Add Vermont Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP)

[hua7450]

Summary

Implements the Vermont Child Care Financial Assistance Program (CCFAP) in PolicyEngine, covering eligibility determination, income testing, rate lookups, family share calculation, and benefit computation.

Closes #7768

Regulatory Authority

• CCFAP Regulations (Feb 9, 2009) -- full program rules (18 pages)
• Income Guidelines (eff. Oct 6, 2024) -- sliding fee scale at 175-575% FPL
• State Rates (eff. Jun 30, 2024) -- weekly rates by provider/age/schedule
• Capped State Rates (eff. Jul 13, 2025) -- updated weekly rates
• Rate Increase Per Act 76 -- historical rates (Jul 2023, Jan 2024, Jul 2024)
• Understanding Payments Guide (rev. Feb 7, 2025) -- benefit formula
• Act 76 FAQs (rev. Jun 10, 2024) -- expansion timeline
• Report on Adjustment of CCFAP Rates (Jan 15, 2024) -- family share history
• 33 V.S.A. sections 3512-3514 -- statutory authority
• 45 CFR Parts 98-99 -- federal CCDF regulations

Income Eligibility Tests

1. Gross income <= FPL threshold (adjusted for family size) -- CCFAP Regulations Section II B 2; Income Guidelines
   • Pre-April 2024: 350% FPL (33 V.S.A. § 3512)
   • April 7, 2024: expanded to 400% FPL (Act 76 FAQs)
   • October 6, 2024: expanded to 575% FPL
2. Asset limit < $1 million -- reuses federal is_ccdf_asset_eligible (dcf.vermont.gov/benefits/ccfap)
3. Child age: 6 weeks to < 13 years (< 19 for special needs) -- CCFAP Regulations Section I B
4. Citizenship/immigration: U.S. citizen or qualified noncitizen -- reuses is_ccdf_immigration_eligible_child (45 CFR 98.20)
5. Categorical exemptions (bypass income test): Reach Up/Reach First recipients, protective services children, foster children -- CCFAP Regulations Section II B 2 a

Income Deductions & Exemptions

16 income exclusion categories per CCFAP Regulations Section II B 2. Implementation uses an inclusion-list approach (income/sources.yaml) listing 12 counted income sources. Excluded income types are implicitly omitted.

Income Standards

Using 2025 Federal Poverty Guidelines at 575% FPL (maximum eligibility threshold):

Family Size	Annual FPG (2025)	575% FPL Annual	575% FPL Monthly
1	$15,650	$89,988	$7,499
2	$21,150	$121,613	$10,134
3	$26,650	$153,238	$12,770
4	$32,150	$184,863	$15,405

Family Share (Copayment)

Current (Oct 6, 2024): $0/wk at ≤175% FPL, $50-$425/wk at 175-575% FPL in $25 increments per 25% FPL step.
Pre-April 2024: $0/wk at ≤150% FPL, $25-$200/wk at 150-350% FPL. Source: Jan 2024 Legislative Report p15

Benefit Calculation

Formula (Understanding Payments Guide):

Weekly Benefit = max(sum(State Rate per eligible child) - Weekly Family Share, $0)
Monthly Benefit = Weekly Benefit × 52 / 12

Verified against PDF examples:

• Jane Smith: Registered home infant FT, $50/wk share → $387 - $50 = $337/wk ✓
• Honey Child Care: Licensed center toddler PT, $50/wk share → $243 - $50 = $193/wk ✓

Rate History

Rates are backdated to July 2, 2023 (Act 76 simplified rate structure). Source: Rate Increase Per Act 76

Date	Licensed Center Change	Registered Home Change
Jul 2, 2023	Simplified to 5-STAR rate	Simplified to 5-STAR rate
Jan 1, 2024	35% increase	35% increase
Jun 30, 2024	No change	50% differential reduction
Jul 13, 2025	Infant/Toddler increase	Infant/Toddler increase

Age group boundary change: Preschool upper limit moves from 60 months to 72 months ("3 up to 6 years old") effective Jul 13, 2025. Source: Capped Rates Important Definitions

