Kansas TANF: Implement additional county groups and living situations

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Summary

The current Kansas TANF implementation uses only Group III (High Population Counties) payment standards for Non-Shared Living arrangements. Kansas actually has three county groups and two living situation types, each with different payment standards.

What's Missing

1. County Groups Not Implemented

Kansas divides counties into three groups with different shelter allowances:

• Group I (Rural): $91 shelter allowance
• Group II (Semi-Urban): $100 shelter allowance
• Group III (High Population): $109 shelter allowance ← Currently implemented

2. Living Situations Not Implemented

• Non-Shared Living: Higher payment standard ← Currently implemented
• Shared Living: Lower payment standard (no shelter allowance)

Regulatory References

Source	Link
Kansas TANF State Plan FFY 2024-2026	DCF Report
K.A.R. 30-4-100 (Payment Standards)	Law Cornell
K.A.R. 30-4-101 (Basic Standards)	Law Cornell

Current Simplification

The implementation assumes all Kansas households:

1. Live in High Population Counties (Group III)
2. Have Non-Shared Living arrangements

This provides the highest payment standard, which may overestimate benefits for rural households or those in shared living situations.

To Fully Implement

Would require:

1. County-to-group mapping (which Kansas counties are in which group)
2. Living situation variable (shared vs non-shared)
3. Parameter structure with all 6 combinations (3 groups × 2 living types)