(A) The department of job and family services shall prescribe an application form for use in making eligibility determinations for publicly funded child care. The form shall be as brief and simple as practicable.

(B) In administering the process of applying for publicly funded child care, the county department of job and family services shall implement policies designed to ensure that the application process is as accessible to the public as possible. These policies shall include making the application forms available at appropriate locations selected by the county department and making arrangements that enable applicants to complete the application process at times outside their normal working hours, and at locations, convenient for them. The arrangements may include stationing certain of their employees at various sites in the county for the purpose of assisting applicants in completing the application process and of making eligibility determinations at those locations. The arrangements may also include providing training and technical assistance to appropriate entities that qualify them to provide assistance in completing the application process and, to the extent permitted by federal law, to make eligibility determinations.

Each county department of job and family services shall submit to the department of job and family services for approval its plan for ensuring that the application process is as accessible to the public as possible and complies with this division. The county department shall make any changes to its plan that the department determines are necessary for compliance with this division and with any state standards adopted for the administration of this division.