Transition Year (TY) child care is available to families whose MFIP or DWP closes and who meet other criteria provided below. Families are eligible for Transition Year for 12 months after the MFIP or DWP financial case closes. Transition Year child care is not available to families who have been disqualified from MFIP or DWP due to fraud.

Families eligible for Transition Year (TY) child care

Families must have received MFIP or DWP for at least one of the six months prior to the closing of the MFIP or DWP financial case. For example, a family whose MFIP was closed effective December 1 would have to have received MFIP or DWP for at least one month in the period from June through November.

Note: Families who choose to “opt out” of the MFIP cash portion are still considered MFIP participants.

Cash assistance closes for a current CCAP family

In most Transition Year cases, families were receiving MFIP/DWP child care assistance before their MFIP or DWP financial case closed and continue to need child care assistance after their MFIP or DWP financial case closing. Approve a subprogram change for these families from MFIP/DWP child care assistance to Transition Year child care assistance. Do not require a new application when a family has a subprogram change from MFIP/DWP child care assistance to Transition Year child care assistance.

New applicants whose cash assistance case recently closed

Former MFIP or DWP participants who did not have an open child care assistance case at the time the MFIP or DWP financial case closed can apply for Transition Year for up to 12 months after the MFIP or DWP financial case closing.. In the example provided above, the family would be able to apply for Transition Year through the following November, but their Transition Year eligibility would end November 30.

TY CCAP families who move on and off cash assistance

If a family on Transition Year begins receiving MFIP or DWP again, move the family to MFIP/DWP child care assistance. The family will receive a new Transition Year period when the MFIP or DWP case closes.

Income limits

Income limits for subprogram changes

If the family received MFIP/DWP child care and has a subprogram change to Transition Year with no break in eligibility, the family’s income must be at or below the applicable income exit level. During their 12-month eligibility period, the family’s income must be at or below 85 percent of SMI. At redetermination, the family’s income must be at or below 67 percent of SMI.

Income limits for new applicants

If the family did not receive MFIP/DWP child care assistance and applies for Transition Year child care during their Transition Year, the family’s income must be at or below 47 percent of SMI at the time of application.

Income limits for former CCAP families reapplying

If the family received MFIP/DWP child care and their case closed, determine which income limits apply:

Examples

Consider the following examples:

Example 1:

Example 2:

MFIP financial case closes March 1. The family is eligible for continued child care assistance for an employment activity but has no child care needs at this time. The family requested the MFIP/DWP child care case to close. The family reapplies for child care assistance in July because they now have child care needs. All other eligibility factors remain the same. The family is within the Transition Year period. The family is not subject to the 47 percent SMI entrance guideline when the family reapplies in July because the family continued to be eligible for child care assistance even though the family did not have a need for care to be authorized. The family has met the 47 percent SMI entrance level in the first program of service, MFIP.

Example 3:

MFIP financial case closes March 1. The family was receiving MFIP/DWP child care assistance for social service activities that are not authorized activities for Transition Year child care, so the case is placed on Extended Eligibility at subprogram switch to Transition Year. At the end of the Extended Eligibility period, the family still has no Transition Year authorized activities and the case closes June 1. The family reapplies for child care assistance in September for employment. The family is within the Transition Year period. The family is subject to the 47 percent SMI entrance guideline when the family reapplies in September because there was break in eligibility. The family had no eligibility for months of June through August.

Transition Year ending

If BSF funds are available

Once families complete their 12 months of Transition Year eligibility, if your agency has Basic Sliding Fee funds available, approve a subprogram switch to BSF. See Chapter 4.3.12 (Basic Sliding Fee).

If BSF funds are not available

If your agency does not have BSF funds, approve a subprogram switch to Transition Year Extension. See Chapter 4.3.9 (Transition Year Extension). Add them to your Basic Sliding Fee waiting list as Priority Five. See Chapter 4.3.12.9 (BSF priorities).

Transition Year families must be placed on the waiting list and should be reported on the waiting list the date their Transition Year period ends. Their effective date for the waiting list is the date they first became eligible to apply for Transition Year.

If a Transition Year family moves to a new county, the family’s effective date for the waiting list in the original county shall transfer with the family.

If a Transition Year family is eligible for Transition Year child care but does not need child care for a period of up to one year, the family retains their effective date for the waiting list and is added to Priority Five of the waiting list at the end of their transition year.

Legal authority

Minnesota Statutes 119B.011, subd. 20
Minnesota Statutes 119B.05, subd. 1
Minnesota Statutes 119B.09
Minnesota Rules 3400.0060, subd. 7
Minnesota Rules 3400.0090