Sec. 17b-749-08. Prioritization for Child Care Funding

Each family shall be assigned to an applicable priority group. Within available funding, the department shall accept applications and authorize payments based on the following order of priorities: parents receiving TFA cash assistance who are employed or participating in an approved employment services activity and working parents who are completing an approved employment services activity that started before the family’s TFA cash assistance was discontinued pursuant to subdivision (e)(3) of section 17b-749-04 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies; working parents whose cash assistance benefits were discontinued within six calendar months prior to the date of application for CCAP; parents under the age of twenty not receiving cash assistance who attend high school; working parents with gross countable family income below fifty percent of the state median income; working parents with gross countable family income between fifty and seventy-five percent of the state median income who request assistance for a child who was adopted from the Department of Children and Families; and all other working parents with gross countable family income between fifty and seventy-five percent of the state median income.

A family’s priority status shall not be affected if the parent is removed from cash assistance due to the application of a TFA program sanction.

The commissioner may establish additional priority groups from time to time based on exceptional public need that results from unforeseen circumstances. When establishing additional priority groups, the commissioner shall designate a target expenditure level for each additional priority group created if such level is not otherwise specified by legislative action. Additional priority groups may be added or deleted based on available funding.

The CCAP administrator shall maintain a list of any additional priority groups established. The list shall include the expenditure level specifically allocated to each additional priority group. A copy of the listing of additional priority groups shall be made available to the public upon written request.