Verify Kentucky K-TAP November 2025 payment maximum reduction against regulatory source

[hua7450]

Summary

The K-TAP payment maximum table (policyengine_us/parameters/gov/states/ky/dcbs/ktap/benefit/payment_maximum.yaml) was updated with a 2025-11-01 entry that reduces benefits to roughly 65% of the 2023 amounts (e.g., size 2: $450 → $293). The current source is the KY FACES web application, not a regulatory instrument.

The file already includes this NOTE:

# NOTE: Nov 2025 values are sourced from the KY FACES state web application,
# not a regulatory instrument (KAR amendment or administrative order).
# The KY FACES table uses "Number of Children" while the KAR regulation uses
# "Number of Eligible Persons." FACES "Number of Children" values are mapped
# directly to assistance unit size (e.g., 1 child = size 1). This mapping
# should be verified when the official regulatory source becomes available.

Evidence the values may be wrong

Comparing PE-US output against the NCCP Welfare Rules Database snapshot for a 2-person household (1 adult + 1 child, $0 income) at 2026-01:

Source	Size 2 monthly	Notes
PE-US master	$293	New 2025-11-01 KY FACES value
NCCP WRD	$450	Matches the 2023-02-16 KAR value

NCCP doesn't yet reflect the November 2025 reduction either, so this is not by itself evidence of a PE-US bug — but together with the explicit NOTE in the file, it warrants verification.

Action items

1. Find a regulatory source (KAR amendment, CHFS administrative order, or state legislative action) confirming the November 2025 reduction.
2. Verify the FACES "Number of Children" → assistance unit size mapping. The KAR uses "Number of Eligible Persons" — these may not be 1-to-1 (e.g., a parent + 1 child is 2 "eligible persons" but 1 child).
3. If the regulatory source uses a different mapping, restate the 2025-11-01 entries against the correct size axis.
4. If no regulatory source exists, document whether the FACES values are authoritative for benefit calculation.

Files affected

• policyengine_us/parameters/gov/states/ky/dcbs/ktap/benefit/payment_maximum.yaml — Nov 2025 column
• policyengine_us/parameters/gov/states/ky/dcbs/ktap/benefit/standard_of_need.yaml — confirm this remains unchanged (per existing note)