915 PROGRAM CRITERIA SR 15-23, 09/15 (FAM-A) |
To be eligible for NH Child Care Scholarship:
• each child for whom NH Child Care Scholarship is requested must:
- be a resident of New Hampshire;
- reside in the same household as the parent/caretaker relative/legal guardian who is requesting NH Child Care Scholarship; and
- be a U.S. citizen, or a noncitizen who meets FANF criteria for noncitizen eligibility. See PART 305, CITIZENSHIP.
• the gross monthly income of the household must not exceed 250% of the federal poverty guidelines. See Part 935, GROSS MONTHLY INCOME LIMITS.
• each parent or cohabitating adult who shares a common child, caretaker relative and his/her spouse, or legal guardian and his/her spouse requesting NH Child Care Scholarship must be engaged in one or more of the following activities:
- employment;
Exception: An individual who is employed solely as a license-exempt child care provider is not eligible for child care assistance, unless the provider is caring for a child in the child's own home and the employer will not allow the provider to care for the provider's own child(ren) simultaneously with the employer's child(ren).
Note: When a parent is working for/employed by an enrolled provider and their child attends the same program, NH Child Care Scholarship payment will be allowed to that provider. This would only apply to child care centers or licensed family group providers, where the parent is an additional child care giver to the enrolled provider, even though the parent may be caring for their own child during part of the day.
- actively seeking employment (job search);
- participating in a post-secondary training or education program which is preparatory to employment;
- participating in one of the following basic education activities: high school, high school equivalency or GED, Adult Basic Education, or English as a Second Language; or
- participating in NHEP activities approved on the EP or meeting NHEP program compliance requirements, such as attending classes, appointments, interviews or workshops.
Exception: NH Child Care Scholarship is not available for NHEP Orientation.
A two-parent family is eligible when one parent meets the criteria above and the other parent is disabled to the extent they are not able to care for and supervise their children.
For a two-parent family household, require a signed and dated statement from a physician or licensed mental health professional which describes the parent’s condition. The statement must specify that the parent is unable to care for a child because of the disability and the expected duration of the disability. Approval for a disability related benefit is not a substitute for this statement. For chronic non-changing disabilities verification is required only once. For all others, verification is required annually.
Children in a single parent household are not eligible for NH Child Care Scholarship if the single parent is disabled and not participating in an approved activity.
References: He-C 6910.05(b), He-C 6910.06(a), (b), (d), (g), and (h), He-C 6910.07, He-C 6910.08(i), RSA 161:2,XII, RSA 167:80,IV(b) and (i), RSA 167:82,VI, RSA 167:83,II(o), RSA 167:83,II(c) and (o), RSA 167:85, RSA 167:88, RSA 167:90, RSA 167:91, 45 CFR 98.20