Source: https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/1507905019
Timestamp: 2018-07-21 23:00:06
Document Index: 262512216

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 402', '§ 402', '§ 72', '§ 72', '§ 402', '§ 402', '§ 402', '§ 402', '§ 404', '§ 72', '§ 72', '§ 404', '§ 402', '§ 404', '§ 161', '§ 404']

SSA - POMS: PR 07905.019 - Kansas - 09/27/2011
PR 07905.019 Kansas
A. PR 11-157 Request for Legal Opinion on Determining the Educational Status of Eby Learning Center in Newton, Kansas
The Eby Learning Center (Eby), located in Newton, Kansas, is a public school in the Newton School District. Eby provides secondary education in compliance with Kansas law and is, therefore, an educational institution for SSA purposes.
You have requested a legal opinion regarding whether Eby Learning Center (Eby) in Newton, Kansas, is an “educational institution” within the meaning of section 202(d)(7) of the Social Security Act (the Act), 42 U.S.C. § 402(d)(7). You also asked whether Michael P~, a student at Eby, qualified as a full-time student under the Act. Based on the information you have provided, Eby’s and the Kansas State Department of Education’s websites, and information from an Eby employee, we conclude that Eby qualifies as an educational institution within the meaning of the Kansas education statutes and 42 U.S.C. § 402(d)(7), and that Mr. P~ qualified as a full-time student under the Act through May 25, 2011.
The materials you provided indicate that Mr. P~ received child’s insurance benefits until he turned 18 on April 12, 2011. On April 18, 2011, Eby’s principal – Vicki R~ – certified on Mr. P~’s SSA-1372 that he enrolled at Eby on April 4, 2011, that he attended Eby for 35 hours a week while enrolled, and that Ms. R~ anticipated that he would graduate on May 26, 2011. Ms. R~ also certified that Eby’s course of study was at least 13 weeks in duration, that Eby operated on a quarterly or semester basis, that Eby did not require reenrollment, and that Eby’s school year ended on May 25, 2011.
It appears that there are two Eby Learning Centers in Newton, Kansas: “Eby Learning Center I” (Eby I) and “Eby Learning Center II” (Eby II). See http://online.ksde.org/rcard/list_schools.aspx?org_no=D0373 (last visited Sept. 15, 2011). Additional information from Eby’s website indicates that the school is part of Newton Public Schools (Unified School District #373), and is located on the United Methodist Youthville (Youthville) campus. See http://www.newton.k12.ks.us/sch/eby/ (last visited Sept. 15, 2011).
I contacted Regina B~, Eby’s secretary, for some additional information about the school. Ms. B~ indicated that Eby is an accredited public school operated by the Newton School District. She stated that the school is not associated with Youthville, but uses one of Youthville’s buildings. The Newton School District employs all of Eby’s teachers. Ms. B~ stated that there is “no real difference” between Eby I and Eby II, but she believed that Eby I was the high school (grades 9 through 12), and that Eby II was the middle school (grades 2 through 8).
Ms. B~ told me that Eby is a “special day school” that provides education for grades 2 through 12 pursuant to individualized education plans (IEPs). Under Kansas law, IEPs are written statements that are developed to provide an educational plan for exceptional children. See Kan. Stat. Ann. §§ 72-962(r), 72-987. Kansas law defines “exceptional” children to include “persons who are children with disabilities or gifted children and are school age.” See Kan. Stat. Ann. § 72-962(g).
Most of Eby students are taught in a traditional classroom setting. Some of Eby’s students participate in virtual prescriptive learning (VPL) classes instead of traditional classes. In VPL classes, Eby requires students to be present at the school from 8:00 a.m. to 3:20 p.m., but allows the students to work on lessons at their own pace. Teachers are available during VPL classes to provide assistance and instruction. Ms. B~ stated that when a student completes all of Eby’s requirements, the student is awarded a high school diploma from Newton High School.
Section 202(d) of the Social Security Act provides that child’s insurance benefits usually terminate when the child attains age 18. See 42 U.S.C. § 402(d)(6) and (7). Entitlement to child’s benefits may continue, however, if (among other things) the child “was a full-time elementary or secondary student and had not attained the age of 19.” See 42 U.S.C. § 402(d)(1). A full-time elementary or secondary student is defined as “an individual who is in full-time attendance as a student at an elementary or secondary school, as determined by the [Commissioner] (in accordance with regulations prescribed by [him]) in the light of the standards and practices of the schools involved . . . .” 42 U.S.C. § 402(d)(7)(A). An elementary or secondary school is defined as “a school which provides elementary or secondary education, respectively, as determined under the law of the State or other jurisdiction in which it is located.” 42 U.S.C. § 402(d)(7)(C)(i).
