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outstanding verifications remain to provide a 36-day eligibility period using the applicant’s self-attested information.

Homelessness Reasonable Opportunity Period (ROP). Child Care ROP evidence is applied in BEES for applicants experiencing homelessness. This evidence is designed to enable the system to provide temporary CCA benefits and additional time for applicants to provide proof to verify specific information. The ROP evidence bypasses mandatory verifications related to income and activities to allow the eligibility worker more time to obtain necessary verifications and allows for an applicant to receive eligibility using self-attested information for to several verification items for a period of 36 days. The eligibility worker will utilize the ROP to provide the family additional time to provide proof for specific verification items. Families who receive Homeless ROP will be directed to available resources.

6.3.5 Subsidized Guardianship/Subsidized Adoption A Foster Parent may adopt or receive guardianship of a child through the Division of Child Protection Services (CPS). In these situations, if CPS is subsidizing the adoption or guardianship, CCA can be continued/granted for the child/children without consideration of the adoptive/guardian parent’s income when calculating eligibility.

Subsidized adoption/guardianship cases follow the traditional CCA eligibility process regarding the eligibility start date, provider requirements, and the work/school requirements. The only exception is that the subsidized guardian or adoptive parent’s income shall not be counted when determining eligibility and they are not subject to the asset limit. • Exemption of the parent’s income only applies to children that have been adopted through SD DSS through a subsidized adoption. • Parents and child(ren) must reside in South Dakota. • The parent(s) must meet the minimum work/school requirements. • The child care provider must meet requirements as established by CCA. • Children in SD CPS custody are assumed residents of SD even if residing out of state. Once adopted, traditional residency rules apply

Verification of Adoption. If an application is received and indicates the child was adopted through the State of South Dakota, staff can check to see if there is FACIS external evidence on the child’s person page or e-mail staff in CPS to verify the adoption and if it is subsidized before requesting verification from the applicant.

Verification of Subsidized Guardianship. If an application is received and the applicant indicates they have guardianship of the child through the State of South Dakota, CCA staff can e-mail staff in CPS to verify the subsidized guardianship. Subsidized guardianships are equal to subsidized adoption for the purposes of Child Care Assistance.

Tribes that the State of South Dakota has CPS contracts with are the Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe and the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe. If a child has been adopted through one of these Tribes, we must verify that the adoption is an IV-E or IV-B subsidized adoption through the State of South Dakota. If criteria are met, assistance can also be continued/granted for an adoptive child without considering the adoptive parent’s income.

6.3.6 Children with Special Needs The overall goal of Special Needs CCA is to assist families who may experience challenges in obtaining affordable child care for their child(ren) due to the child’s need for special accommodations. There are two different categories of special needs that are used to assign the appropriate reimbursement rate: a general special needs and advanced special needs.