Background:

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) requires caretakers receiving publicly funded child care to submit a new JFS 01138 "Application for Child Care Benefits" annually for the re-determination of child care benefits. The JFS 01138 is ten pages and captures demographic information necessary to determine eligibility for child care benefits.

New Policy:

The new re-determination rules reduce the re-determination application to four pages with the caretaker verifying prepopulated information on the re-determination form and providing verification of any changes. This change lessens the burden on caretakers and better aligns the child care re-determination process with the reporting requirements of other publicly funded programs.

The following new rules are effective January 9, 2015:

Rule 5101:2-16-36 "County agency responsibility for annual re-determination of eligibility for publicly funded child care" is being proposed to outline the county agency's responsibility in the re-determination process and to introduce the shorter re-determination application.

Rule 5101:2-16-37 "Caretaker requirements for annual re-determination of eligibility for publicly funded child care" is being proposed to outline the responsibility of caretakers receiving publicly funded child care benefits.

JFS 01124 "Re-determination Application for Child Care Benefits" is being created to be used for re-determination of publicly funded child care.

Implementation:

The JFS 01138 "Application for Child Care Benefits" shall only be accepted by the county agency for any re-determination of child care eligibility expiring on or before February 23, 2015. Re-determination of child care benefits expiring on or after February 24, 2015, shall be processed upon the receipt of a completed JFS 01124. The Child Care Information Data System (CCIDS) will send the JFS 01124 to all caretakers with eligibility expiring on or after February 24, 2015.