The first issue is whether Eby qualifies as an educational institution under Kansas law. See 20 C.F.R. § 404.367(a) (2011); Program Operations Manual System (POMS) RS 00205.200.A. As defined in Kansas’s statutes relating to schools, a “public school” is a “school operated by a unified school district organized under the laws of [Kansas],” and a “secondary school” is a “nonprofit institutional day or residential school that offers instruction in any or all of the grades nine through 12.” See Kan. Stat. Ann. § 72-962(y) (Special Education for Exceptional Children Act), 72-89a01 (Weapon-Free Schools Act).
As discussed above, Kansas’s Unified School District 373 operates Eby, and the school offers instruction for grades 9 through 12. Eby is also accredited by the Kansas State Department of Education. See http://online.ksde.org/rcard/building.aspx?org_no=D0373&bldg_no=4818http://online.ksde.org/rcard/building.aspx?org_no=D0373&bldg_no=4817 (last visited Sept. 15, 2011); (last visited Sept. 15, 2011). Consequently, we believe that Eby is a public, secondary school under Kansas law, and can be considered to be an educational institution. See also POMS RS 00205.250.B.A (the agency assumes that public high and junior-high schools are educational institutions). Although Mr. P~ may participate in an IEP or VPL classes, Kansas’s Special Education for Exceptional Children Act, Kan. Stat. Ann. § 72-961 et al., authorizes public school districts to educate children using those means.
A second issue is whether Mr. P~ was a full-time student through May 25, 2011. In order to be “full-time,” a student must spend at least 20 hours a week attending a course that lasts at least 13 weeks. See 20 C.F.R. § 404.367(c). As discussed above, Ms. R~ certified that Mr. P~ attended Eby for 35 hours per week, and that Eby’s course of study lasted at least 13 weeks. Although it appears that Mr. P~ attended Eby for less than 8 weeks, POMS RS 00205.315.B provides that a student who attends any portion of a 13-week course meets the durational requirement, and that students are not required to attend the entire duration of the course.
Conclusion Based on all of the above, we believe that Eby qualifies as an educational institution within the meaning of the Kansas education statutes and 42 U.S.C. § 402(d)(7). We also believe that Mr. P~ qualified as a full-time student under the Act through May 25, 2011.
By_______
Blakely J. P~
Virtual schools approved by the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) provide education in compliance with Kansas law and are, therefore, educational institutions for SSA purposes. A list of KSDE-approved virtual schools is available here . If a student attends a virtual school that is not on this list, do not assume the school is an educational institution for SSA purposes. Instead, determine whether the student meets the state's home school requirements. For instructions about home school requirements in Kansas, see PR 08005.019.
As noted in our previous opinion, a student using the MoVIP for all or a portion of his schooling may clearly be a full-time student under SSA regulations. See, e.g., Chris H~, "MoVip off to a smooth start," Southeast Missourian (August 27, 2007), available at http://www.semissourian.com/story/1249300.html (students describing using MoVIP for a portion of schooling). As previously noted, a MoVIP student is attending an educational institution in accordance with the laws of the state of Missouri. See 20 C.F.R. § 404.367(a)(2). See also POMS RS 00205.285 ("Independent study programs are run by local education agencies . . . in accordance with specific State law requirements, and the credits earned count toward high school graduation. The programs involve periodic teacher contact, direction, and testing on campus, with the student making academic progress generally through independent study at home."). A student attending MoVIP for all of her schooling is considered by the state to be full-time if she carries "the instructional equivalent of six credits per term." Mo. Rev. Stat. § 161.670.2. Therefore, in order to meet the state standard, the factfinder will have to assess whether the student is receiving the required six credits. The student must also be attending the school 20 hours per week. See 20 C.F.R. § 404.367(b) (2007). Because of the demands of obtaining 6 credits, it appears likely that any MoVIP student will also be receiving the required 20 hours of instruction if she is taking the required 6 credits, but both the regulations and POMS state that such an analysis must be undertaken.
C. PR 06-031 Request for Legal Opinion on Entitlement of Student Benefits for a Child Residing in the State of Kansas - (Word of Life Traditional School)
http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/1507905019
PR 07905.019 - Kansas - 09/27/2011
Batch run: 09/27/2011