Section 5104.34. Determination of eligibility

(A)

(1) Each county department of job and family services shall implement procedures for making determinations of eligibility for publicly funded child care. Under those procedures, the eligibility determination for each applicant shall be made no later than thirty calendar days from the date the county department receives a completed application for publicly funded child care. Each applicant shall be notified promptly of the results of the eligibility determination. An applicant aggrieved by a decision or delay in making an eligibility determination may appeal the decision or delay to the department of job and family services in accordance with section 5101.35 of the Revised Code. The due process rights of applicants shall be protected.

To the extent permitted by federal law, the county department may make all determinations of eligibility for publicly funded child care, may contract with child care providers or child care resource and referral service organizations for the providers or resource and referral service organizations to make all or any part of the determinations, and may contract with child care providers or child care resource and referral service organizations for the providers or resource and referral service organizations to collect specified information for use by the county department in making determinations. If a county department contracts with a child care provider or a child care resource and referral service organization for eligibility determinations or for the collection of information, the contract shall require the provider or resource and referral service organization to make each eligibility determination no later than thirty calendar days from the date the provider or resource and referral organization receives a completed application that is the basis of the determination and to collect and transmit all necessary information to the county department within a period of time that enables the county department to make each eligibility determination no later than thirty days after the filing of the application that is the basis of the determination.

The county department may station employees of the department in various locations throughout the county to collect information relevant to applications for publicly funded child care and to make eligibility determinations. The county department, child care provider, and child care resource and referral service organization shall make each determination of eligibility for publicly funded child care no later than thirty days after the filing of the application that is the basis of the determination, shall make each determination in accordance with any relevant rules adopted pursuant to section 5104.38 of the Revised Code, and shall notify promptly each applicant for publicly funded child care of the results of the determination of the applicant's eligibility.

The director of job and family services shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code for monitoring the eligibility determination process. In accordance with those rules, the state department shall monitor eligibility determinations made by county departments of job and family services and shall direct any entity that is not in compliance with this division or any rule adopted under this division to implement corrective action specified by the department.

(2)

(a) All eligibility determinations for publicly funded child care shall be made in accordance with rules adopted pursuant to division (A) of section 5104.38 of the Revised Code. Except as otherwise provided in this section, both of the following apply:

(i) Publicly funded child care may be provided only to eligible infants, toddlers, preschool-age children, and school-age children under age thirteen.

(ii) For an applicant to be eligible for publicly funded child care, the caretaker parent must be employed or participating in a program of education or training for an amount of time reasonably related to the time that the parent's children are receiving publicly funded child care. This restriction does not apply to families whose children are eligible for protective child care.

(b) In accordance with rules adopted under division (B) of section 5104.38 of the Revised Code, an applicant may receive publicly funded child care while the county department determines eligibility. An applicant may receive publicly funded child care while a county department determines eligibility only once during a twelve-month period. If the county department determines that an applicant is not eligible for publicly funded child care, the licensed child care program shall be paid for providing publicly funded child care for up to five days after that determination if the county department received a completed application with all required documentation. A program may appeal a denial of payment under this division.

(c) If a caretaker parent who has been determined eligible to receive publicly funded child care no longer meets the requirements of division (A)(2)(a)(ii) of this section, the caretaker parent may continue to receive publicly funded child care for a period of up to thirteen weeks not to extend beyond the caretaker parent's twelve-month eligibility period. Such authorization may be given only once during a twelve-month period.

Subject to available funds, the department of job and family services shall allow a family to receive publicly funded child care unless the family's income exceeds the maximum income eligibility limit. Initial and continued eligibility for publicly funded child care is subject to available funds unless the family is receiving child care pursuant to division (A)(1), (2), (3), or (4) of section 5104.30 of the Revised Code. If the department must limit eligibility due to lack of available funds, it shall give first priority for publicly funded child care to an assistance group whose income is not more than the maximum income eligibility limit that received transitional child care in the previous month but is no longer eligible because the twelve-month period has expired. Such an assistance group shall continue to receive priority for publicly funded child care until its income exceeds the maximum income eligibility limit.

(3) An assistance group that ceases to participate in the Ohio works first program established under Chapter 5107. of the Revised Code is eligible for transitional child care at any time during the immediately following twelve-month period that both of the following apply:

(a) The assistance group requires child care due to employment;

(b) The assistance group's income is not more than one hundred fifty per cent of the federal poverty line.

An assistance group ineligible to participate in the Ohio works first program pursuant to section 5101.83 or section 5107.16 of the Revised Code is not eligible for transitional child care.

(B) To the extent permitted by federal law, the department of job and family services may require a caretaker parent determined to be eligible for publicly funded child care to pay a fee according to the schedule of fees established in rules adopted under section 5104.38 of the Revised Code. The department shall make protective child care services available to children without regard to the income or assets of the caretaker parent of the child.

(C) A caretaker parent receiving publicly funded child care shall report to the entity that determined eligibility any changes in status with respect to employment or participation in a program of education or training not later than ten calendar days after the change occurs.

(D) If the department of job and family services determines that available resources are not sufficient to provide publicly funded child care to all eligible families who request it, the department may establish a waiting list. The department may establish separate waiting lists within the waiting list based on income.

(E) A caretaker parent shall not receive full-time publicly funded child care from more than one child care provider per child during a week, unless a county department grants the family an exemption for one of the following reasons:

(a) The child needs additional care during non-traditional hours;

(b) The child needs to change providers in the middle of the week and the hours of care provided by the providers do not overlap;

(c) The child's provider is closed on scheduled school days off or on calamity days;

(d) The child is enrolled in a part-time program participating in the tiered quality rating and improvement system established under section 5104.30 of the Revised Code and needs care from an additional part-time provider.

(F) As used in this section, "maximum income eligibility limit" means the amount of income specified in rules adopted under division (A) of section 5104.38 of the Revised Code.

Amended by 131st General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 64, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2015.

Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 483, §101.01, eff. 9/15/2014.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.128, SB 316, §101.01, eff. 9/24/2012.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.28, HB 153, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2011.

Effective Date: 06-09-2003