Requirements Coverage

REQ	Description	Param	Variable	Test
REQ-001	VT residency	defined_for = StateCode.VT	All variables	All tests use state_code: VT
REQ-002	Citizen/qualified noncitizen	(federal)	is_ccdf_immigration_eligible_child (reused)	vt_ccfap_eligible_child.yaml
REQ-003	Child age 6wk-13yr (19 special needs)	age_group/months.yaml	vt_ccfap_eligible_child	vt_ccfap_eligible_child.yaml (10 cases)
REQ-005	Asset limit < $1M	(federal)	is_ccdf_asset_eligible (reused)	vt_ccfap_eligible.yaml
REQ-006	Gross income <= FPL limit	income/fpl_limit.yaml	vt_ccfap_income_eligible	vt_ccfap_income_eligible.yaml (11 cases)
REQ-007	Gross income definition	income/sources.yaml (12 sources)	vt_ccfap_countable_income	Income eligible + integration tests
REQ-009	Age categories	age_group/months.yaml (bracket)	vt_ccfap_age_group	vt_ccfap_age_group.yaml (7 cases)
REQ-010	Care schedule PT/FT/Extended	care_schedule/hours.yaml (bracket)	vt_ccfap_care_schedule	vt_ccfap_care_schedule.yaml (11 cases)
REQ-011	Provider types	--	vt_ccfap_provider_type	vt_ccfap_provider_type.yaml (5 cases)
REQ-012	State rates by provider × age × schedule	rates/licensed_center.yaml, rates/registered_home.yaml	vt_ccfap_state_rate	vt_ccfap_state_rate.yaml (24 cases)
REQ-013	Family share sliding scale	family_share/scale.yaml	vt_ccfap_family_share	vt_ccfap_family_share.yaml (14 cases)
REQ-014	Benefit = sum(rates) - family_share ≥ $0	--	vt_ccfap	vt_ccfap.yaml (10 cases), integration.yaml (13 cases)
REQ-015	Reach Up → 100% subsidy	--	vt_reach_up_eligible (reused)	Multiple test files
REQ-016	Protective services → 100% subsidy	--	receives_or_needs_protective_services (reused)	Multiple test files
REQ-018	Foster families → 100% subsidy	--	is_in_foster_care (reused)	Multiple test files
REQ-021	Act 76 expansion timeline	income/fpl_limit.yaml (3.5→4.0→5.75)	vt_ccfap_income_eligible	Cases 9-10 test pre-April 350% limit

Coverage: 17/17 in-scope requirements implemented (100%)

Not Modeled

REQ	Description	Reason
REQ-004	Service need / reason for care	Bare input variable (meets_ccdf_activity_test) -- not simulatable from household data
REQ-017	Family Support child care exemption	No corresponding input variable in codebase
REQ-019	Adoptive parents with adoption subsidy exemption	No receives_adoption_subsidy variable available
REQ-020	Adoptive parents with special needs child exemption	Adoption-specific -- not simulatable
REQ-022	Enrollment-based payments (vs attendance)	No attendance tracking in PolicyEngine
REQ-023	Provider rate excess over state rate	Family bears difference; beyond subsidy calculation scope

Files Added

policyengine_us/
  parameters/gov/states/vt/dcf/ccfap/
    age_threshold/
      base.yaml                    # 13 years
      special_needs.yaml           # 19 years
    age_group/
      months.yaml                  # Bracket: 0→Infant, 24→Toddler, 36→Preschool, 60/72→School Age
    care_schedule/
      hours.yaml                   # Bracket: 0→PT, 25.0001→FT, 50.0001→Extended
    income/
      fpl_limit.yaml               # 3.5 (2009), 4.0 (Apr 2024), 5.75 (Oct 2024)
      sources.yaml                 # 12 counted income sources
    family_share/
      scale.yaml                   # Sliding scale: FPL ratio → weekly amount (backdated to 2009)
    rates/
      licensed_center.yaml         # Weekly rates by age × schedule (Jul 2023 → Jul 2025)
      registered_home.yaml         # Weekly rates by age × schedule (Jul 2023 → Jul 2025)
  variables/gov/states/vt/dcf/ccfap/
    eligibility/
      vt_ccfap_categorically_exempt.py  # Categorical exemption (TANF/foster/protective)
      vt_ccfap_eligible.py         # Overall CCFAP eligibility (SPMUnit)
      vt_ccfap_eligible_child.py   # Child eligibility - age + dependent + immigration (Person)
      vt_ccfap_income_eligible.py  # Income eligibility (SPMUnit)
    vt_ccfap.py                    # Monthly CCFAP benefit (SPMUnit)
    vt_ccfap_age_group.py          # Age group via bracket .calc() (Person)
    vt_ccfap_care_schedule.py      # Care schedule via bracket .calc() (Person)
    vt_ccfap_countable_income.py   # Gross countable income (SPMUnit)
    vt_ccfap_family_share.py       # Weekly family copayment, monthly (SPMUnit)
    vt_ccfap_provider_type.py      # Provider type enum (Person)
    vt_ccfap_state_rate.py         # Weekly state rate per child (Person)
    vt_child_care_subsidies.py     # State child care subsidy aggregator (SPMUnit)
  tests/policy/baseline/gov/states/vt/dcf/ccfap/
    vt_ccfap.yaml                  # 10 benefit calculation tests
    vt_ccfap_age_group.yaml        # 7 age group tests
    vt_ccfap_care_schedule.yaml    # 11 care schedule tests
    vt_ccfap_eligible.yaml         # Overall eligibility tests
    vt_ccfap_eligible_child.yaml   # 10 child eligibility tests
    vt_ccfap_family_share.yaml     # 14 family share tests
    vt_ccfap_income_eligible.yaml  # 11 income eligibility tests (incl. pre-2024 350% FPL)
    vt_ccfap_provider_type.yaml    # 5 provider type tests
    vt_ccfap_state_rate.yaml       # 24 state rate tests
    integration.yaml               # 13 end-to-end tests (incl. Jane Smith & Honey Child Care)

