New Parentally Responsible Individual (PRI)

Household impacts

If a new Parentally Responsible Individual (PRI) is reported, add them to the household in MEC². MEC² will count PRIs added to the household even if identity and relationship information is not verified. This is appropriate.

If the new PRI does not have income, the increased family size may decrease the family’s copay. This is appropriate, and the new copay can be approved even if identity and relationship information is not verified. Enter information about the PRI’s reported activity into MEC² even if it is not verified. Minimum work requirements do not apply during the 12-month eligibility period. See Chapter 4.6.6.6 (Employment Outside of an Employment Plan). If the new PRI does not have an authorized activity or it is unknown if the PRI has an authorized activity, put the PRI into Extended Eligibility. See Chapter 9.15.6 (Extended Eligibility).

Note: If a new PRI moves into the household while an eligible relative caregiver is receiving child care assistance, see Chapter 5.3 (Determining the CCAP family).

Authorization impacts

· Verification is not required until redetermination unless the family requests an increase in authorized hours.

· Do not decrease care for children already authorized.

· Do not increase authorized hours for children already authorized until relationship to the PRI and the PRI’s activity are verified.

· Do not authorize care for children not previously authorized until verification of the new PRI’s identity, relationship to the child(ren) are verified. Care should be authorized at the same level as other children in the household. The PRI’s activity schedule does not need to be verified to authorize care for additional children during the 12-month eligibility period.

New child

Household impacts

If a new child is reported, add them to the case in MEC² even if identity, birthdate and citizenship/immigration status are not verified. MEC² will not count them in the household until their identity and birthdate have been verified. They will be added to the family size even if their citizenship or immigration status is not verified but not eligible for CCAP. This is appropriate.

Authorization impacts

· Do not authorize care for children until their identity, birthdate, citizenship/immigration status and relationship to their PRI(s) are verified.

· MEC² will not prevent you from authorizing care before relationship to PRI is verified.

· Workers must confirm that the child(s) identity, birthdate, citizenship/immigration status and relationship to their PRI(s) are verified before increasing the family’s benefits.

New non-household member

No verification is required for people that enter the home that are not part of the CCAP family. See Chapter 2 (Glossary) for the definition of family.

CCAP family member leaves

Household impacts

When a member leaves, process the change. Verification is not required unless inconsistent information was received. Evaluate income changes that occur as a result of household size changes according to Chapter 8.1.12 (Changes in Income or Expenses). Workers can send Child Support Enforcement forms to the family but cooperation is not required until the family’s next redetermination. See Chapter 4.9 (Cooperation with Child Support).

NOTE: If an intact family splits up during the 12-month eligibility period and care is needed during the parenting time/custody schedule when each parent has the child(ren) reach out to Policy Specialist for guidance on how to split the case into two cases. Do not require a new application for the parent that left the household.

Authorization impacts

Evaluate whether the member leaving impacts Service Authorizations for children in the household and process changes if necessary. For example, in a two-parent household if one parent leaves the household, authorized hours may need to increase to support the activity of the parent that remains in the household. If the member was a child, the Service Authorization would end.

Child turns 18 or dependent adult student status ends

It is recommended that the worker follow-up with the family if a child turns 18 during the 12-month eligibility period or if a dependent adult student stops attending school or receiving support from the family during the 12-month eligibility period. Follow up to determine if child or adult dependent meet the dependent adult student requirements of being a full-time student and receiving 50% or more of their support from the family.

· If the family confirms that the child or adult dependent meets the dependent adult student requirements, the child or adult dependent remains in the CCAP family. Verification is not required until the next redetermination.

· If the family confirms that the child or adult dependent does not meet the dependent adult student requirements, remove the child or adult dependent from the CCAP family.

· If the family does not confirm or it is unknown if the child or adult dependent meets the dependent adult student requirements, it is appropriate to remove the adult child from the CCAP family composition. The decrease in household size will not increase the family copay during the 12-month period. At the redetermination, the family must submit verification of adult dependent student status for the household member to remain in the CCAP family.

Legal authority

Minnesota Statutes 142E.03