Participant Eligibility Record for Adult Day Care

This Management Bulletin (MB) notifies agencies of and clarifies the eligibility record requirement for adult day care (ADC) centers in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). As of October 2015, the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) no longer accepts alternative documentation to support categorical eligibility.

In January 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued the new ADC Handbook. In May 2014, the CDE issued MB CACFP-17-2014 announcing the handbook and download link from the USDA website. The handbook requires ADC centers to collect income eligibility applications or the CDSS’ meal benefit forms (MBF) from all of their CACFP participants.

Meal Benefit Forms: Income Eligibility

The USDA’s ADC Handbook, pages 24–25, outlines the following required information (Title 7, Code of Federal Regulations [7 CFR], Section 226.23[e][1][iii]) that ADC centers should include on the MBF:

• The names of all adults enrolled in care for whom the application is made
  
  
• The names of all other household members
  
  
• The income received by each household member, identified by source of household income
  
  
• The signature of an adult household member that immediately follows a statement verifying that the information provided on the application is true and correct
  
  
• The last four digits of the Social Security number of the adult household member who signs the application, or an indication that they do not possess a Social Security number

Meal Benefit Forms: Categorical Eligibility

In order for a participant to be categorically eligible for CACFP benefits, they must be a member of a household that receives benefits through the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), CalFresh, Medicaid/MediCal, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). In such cases, the ADC center has the option to collect only the following information on the MBF, per 7 CFR, Section 226.23(e)(1)(v):

• The names of all adults enrolled in care for whom the application is made
  
  
• The name and appropriate CalFresh or FDPIR case number for the participant, or the participant’s SSI or Medicaid/MediCal identification number
  
  
• The signature of an adult household member

Summary

Previously, the alternative accepted documentation was a copy of the participant’s CalFresh, FDPIR, SSI, or Medicaid/MediCal card(s) attached to the eligibility roster. As stated above, the CDSS no longer accepts alternative documentation for categorical determinations. The references in the CACFP Administrative Manual for Child and Adult Care Centers to alternative documentation are no longer valid, and the CDSS will remove them as soon as possible.

Agencies that used alternative documentation to determine if adult participants were categorically eligible must now document the eligibility on MBFs. Starting October 1, 2016, the CDSS will issue fiscal findings to agencies that do not meet this requirement.

Questions

If you have any questions regarding this subject, please contact your county’s CACFP Specialist. A list of CACFP Specialists is available on the CACFP County Contacts web page or in the Download Forms section of the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System as Form ID CACFP 01. You can also contact the CACFP Office Technician by email at CACFPinfo@dss.ca.gov to be directed to your CACFP Specialist.

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