Background:
The rules that contain the requirements for publicly funded
child care (PFCC) have been revised to integrate child care moving into the
Ohio Benefits statewide automated eligibility system and to incorporate changes
due to the passage of Amended Substitute House Bill 110 of the 134th General
Assembly. These rules are contained in Child Care Transmittal Letter No. 158.
Child care will begin utilizing the Ohio Benefits system for
eligibility processing in early 2022 using a phased-in approach that begins
with pilot counties before going statewide. The counties participating in the
pilot are Allen, Athens, Butler, Hamilton and Medina.
The following rule was refiled to correct an error in the appendices
and will be effective March 31, 2022.
The following rule has been amended:
5101:2-16-02 "Application and
qualification process for receipt of publicly funded child care benefits"
has been amended with the following changes:
- Clarified that counties utilizing CCIDS for
child care determinations will accept the JFS 01138 "Application for Child
Care Benefits" or its electronic equivalent, and the JFS 01124
"Re-determination Application for Child Care Benefits"
- Added that counties utilizing Ohio Benefits for
child care determinations will accept the JFS 07200 "Application for Cash,
Food, Child Care or Medical Assistance" and the JFS 07204 "Request to
Reapply for Cash Assistance, SNAP and/or Child Care" or their electronic
or telephonic equivalents
- Clarified that signatures may be handwritten or
electronic for counties utilizing CCIDS for child care determinations
- Clarified that signatures may be handwritten,
electronic or telephonic for counties utilizing Ohio Benefits for child care
determinations
- Clarified that in homes with more than one
caretaker, if a second caretaker is unable to provide care for children,
written verification from a licensed physician, licensed psychologist, licensed
psychiatrist, or public children services agency is required
- Clarified that when the thirtieth day after a
valid application is received by the county agency falls on a weekend or a
holiday, the completed application, including all verifications, is due on the
next business day
- Removed "one hundred thirty percent"
and replaced with "one hundred forty-two percent" to reflect changes
to the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) for initial income eligibility for PFCC due
to the passage of Amended Substitute House Bill 110 of the 134th General
Assembly
- Added that families with a child in need of care
who has a verified special need may qualify for initial income eligibility if
their gross monthly income is at or below one hundred fifty percent of the FPL
due to the passage of Amended Substitute House Bill 110 of the 134th General
Assembly
- Clarified that in families with more than one
caretaker, child care may be approved for the hours in which no caretaker is
available to care for children because of participation in qualifying
activities
- Clarified that families with a child who has a
special need must provide verification of the child's special need only if the
child needs care
- Removed the word "waiver" and replace
with "payment enhancement" for clarification
- Removed "thirteen weeks" and replace
with "three months but not more than four months" to clarify activity
gap time periods due to the passage of Amended Substitute House Bill 110 of the
134th General Assembly
- Clarified to avoid termination at the end of the
activity gap a caretaker must have a verified qualifying activity prior to the
end of the activity gap period.
- Clarified that a caretaker must have a verified
qualifying activity that begins before the end of the current eligibility
period to avoid termination at the end of the activity gap
- Added "recertification" throughout the
rule wherever "redetermination" occurs to reflect language used in
the Ohio Benefits system
- Clarified that temporary absences of second
caretakers may be considered for initial as well as ongoing eligibility
- Clarified that the redetermination/recertification
application may be accepted for reinstatement requests that occur during or
after the second to last month of the original eligibility period
- Clarified that the initial application may be
accepted when caretakers are applying for redetermination/recertification
- Removed "45 days prior to the end of the
eligibility period" and replace with "On or after the first day of
the next to last month of eligibility but before the first day of the last
month" to reflect a new time period when the
redetermination/recertification packet will be sent to the caretaker
- Added clarification for how a PFCC application
is processed when a caretaker is applying for other benefits
- Added clarification for the process when a
caretaker wishes to withdraw an application for PFCC or discontinue receiving
PFCC benefits
- Added clarification for the process of ending
benefits when a caretaker is no longer a resident of the state of Ohio
Appendix A to rule 5101:2-16-02 has
been rescinded and enacted with the following changes:
- Removed the requirement that basic education
activities take place at the official practice center site where an instructor
is present to allow for online basic education activities
- Clarified that post-secondary education
activities will always be considered qualifying activities regardless of degree
obtained or number of credit hours earned
Appendix B to rule 5101:2-16-02 has
been rescinded and enacted to clarify citizenship and verification requirements
for children in need of care to align with the cash assistance program
Implementation:
As counties begin using the Ohio Benefits statewide automated
eligibility system to process PFCC applications, they will follow the OB
procedures in rule, including accepting the appropriate OB forms and all other
procedures specific to the OB system.
The process will begin with the five pilot counties before
statewide conversion to the OB system. When the entire state is live in OB,
another package of rule amendments will be submitted for public review.
Forms
Forms contained in these rules will appear in a separate
clearance. The manual procedure letter will contain more detailed implementation
guidance.
The JFS 07200 "Application for Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Cash assistance, Medical assistance or Child
Care assistance" will be used to apply for child care using the
Ohio Benefits system
The JFS 07204 "Request to Reapply for
Cash Assistance, SNAP and/or Child Care" will be used to redetermine
eligibility using the Ohio Benefits
system.
The JFS 07105 "Application/Reapplication
Verification Request Checklist" will be generated via Ohio Benefits
when a county is utilizing Ohio Benefits to determine eligibility.
The most recent version of all ODJFS forms referenced in these
rules can be accessed through Forms
Central.
Please contact the Child Care Policy Helpdesk at childcarepolicy@jfs.ohio.gov
or 1-877-302-2347, option 4, if you have any questions.