This letter rescinds the portion of ACL 09-03 regarding the change in RMR ceiling payments and family fees for CalWORKs families. The recent budget legislation requires child care costs to continue to be reimbursed using the 2005 RMR payment ceilings. Also prohibited the assessment of a family fee for current CalWORKs cash aid recipients. CDSS “has learned that additional coordination and clarification with the California Department of Education (CDE)” is needed, so now tells the counties to continue to assess all CalWORKs child care recipients for a family fee if one would have been applied, until further notice. (Which seems contrary to law, but heh, Regs@ just reports what it says…) [Download]

The Ed code has been changed to align state law (annual survey of rates) to federal law (biennial survey). The letter also lists the “new” (frozen) Regional Market Rate (RMR) rates and the new (elimination) family fee for current CalWORKs recipients.

The state median index (SMI) used to establish the income ceilings subsidized child care was frozen for 2008-9 at the 2007-8 levels. (Families may receive subsidized child care until their income reaches 75 percent of the SMI. For the CalWORKs Stage One and Stage Two Child Care programs, the SMI applies only to former CalWORKs cash aid recipients including safety net families. Current CalWORKs recipients are categorically
eligible for Stage One and Stage Two child care.)

The 2005-6 family fee schedule will remain in effect until CDE releases the new family fee schedule. (Counties are “encouraged to check the CDE website regularly for updated income ceilings and family fee schedules in order to accurately determine income eligibility and family
fees for former recipients….”)

A recent statutory changes eliminates the family fee requirement for families receiving CalWORKs cash aid, including cases where the children continue to receive a CalWORKs grant such as safety net and sanctioned families. [Download]