Self-Sufficiency Update - July 2018

July 17, 2018

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Key Highlights This Month:

Child Care Assistance Program/CCAP

On June 12, 2018 DHS CCAP published a memo “Child Care Assistance Redetermination Processing Guidance” The intent of this guidance is to further assist workers in understanding best practices in processing redeterminations in light of system changes.
A system enhancement request by CCAP agencies to have Case Note Templates populate in MEC² for consistent case note practices between agencies is moving forward. DHS CCAP has requested feedback from CCAP agencies and template language is being finalized by the stakeholder group.
DHS CCAP continues to work towards full compliance with the federal law. Some of these changes were included in the House and Senate HHS Omnibus bills, but these bills were vetoed. The department will be assessing changes that can be done without legislation. Changes that require state statute changes may be reintroduced in the 2019 legislative session.

DHS CCAP is working with MN Tribes to ensure that Tribally Licensed Child Care Providers are in compliance with Health & Safety Training requirements needed in order to continue to receive CCAP Payments after 9/30/2018. DHS CCAP wants to ensure that Native American children receiving CCAP can continue to be served in culturally responsive settings by tribally licensed providers.

DHS drafted Minnesota’s 2019-2021 Federal CCDF plan. Public hearings to discuss Minnesota’s draft plan were held on April 23 (daytime) and April 25 (evening). Public comments will continue to be accepted through June 8. More details is available on the DHS website. People who want to be involved and to receive regular updates can send an email to CCDFReform@state.mn.us and ask to be added to the list serve. The federal office has extended the deadline to submit the plan to August 31, 2018.

DHS CCAP is implementing additional changes that passed in the 2017 legislative session:

Maximum Rates change for St. Cloud and Sartell was effective July 2, 2018. A bulletin was published June 28, 2018. System changes were installed in MEC² in early June to implement this change.
Changes in counting the income for new spouses will be effective December 1, 2018. DHS CCAP is working with MFIP staff to implement this change. A bulletin will be published later this year.

Child Support Division (CSD)

i. Birth 101 hospital training at Rochester Mayo on July 24

ii. State/Tribal Directors Meeting starts July 17^th thru July 19th

iii. Transition Fair at the Lino Lakes Correctional Facility on July 31

iv. Child Support Awareness Month starts August 1

KMOJ Outreach – Division staff continue to work on the monthly interviews for this campaign to educate listeners on child support and other CFS topics. Although the division and KMOJ have a tentative schedule of interview guests, dates and topics can change. The July 27 guest will be Shaneen Moore to talk about the new parenting expense adjustment law. Representatives from Hennepin County and Ramsey County child support offices will be on August 9 to talk about the program from the county perspective.

New Parenting Expense Adjustment formula – By Minnesota law, the new parenting expense adjustment formula takes effect on Aug. 1, 2018. CSD and MNIT staff updated the Minnesota Child Support Guidelines Calculator to include the new formula on June 4, 2018 to help parents and other stakeholders prepare for legal proceedings occurring after Aug. 1, 2018. The new law changes how courts adjust basic child support amounts for parenting expenses based on the number of overnights parents have in their court order.

Point of Sale – CSD, Dakota County, and Hennepin County staff successfully piloted MoneyGram as a new way for noncustodial parents to pay their child support using cash. Parents who owe child support can now use MoneyGram at many retail vendors across the country including Walmart, CVS Pharmacy, and Cub Foods. MoneyGram charges a $3.99 fee for each payment and joins PayNearMe as another option for parents to make cash payments of child support.

Father’s Project – Division staff are partnering with the Father’s Project to provide and clarify child support information to participants to help them navigate the system.

Systems Modernization – The division submitted the Planning Advanced Planning Document to Administration for Children and Families (ACF) for funding of a feasibility study on April 13^th. ACF has responded back with a questions. This is a normal response for ACF. CSD with direction from the BSO responded back to the questions on July 2^nd.
Incentives – The federal Administration for Children and Families (ACF) notified the division that Minnesota will receive a negative incentive balance this year. The division has scheduled a small workgroup 7/25/18 to determine next steps.

North Point Co-Parenting – The contract with NorthPoint is fully executed and work is ready to begin. The contract includes a plan that will guide the key steps for establishing training, working with parents, and tracking the results.

Digital Marketing Grant – The division applied for a federal Office of Child Support Enforcement digital marketing grant. The two-year, $500,000 grant has two goals: to increase awareness of child support services to parents who may not know about them and improve engagement with parents currently in the program. The division’s application requested funds to market its services on platforms like FaceBook, Google, and Instagram as well as resources to text parents about a few program topics. The grant award would begin later in the fall of 2018.

Systems Modernization – Division staff are drafting an RFP for a feasibility study.

Child Support Task Force website – CSD added content relevant to previous and future meetings including agendas, minutes, presentations and additional resources.

Parenting Expense Adjustment Kids’ Sticker Calendar – CSD produced 23,000 kids’ coloring and sticker calendars for the rest of 2018 and all of 2019 in connection with the new parenting expense adjustment law. Department and division staff designed the calendar for children and families to keep track of their schedules when they split time between multiple households. CSD and county child support will distribute the calendars over the next few months.

Requested Actions Needed From MACSSA:

New Trends in This Area:

Issues/Concerns Regarding This Topic:

Legislative Impacts:

Supporting Materials:

Child Care Assistance Program/CCAP

Contact(s): Barb Dahl and Brad Thiel