SR 22-18 Dated 07/22

 

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES – DIVISION OF ECONOMIC AND HOUSING STABILITY

Bureau of family assistance (bfa)

INTER-DEPARTMENT COMMUNICATION

 

FROM:

OFFICE OF THE ADMINISTRATOR IV, BFA Debra E. Sorli

 

BFA SIGNATURE DATE:

June 29, 2022

 

AT (OFFICE):

Bureau of Family Assistance

 

TO:

All BFA Staff

NHEP Teams

 

SUBJECT:

Increase in Age Limits for the FANF Child/Dependent Care Maximum Deductions

 

EFFECTIVE DATE:

July 1, 2022

 

 

SUMMARY

 

This Supervisory Release (SR) releases an increase in the age brackets for the maximum child/dependent care deduction for FANF Financial Assistance.

 

FORMER POLICY

NEW POLICY

 

The child/dependent care deduction age

bracket was broken into 2 groups:

·       Children ages 0 to under 2; and

·       Children ages 2 and older.

 

The child/dependent care deduction age

bracket broken into 2 groups has been updated to:

·       Children ages 0 to under 6; and

·       Children ages 6 and older.

 

 

POLICY

 

The age bracket for child/dependent care deduction is broken into 2 groups. The age limit for the first group has increased from under the age of 2 to under the age of 6, and the age bracket for the second group has increased from ages 2 and older to ages 6 and older.

 

The allowable child/dependent care deduction amounts are as follows:  

 

·       For a full-time employee (individual earnings > $377 or more per month):

- $200 per month for each child less than 6 years old; and

- $175 per month for each incapacitated parent and for each child age 6 years or older.

 

·       For a part-time employee (individual earnings less than $377 per month):

- $100 per month for each child less than 6 years old; and

- $87.50 per month for each incapacitated parent and for each child age 6 years or older.

 

 

NEW HEIGHTS & NH EASY SYSTEMS PROCEDURES AND IMPLEMENTATION

 

New HEIGHTS Update(s)

 

On June 24, 2022, New HEIGHTS ran a mass change for approximately 18 open FANF financial assistance cases, to adjust the child/dependent care deductions based on the increase in the new age brackets.

 

DESCRIPTION OF REVISIONS MADE TO FORMS

 

No revisions have been made to any forms.

 

POLICY MANUAL REVISIONS

 

Revised Family Assistance Manual Topics

 

Section 603.05 Child/Dependent Care Deduction

 

IMPLEMENTATION

 

Policy released in this SR is effective July 1, 2022 for current cases, and will apply to any new cases processed on or after this date.

 

CLIENT NOTIFICATION

 

 Households who experienced a change in their child/dependent care deductions based on the new age brackets received a Notice of Decision (NOD) with the following free form text:

 

The Department has adjusted the 2 age brackets for the FANF Child/Dependent Care Deduction.

The age limit for the first group has increased from under the age of 2, to under the age of 6 and the age bracket for the second group has increased from ages 2 and older to ages 6 and older.

If this adjustment has impacted your FANF grant you will see it noted above.

 

TRAINING

 

No special training is planned or needed.

 

DISPOSITION

 

This SR may be destroyed or deleted after its contents have been noted and the revised manual topics released by this SR have been posted to the On-line Manuals.

 

DISTRIBUTION

 

This SR will be distributed according to the electronic distribution list for BFA policy releases. This SR, and revised On-Line Manuals, will be available for agency staff in the On-Line Manual Library, and for public access on the Internet at https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/sr_htm/sr.htm, effective July 1, 2022.

 

BFA/rs