three (3) months of eligibility to locate work. Job Search eligibility can be used once in a twelve (12) month period
- Be a teen parent attending elementary, middle, or high school or pursuing a GED in a classroom setting
- Are a Kentucky Transitional Assistance Program recipient who needs child care while they participate in Kentucky Works
- Have a Protective/Preventative Service case needing care
What happens during the Application Interview?
During the CCAP application interview, Family Support staff will:
- Ask to view and copy documentation of the birth dates of children for whom benefits are requested.
- Ask to view and copy proof of applicant’s identity.
- Request social security numbers for all case members.
- Request proof of citizenship or legal status of child if not established by birth verification.
- Verify residency and household composition.
- Request verification of a special need for any child aged thirteen (13) through eighteen (18).
- Verify all sources and amounts of income.
- Explain all the parent rights and responsibilities, including the copay and overages.
- Help in locating or choosing a child care provider.
How are Applications Approved?
The client must meet all technical eligibility requirements established by the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services’ Division of Child Care (DCC) to receive services. A case will be approved or denied within (30) days.
If the parent does not have all verifications at the time of the interview, the case will remain in a pending status for thirty (30) days to allow the parent time to return the paperwork. If verifications are not returned within thirty (30) days, the case will automatically deny.
If the application is approved for benefits, the certification is valid for twelve (12) months as long as the family continues to meet the technical eligibility requirements of the program.
Case Decided Within
Days
Verifications Due
Days
Certification Length
Months
What about Job Search approvals?
Applicants approved for CCAP services under the Job Search option are given a minimum of three (3) months of CCAP eligibility.
The CCAP case will discontinue at the end of the eligibility period if the parent does not meet one of the following criteria:
- working an average of 20 hours per week
- enrolled in full-time education in a certified trade school or accredited college
- participating in the SNAP Employment & Training Program
A DCC-94C will be sent to the child care services provider 10 (ten) calendar days before the date of discontinuance.
What’s Transitional Child Care (TCC)?
CCAP families that are discontinued because their combined household incomes exceed 85% of the State Median Income (SMI) at case change and recertification are eligible for Transitional Child Care (TCC). This is an additional CCAP benefit period.
What this means for you as a provider:
- The co-payments are always zero ($0).
- The reduced rate is calculated at 50% of the Provider Subsidized Rate or the State Max Rate (whichever is lower). Example: If the State Max Rate for the child’s care level is $20, during the TCC period, the rate paid by the state would be $10.
- The family is responsible for any overages charged by your center.
- You will receive a DCC-94 – Notice of Change that outlines the new reimbursement rate and end date for each child. This will serve as your notice of eligibility discontinuance.
- Parents will also receive a Notice of Change showing the new rates being paid by CHFS.
Normal billing procedures will be followed. The adjusted rate will be reflected on the Remittance Report.
What are Grace Periods?
Month Grace Period
During eligibility, a case may fall into a grace period.
The CCAP grace period is a temporary period of up to 3 (three) months during which a client does not meet the minimum eligibility requirements but remains eligible for CCAP.
Grace periods are only applied to cases with active eligibility that have a break in the work, education and training, or SNAP E&T requirements for circumstances such as maternity/medical leave, loss of job, or reduction of hours in the eligible activity.
Grace periods will NEVER extend past the original 12-month recertification date. If the issue has not been resolved by the end of the grace period, the case will discontinue.
A DCC-94C will be sent to the provider 10 (ten) calendar days before the date of discontinuance.
What are the Application Income Eligibility Requirements?
When a family applies for CCAP benefits, the countable monthly household income must be less than or equal to 85% of the State Median Income (SMI). Adjustments are made based on the size of the household; the table below shows the maximum income based on family size. At reported case changes and yearly recertification, families previously approved for CCAP benefits remain eligible so long as their countable monthly household income is still less than or equal to 85% of the SMI.
| Family size | Maximum monthly income (85% of SMI) |
|---|---|
| 2 | $3743 |
| 3 | $4623 |
| 4 | $5504 |
| 5 | $6384 |
| 6 | $7265 |
| 7 | $7430 |
| 8 | $7595 |
| Over 8 | Add $166 for each additional family member |
Child Care Employee Income Exclusion
Child Care employees may apply for CCAP and have ALL household income excluded from the application process. This makes CCAP available to those employed in child care that may have been previously denied due to income barriers.
- CCAP work requirements, SNAP E&T, and training/education, as well as all other technical eligibility requirements still apply for the household.
- All existing mandatory verifications still apply. Failure to provide these completely or timely would result in denial/discontinuance.
- The child care exclusion is not offered to child care center owners.
- Employment of a parent/stepparent must be with a CHFS-regulated (licensed or certified) child care provider.
- The employment within a licensed center must be verified with a letter stating the applicant is employed at the child care center and is not their child’s primary teacher. Children do not need to attend the same center where the parent is employed.
- Parents/stepparents working in a certified child care home are eligible but their child must attend another facility, as it would be impossible to clarify whether the parent/stepparent is caring for their own child.
- Families are still be responsible for any overages assessed by the child care provider.
- This provision is not limited to new CCAP applications. Employees with active CCAP eligibility who are currently assessed a family copay can also apply for the income exclusion.
- Employees should contact the DCBS Division of Family Support to request to participate.
- The employee must work a regular schedule of at least 10 hours per week in the child care program.
How do CCAP Renewal Interviews work?
CCAP is a public assistance program designed to assist families with the cost of child care. Therefore, the CCAP case is the parent’s responsibility from the date of application until the date the case discontinues. At least forty-five (45) days before the end of a certification period, a DCC-90F Notice of Renewal Interview is mailed to the family, giving them time to begin the recertification process.
Ways to renew
The letter details what they need to bring to their appointment to ensure the case can be approved as quickly as possible. Same-day approval is only available if all required documentation is provided on the day the parent is in the office.
During the renewal interview, the DCBS Family Support worker informs the parent about their responsibilities as a CCAP recipient as well as their benefits. Information includes:
- Families may be assessed a daily copayment based on their income, household size, number of children, and other factors.
- The amount of their copayment.
- The responsibility of paying their copayment to their provider on a weekly basis.
- They may be required to pay an overage if the provider charges more than the state’s maximum payment rate.
- The parent may be responsible for payment of additional fees charged by the provider.
How do parents report a change in status?
The parent is responsible for reporting status changes to the DCBS Family Support office within ten (10) days. Some changes can impact the family’s CCAP eligibility. Changes that must be reported include:
Days
- Start or end of a job
- Change of employer or extra jobs
- More or less hours worked
- Increase or decrease in pay
- More or less people in the household
- Self-employment
- Schedule change for day care
- Start or end of educational activity and/or participation in SNAP/E&T
- Child care provider change
- Mailing address and/or physical residence
- Marital status
- Start or end of the receipt of unearned income