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DIVISION OF WELFARE AND SUPPORTIVE SERVICES Child Care Policy Manual If the employer statement does not provide sufficient information to accurately determine the individual’s ongoing income and the case manager is unable to contact the employer for clarification, the case manager must use the customer’s pay stubs to determine the household’s ongoing benefit amount. 306.49 Workers’ Compensation Unearned - Count A form of insurance required by employers that provides money as compensation for workers who are injured at work or contract an occupational disease. 306.50 Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) Unearned - Exempt A United States federal law passed August 7, 1998, which was enacted to replace the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) and certain other federal job training law with new workforce investment systems (or workforce development). It represented an attempt to induce business to participate in the local delivery of Workforce Development Services. The principal vehicle for this was Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) which were to be chaired by private sector members of the local community. A majority of board members were also required to represent business interests. Today, WIA funds can be used to fund workforce education and career pathways programs. 310 BUDGETING A procedure used to determine eligibility by calculating income and deductions of any person who is a required member of the household. Case managers should use a budgeting method which provides the most accurate reflection of the household’s Annual income converted to a monthly amount. The method used and the reasoning for the method used must be documented in the computer system. 310.1 Definitions - The following terms are used: • Best Estimate Budgeting: A process used to determine eligibility and subsidy percentage amount of benefits based on the best estimate of income and circumstances which will exist in the certification period month(s) a child care subsidy is authorized. • Prospective Eligibility Budgeting: A projection of income, household composition and other circumstances anticipated to exist in the certification period benefit month based on verified data or the best information known at the time the eligibility/benefit determination is made. • Actual Income Budgeting: Actual income is income that has already been received. Actual income is used in best estimate budgeting if it provides the best representation of the anticipated monthly income. Overpayment calculations involve budgeting actual income and evaluating circumstances which existed during the month in question. 310.2 General Income Budgeting Tips To compute income, use one of the following methods, which most accurately reflects the best estimate of the household’s income for the certification period: • Actual income (income that has already been received); or • Projected income (the “best estimate” of income which is anticipated to be received). Unless specified in an income manual section (i.e. child support, self-employment, contractual, or seasonal) use the budgeting methods described in this section. Income is budgeted for the certification period and converted to a monthly amount. Documentation of the factoring method used in the eligibility determination must be recorded in the computer system. 300- Income and Assets [23] MTL 01/24 July 1, 2024