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benefits are excluded). Other persons in a household may be included at the household’s discretion if they are related by blood or marriage within the degree of relationship specified in the Kansas Economic and Employment Services Manual (KEESM) or a legal guardian, conservator, or custodian. If included, their income and resources are also considered. All school-age children, between the ages of seven and 18, must be enrolled in school, including home schooling, for the family to be eligible for assistance. Time Limit. With the exception of households receiving a diversion payment, eligibility for TANF ceases once one adult in the family has received TANF cash assistance for 24 months, whether or not consecutive. Members of households receiving a diversion payment are limited to a lifetime maximum of 18 months of assistance. Cases that have closed after reaching the 24-month time limit in another state are ineligible for TANF cash assistance in Kansas, unless they meet a hardship as defined in the first four hardships listed below.

The State will provide hardship exemptions, up to a maximum of an additional 12 months, to the time limit for TANF households based on the following criteria: 1. Is a caretaker of a disabled family member living in the household 2. Has a disability that precludes employment on a long-term basis or requires substantial rehabilitation 3. Needs a time-limit extension to overcome the effects of domestic violence/sexual assault 4. Is involved with Prevention and Protection Services (PPS) and has an open social service plan verified by PPS 5. Is determined by the 24th month to have a hardship other than what is designated in criteria 1-4

Appeal Rights/Process. Current and former applicants/recipients, or other interested persons (including vendors) who are dissatisfied with any action concerning the furnishing or denial of TANF assistance have the right to conciliation, an administrative review, a fair hearing, and a review by the State Appeals Committee. Once those avenues have been exhausted, the matter may be appealed to the district court.

Request for Fair Hearing. A request for an administrative review must be made within 30 days of the agency decision.

• Every participant is informed in writing of the right to a fair hearing and the method of obtaining such a hearing on the notice of action and at the time of any subsequent action affecting social services. • A request for a fair hearing must be submitted in writing within 30 days of the agency decision to the Administrative Hearings Section or to the local/regional office. • The local DCF office must submit to the Administrative Hearings Section an appeal summary within 15 days of the receipt of the request. The summary must set forth the following information:

▪ Identifying information, including the participant’s name, address, sex, age, members of the household and telephone number ▪ Name(s) and title(s) of local staff who will represent the agency at the hearing