A2247 1R

An Act concerning the State’s child care assistance program and supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. Notwithstanding any law rule, or regulation to the contrary, the Division of Family Development in the Department of Human Services shall:

(1) maintain a waiting list of those ¹[income eligible persons] presumptively eligible applicants¹ who apply to receive assistance through the State’s child care assistance program and are notified that their applications will not be processed due to limited funding;

(2) implement procedures by which such persons may be placed on the waiting list; ¹[and]¹

(3) establish methods for notifying ¹[qualified] presumptively eligible¹ applicants when the division will process their applications for the State’s child care assistance program once funding becomes available, including, but not limited to, posting such information on its Internet website¹; and

(4) designate child care resource and referral agencies contracted with the division to serve as access points to assist presumptively eligible applicants with completing and submitting applications for the State’s child care assistance program and the self-attestation forms developed pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection b. of this act.¹

b. ¹(1) For the purposes of placement of an presumptively eligible applicant on the waiting list maintained by the division pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection a. of this section, the division shall permit the applicant to establish eligibility via a standardized self-attestation form.

(a) The self-attestation form shall be developed by the division and made publicly available, either online through the Department of Human Services’ Internet website or in paper form to be distributed by child care resource and referral agencies, in languages including, but not limited to, English and Spanish.

(b) The applicant may submit the application for the State’s child care assistance program and the self-attestation form electronically on the division’s Internet website, in person, through a child care resource and referral agency, or by mail.

(2) The self-attestation form shall include information necessary to establish presumptive eligibility including, but not limited to, the applicant’s income, household composition, residency, participation in work, education, or job training activities, the birth month and year of each child requiring care, and the applicant’s contact information, including email address, telephone number, or other available methods the division can use to contact the applicant.

(3) Completion and submission of the self-attestation form shall be sufficient to establish presumptive eligibility for placement on the waiting list. The division shall not require the submission of pay stubs, tax returns, employer verification, or any other form of income verification as a condition of placement on the waiting list.

(4) The final determination and certification that an applicant is eligible for placement on the waiting list shall be made at the time the division processes the application for enrollment in the State’s child care assistance program.

(5) The division shall notify an applicant of their placement on the waiting list and any change in application status within 10 business days of the receipt of a completed self-attestation form, using the contact information provided by the applicant pursuant to paragraph (2) of this subsection. Failure to provide notification to the applicant within that timeframe shall not delay or prevent the applicant’s placement on the waiting list.

c.¹ The division shall ¹[annually]¹ publish¹, at least semi-annually,¹ a report, to be made available on the Department of Human Service's website and submitted to the Governor and the Legislature, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), containing non-identifying aggregate data about ¹[income-eligible persons] presumptively eligible applicants¹ qualified for, and applying to receive assistance through, the State’s child care assistance program. The report shall, at a minimum, include the number of:

(1) applications received for the State’s child care assistance program;

(2) ¹[eligible applicants approved to receive services through the program] presumptively eligible applicants, as determined by submission of a completed self-attestation form¹;

(3) ¹[qualified persons that apply for services through the program and are notified that their applications will not be processed due to limited funding; and

(4) applicants placed on the waiting list developed pursuant to subsection a. of this section] applicants determined eligible and approved for enrollment in the program;

(4) applicants placed on the waiting list due to insufficient program funding; and

(5) applicants determined ineligible for the program, including aggregate reason categories for ineligibility, such as income exceeding eligibility limits, incomplete applications, or failure to meet activity requirements or other program criteria.

d. The report published pursuant to subsection c. of this section shall also include, to the extent practicable, information on:

(1) average processing time for applications;

(2) average length of time applicants remain on the waiting list;

(3) geographic distribution of applicants by county; and

(4) total number of children by age represented by applicants.

e. As used in this section, “presumptively eligible applicant” meansa person who has submitted a completed self-attestation form proving that the person meets the State’s child care assistance program eligibility criteria, including income requirements, residency requirements, household composition, or participation in work, education, or job training activities, and is awaiting a determination and certification of eligibility for placement on the waiting list to receive assistance through the State’s child care assistance program¹.

2. This act shall take effect immediately.