Totals: 9 parameter files, 12 variable files, 10 test files (31 files)

[codecov]

Codecov Report

✅ All modified and coverable lines are covered by tests.
✅ Project coverage is 100.00%. Comparing base (19ec305) to head (f0fc005).
⚠️ Report is 10 commits behind head on main.

Additional details and impacted files

@@            Coverage Diff             @@
##              main     #7769    +/-   ##
==========================================
  Coverage   100.00%   100.00%            
==========================================
  Files            3        12     +9     
  Lines           33       186   +153     
==========================================
+ Hits            33       186   +153     

Flag	Coverage Δ
unittests	100.00% <100.00%> (ø)

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[PavelMakarchuk]

Program Review: Vermont CCFAP (PR #7769)

Source Documents

• PDF 1: CCFAP Regulations (18 pages)
• PDF 2: Income Guidelines (1 page)
• PDF 3: State Rates Jun 2024 (1 page)
• PDF 4: Capped State Rates Jul 2025 (2 pages)
• PDF 5: Understanding Payments (2 pages)
• Year: 2024-2025
• Scope: PR changes only

Critical (Must Fix)

1. Wrong page anchor in vt_ccfap_eligible.py -- The reference uses #page=4 but Section II A "Eligibility Criteria" is on file page 6 (printed page 4). The author used the printed page number instead of the file page number. Change #page=4 to #page=6.

   • File: policyengine_us/variables/gov/states/vt/dcf/ccfap/eligibility/vt_ccfap_eligible.py
   • Source: page verification audit (PDF 1)

2. Act 76 reference missing #page= anchor in family_share/scale.yaml -- The Act 76 href points to the full enacted law PDF with no page anchor. The $25-to-$0 change at the 150-175% FPL bracket (effective 2024-04-07) cannot be verified from the provided PDFs. The October 2024 Income Guidelines (PDF 2) confirm the $0 bracket exists but only for the post-October period, not the April effective date.

   • File: policyengine_us/parameters/gov/states/vt/dcf/ccfap/family_share/scale.yaml
   • Action: Add #page=XX to the Act 76 href pointing to Section 5; verify April 7, 2024 effective date.

3. income/fpl_limit.yaml -- 350% and 400% FPL values lack corroboration in provided PDFs -- The 575% value is confirmed by PDF 2. The 350% (2009) value is not stated in the regulations PDF, and the 400% (April 2024) value references Act 76 FAQs which was not among the provided PDFs. The statute reference "33 V.S.A. Section 3512" lacks a subsection.

   • File: policyengine_us/parameters/gov/states/vt/dcf/ccfap/income/fpl_limit.yaml
   • Action: Add subsection to the 33 V.S.A. reference (e.g., 3512(a)(1)); verify the 350% and 400% values against Act 76 or the statute text.

Should Address

1. Rate PDF hrefs missing #page= anchors -- rates/licensed_center.yaml and rates/registered_home.yaml reference the state rate PDFs (PDF 3, PDF 4) and the Act 76 rate increase PDF without page anchors on some references.

   • Files: policyengine_us/parameters/gov/states/vt/dcf/ccfap/rates/licensed_center.yaml, registered_home.yaml

2. 2023-07-02 rates lack a corroborating source -- Both rate files include values effective 2023-07-02 referencing "CCFAP Rate Increase Per Act 76" which was not among the provided PDFs. The 2024 and 2025 rates are fully verified.

   • Files: policyengine_us/parameters/gov/states/vt/dcf/ccfap/rates/licensed_center.yaml, registered_home.yaml
   • Action: Provide or cite the Act 76 rate increase document, or add a note explaining the source.

3. Reference titles lack descriptive suffixes -- Several parameter references use bare section numbers (e.g., "CCFAP Regulations Section I B 1") without topic descriptors. Adding suffixes improves navigability.

   • Files: age_group/months.yaml (add "- Age Category"), care_schedule/hours.yaml (add "- Care Category"), age_threshold/base.yaml and special_needs.yaml (add "- Child age eligibility definition"), income/sources.yaml (add "- Income Eligibility Requirements")

4. Parameter description verb "counts" not in approved list -- income/sources.yaml uses verb "counts" which is not in the approved set (limits, provides, sets, excludes, deducts, uses). Suggest changing to "uses."

