KS TANF: verify family-of-3 baseline ( PE vs CBPP/WRD)

[MaxGhenis]

Issue

ks/dcf/tanf/payment_standard/amount.yaml lists family-of-3 = $403/month with effective date 1997-03-01.

CBPP's "Continued Increases in TANF Benefit Levels" Appendix Table 1 lists Kansas at $429/month, stable across all reported snapshots (1996, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023). The Urban Institute Welfare Rules Database 2023 shows the same $429 figure.

Both PE and CBPP/WRD claim the value is unchanged since 1996. Two sources disagree, so one of the baselines is wrong.

Context

PE's value is documented as "High Population Counties (Group III) — Non-shared Living Arrangements," per K.A.R. 30-4-101. The KEESM Appendix F-4 referenced in the parameter file should be the primary source.

KS uses a multi-tier structure:

• Group I / II / III by county population
• Shared vs. non-shared living arrangement

PE captures Group III non-shared. If CBPP's $429 is also Group III non-shared (their convention is the most-populous tier), then this is a baseline correction. If $429 represents a different tier (e.g., Group I non-shared, or Group III with a different shelter component), then the discrepancy is convention-driven and ties into the headline-variable proposal.

Action items

1. Cross-check $403 vs $429 against:
   • K.A.R. 30-4-100 and K.A.R. 30-4-101 primary text
   • KEESM Appendix F-4 (TAF Non-shared Living Standards) — currently referenced but the link goes to a 2007 archived PDF
   • Kansas TANF State Plan FFY 2024-2026
2. Verify whether KS's payment standard is genuinely flat since 1996 (PE and CBPP both claim this; if true, they cannot both be right).
3. If CBPP's $429 is correct, update amount.yaml and the per-size table (additional_person_amount.yaml may need a similar review).
4. If PE's $403 is correct, the discrepancy needs to be flagged so we can identify the source of CBPP's $429 figure.

Sources

• K.A.R. 30-4-100: https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/kansas/K-A-R-30-4-100
• K.A.R. 30-4-101: https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/kansas/K-A-R-30-4-101
• KEESM 7400: https://content.dcf.ks.gov/ees/keesm/current/keesm7400.htm
• KEESM Appendix F-4 (linked in PE parameter file but archived PDF): https://content.dcf.ks.gov/ees/keesm/appendix/F-4_TAFtable07_11.pdf
• KS TANF State Plan FFY 2024-2026: https://www.dcf.ks.gov/services/ees/Documents/Reports/TANF%20State%20Plan%20FFY%202024%20-%202026.pdf
• CBPP "Continued Increases in TANF Benefit Levels" Appendix Table 1 (May 2024 / Feb 2025)

Source of feedback

Feedback memo from Elizabeth Lower-Basch (Gray Cat Policy), May 2026.