HF3205 Summary

• Defines "homeless" families as those with self-declared housing status meeting McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act standards for child care assistance purposes.

• Requires counties to process child care applications from homeless families within five working days, with approval notices issued within five working days if eligible, compared to the standard 30-day timeline.

• Provides homeless applicants 60 hours of child care assistance per service period for three months from application date, with additional hours authorized based on employment, education, or MFIP/DWP participation.

• Modifies "transition year families" definition to require only one month (instead of three months) of MFIP or DWP assistance within the preceding six months to qualify for extended child care support.

• Updates child care provider maximum reimbursement rates to use the most recent rate survey with updates effective February 22, 2019 and February 23, 2021, with subsequent updates occurring annually based on survey data.