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______________________________________________________________________________ DIVISION OF WELFARE AND SUPPORTIVE SERVICES Child Care Policy Manual If a referral lacks the information necessary to complete a certificate, child care staff must contact the DWSS case manager for completion. A NEON referral may be rejected as listed below. Notification of the rejection will be sent to the household and the appropriate DWSS case manager. A copy of the rejection notification will be maintained in the case file and the reason the referral was rejected documented in the computer system. For a household not receiving child care assistance: • A request to apply for Child Care Assistance is sent and the completed application is not received within 10 days of the request. Note: This is only required if there is not already a completed child care application on file. • A request for information is issued or an appointment has been scheduled and the household fails to contact the case manager/office within timeframe requested. For households receiving child care assistance: • A review of AMPS determines the household is not eligible for NEON/TANF. A NEON referral will be denied if the household applies for Child Care Assistance but fails to provide required verification. Identification for the client (if identification has not previously been verified) and the provider selected are the only required verifications needed to approve a NEON/TANF household. A copy of the Notice of Action (NOA), Form 2158 – WC will be sent to the household. NOTE: If all other criteria are met within 30 days of the NEON referral issuance date, a rejected or denied referral may be approved/reinstated. If a NEON referral is received for only one parent/caretaker of a two parent/caretaker household (e.g. 2nd parent is disabled or an ineligible non-citizen), the case manager will contact DWSS staff to ensure child care services are needed for the two-parent household. If the second parent/caretaker has a purpose or care, contact the household to obtain the second parent/caretaker’s schedule. Do not delay or deny child care services while trying to obtain the clarification/verification for the 2nd parent. If/when clarification/verification is received, update the case appropriately and document the action taken. Note: A stepparent is a required household member for child care and therefore he/she must have a purpose of care or be physically or mentally unable to care for the child(ren) for the household to be eligible for child care services. If a physical or mental disability does prevent the stepparent from caring for the child(ren), this must be verified by the DWSS case manager and documented in the Household Details section of the NEON Child Care Referral 2728-WA. A NEON referral received for a minor parent which does not include a referral for the major parent(s) must be served without obtaining additional information on the major parent(s). This includes requiring the major parent to sign required forms (e.g. child care application and client agreement). The minor parent can complete all required forms. NEON child care services are provided from the referral issuance date forward. The issuance date of a NEON referral is the day that it was generated by the DWSS case manager, and services can begin that 100-Program Overview [8] MTL 01/24 July 1, 2024