   • File: policyengine_us/parameters/gov/states/vt/dcf/ccfap/income/sources.yaml

5. Parameter descriptions use "these" instead of "this" -- Several bracket/multi-value parameters use "these" (e.g., "these age thresholds", "these weekly reimbursement rates"). The strict standard says "this." Low impact since "these" is arguably more accurate for bracket parameters.

   • Files: age_group/months.yaml, care_schedule/hours.yaml, rates/licensed_center.yaml, rates/registered_home.yaml

6. Missing test: activity test failure as sole cause of ineligibility -- All current ineligibility tests are driven by income, age, or assets. No test confirms that failing only the activity test (meets_ccdf_activity_test: false) blocks eligibility for a non-exempt family.

   • Directory: policyengine_us/tests/policy/baseline/gov/states/vt/dcf/ccfap/

7. Missing test: asset boundary at exactly $1,000,000 -- Tests cover $0 (under) and $1.5M (over) but not the exact boundary.

   • Directory: policyengine_us/tests/policy/baseline/gov/states/vt/dcf/ccfap/

8. Defensive division guard in vt_ccfap_family_share.py -- fpl_ratio = income / fpg could divide by zero if FPG is 0 in microsimulation. Consider where(fpg > 0, income / fpg, 0).

   • File: policyengine_us/variables/gov/states/vt/dcf/ccfap/vt_ccfap_family_share.py, line 18

Suggestions

1. Document known limitations -- The implementation omits 3 of 6 categorical exemptions (Family Support, adoptive families with special needs children, adoptive parents with own special needs). These require input variables not currently in PolicyEngine. Add a code comment noting this.

   • File: policyengine_us/variables/gov/states/vt/dcf/ccfap/eligibility/vt_ccfap_categorically_exempt.py

2. Document activity test simplification -- Reach Up families bypass both the activity test and income test, but the regulation says they still need a "service need." This is an acceptable simplification but worth documenting.

   • File: policyengine_us/variables/gov/states/vt/dcf/ccfap/eligibility/vt_ccfap_eligible.py

3. Add test for July 2025 age group change -- The preschool-to-school-age boundary changes from 60 to 72 months on 2025-07-13. No test covers this transition.

4. Add non-VT state sanity test -- A single test confirming a non-Vermont family gets zero benefit would guard against defined_for regressions.

5. Trim code-explaining comments in vt_ccfap_categorically_exempt.py -- Comments like "# Reach Up (VT TANF) recipients -- MONTH variable" explain what code does rather than why. The period annotations are useful; the rest could be trimmed.

6. Parameter description wording for age_threshold/*.yaml -- Uses "this age" instead of "this threshold" per naming conventions.

PDF Audit Summary

Note: The PDF audit agents (pdf-rules, pdf-rates) could not read repo files due to a branch mismatch. The reference validator successfully compared all repo values against the PDFs and serves as the authoritative audit result.

Category	Count
Confirmed correct	48 rate values (24 Jun 2024 + 24 Jul 2025), 17 family share brackets, 4 age thresholds, 3 care schedule thresholds, 2 child age limits, 14 income sources, 3 FPL limits (575% confirmed; 350%, 400% need external verification)
Mismatches	0
Unmodeled items	3 categorical exemptions (Family Support, adoptive families x2), some uncommon income sources

Validation Summary

Check	Result
Regulatory Accuracy	0 critical issues; 3 low-severity known limitations (acceptable simplifications)
Reference Quality	3 issues: 1 wrong page anchor (Critical #1), 1 missing page anchor on Act 76 (Critical #2), 1 uncorroborated historical FPL value (Critical #3)
Code Patterns	0 critical; 8 minor warnings (descriptions, comments, defensive coding)
Test Coverage	113+ test cases; 3 minor gaps (activity test, asset boundary, non-VT state)
PDF Value Audit	0 mismatches / 48+ rate values confirmed correct by reference validator
Page References	14 correct, 1 wrong (vt_ccfap_eligible.py #page=4 should be #page=6), 2 unverifiable (external PDFs not provided)
CI Status	All passing

Review Severity: COMMENT

The implementation is high quality with no value mismatches and thorough test coverage (113+ cases). The three critical findings are all reference/documentation issues (wrong page anchor, missing page anchors, uncorroborated historical values) rather than logic or value errors. The program logic correctly implements Vermont CCFAP regulations, Act 76 expansion, and current income guidelines. The benefit formula reproduces official state examples (Jane Smith, Honey Child Care) exactly.

Next Steps

To auto-fix issues: /fix-pr 7769