A C S State and Local Solutions

Child Care Services

Standard Operating Procedures*

*Note: Arbor Standard Operating Procedures are set forth as a guide for CCS programs and therefore subject tochange based on Local Workforce Development Board policies, Texas Workforce Commission policies, and local project staffing.

Table of Contents

Section 1: Overview...... 4

Section 1.2: CCS Contractual Requirements...... 5

Section 2: Client Services…...... ……..……………………………………………...…...6

Section 2.1: Choosing Child Care……………………….…………………...………..….….....6

Section 2.2: Child Protective Services………….……………………………...……………..…. …..7

Section 2.3: Enrollment of Workforce Referral for Child Care...…………………………….……… ..…….….8

Section 2.4: Continuation or Discontinuation of Child Care…………….…………………… ………………………..9

Section 2.5: Workforce Referrals for Continued Child Care Services…………………… ………………………..10

Section 2.6: Workforce Referrals Immediate Discontinue of Child Care Services……… ………………………..11

Section 2.7: Teen Parents………...... ………………………..11

Section 2.8: Defenition of a Parents………...... ………………………..12

Section 2.9: Household Income Calculations ………...... ………………………..13

Section 2.10: Child Care Parent Fee Calculations………...... ………………………..14

Section 2.11: Compliance with Parent Responsibility Agreement: Sanctions and Good Cause ………………..17

Section 2.12: Status Change………...... ………………………..19

Section 2.13: Notice of Termination of Child Care Services………...………………………..19

Section 2.14: Non-Payment of Parent Fees………...... ………………………..20

Section 2.15: Child Support Documentation………...... ………………………..21

Section 2.16: Parents Who are Incarcerated………...... ………………………..22

Section 2.17: Court Ordered Visits………...... ………………………..22

Section 2.18: PostSecondary School Verification………...... ………………………..23

Section 2.19: Eligible Self-Arranged Care Providers and Billing Process……… ………………………..24

Section 2.20: File Maintenance………...... ………………………..26

Section 2.21: Timely Data Entry………...... ………………………..27

Section 2.22: Fraud and Abuse ………...... ………………………..27

Section 2.22: Appeals Process for Clients ……...... ………………………..28

Section 3: Provider Management...... 29

Section 3.1: Recruiting New Providers...... 29

Section 3.2: Enrolling New Providers...... 30

Section 3.3: Enrolling Texas Rising Star Providers...... 30

Section 3.4: Annual Renewal of the Provider Agreement...... 31

Section 3.5: Application after Cancellation of Provider Agreement...... 32

Section 3.6: Amendment of the Provider Agreement...... 32

Section 3.7: Providers on Corrective Action...... 33

Section 3.8: Appeal Process for Providers...... 33

Section 3.9: Reporting Parent Fees and Absences...... 34

Section 3.10: Procedure for Stop Intake/Notification...... 34

Section 3.11: Training and Technical Assistance...... 36

Section 3.12: Quality Improvement Activities...... 36

Section 3.13: File Maintenance...... 37

Section 3.14: First Enrollment Contact...... 39

Section 3.15: Child Care Licensing Abuse/Neglect Complaint Investigations...... 39

Section 3.16: Service Improvement Agreements...... 40

Section 3.17: Monitoring Visits...... 41

Section 3.18: Monitoring and Technical Assistance for Texas Rising Star Providers.....42

Section 3.19: Children with Disabilities...... 42

Section 3.20: Complaint Process...... 43

Section 4: Financial Management...... 44

Section 4.1 A/P Billing Files…………………………………………...…...... …….…..….44

Section 4.2: 2455/2455A Review Process...……………………………………….……...…..44

Section 4.3: Preventing Possible LIRS....…. ……………………………………..…………..45

Section 4.4: Checking the Contact Log...... …………………………………….…………..45

Section 4.5: Processing Provider Service Delivery Reports ………………………………...…….....46

Section 4.6: Preparing Check Proofs and Dummy Checks..………………………….…...….46

Section 4.7: Correcting Incorrect Claims before Generating Checks………………..………...47

Section 4.8: Correcting Incorrect Claims after Generating Checks………………….….……..47

Section 4.9: Self Arranged Care Income Report...…………..……………...………...………49

Section 4.10: Recoupment Process ...... …………..……………...………...………49

Section 4.11:Recoupment/Appeal Request Form...... …………..……………...………...………54

Section 4.12: Adjustment Request Form...... ……………………………….…..……...……..54

Section 4.13: Cycle Deadlines...... ………………………………………..………………….54

Section 4.14: Lost Check ...... ……....………………………………………………...……...55

Section 4.15: Stale Check ...... ……....………………………………………………...……...55

Section 4.16: Provider Recoupment Board Payment ...... ……....…………………………..……...55

Section 4.17: Printing Attendance Sheets...... …………………………………….…………..55

Section 4.18: Mailing Attendance Sheets...... ………………………………………………...56

Section 4.19: Attendance Sheets Tracking Logs...... ………………………………………...... 56

Section 4.20: Funds Utilization Report...... ……..…………………………….….…….…..….56

Section 4.21: FY Projections...... …………………………………………………..……….57

Section 4.22: Reconciliation...... …………………………………………………..……….57

Section 4.23: Process for Running Checks...... …………………………………….…..….…57

Section 4.24: Generating the 2016...... ………………………………………….…….……..57

Section 4.25 Uploading 2016 to TWC...... ………………………………………..……..…..58

Section 4.26: Downloading 2016 to TWC...... ……………………………………..….….…..58

Section 4.27: Identifying FMS Responsible for Each LIR...... ….……….….…..59

Section 4.28: FMS LIR Responsibilities...... ……………………………….…….…….…….59

Section 4.29 Reviewing LIRS in CCS and Budget and Payment Application (BAPA)...... ……………..…….…….….….59

Section 4.30: Cumulative LIR Spreadsheet...... ……………………..………….…….….…...60

Section 4.31. LIR Explanations...... ………………………..……………….….…….….…....60

SECTION

Overview

Section 1.1

This section describes the overall objectives of Child Care Services and is an important foundation for all staff and their daily activities when providing excellent service to our most valued customers, the children and their families. Each of the descriptions of responsibilities for the department takes into consideration these overall goals and objectives.

The goals of Child Care Services (CCS) are to:

Provide child care to enable low-income parent to work or attend training for work and achieve or maintain independence from public assistance,

Support the physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development of children,

Promote parental choice to empower working parents to make their own decisions on the child care that best suits their families’ needs,

Promote consumer education to help parents make informed choices about child care,

Provide child care to help prevent abuse and neglected children.

The purpose of Child Care Services is to increase the availability, affordability, and quality of child care services by:

Providing low-income families with the financial resources to find and afford quality child care for their children,

Enhance the quality and increase the supply of child care for all families, including those not in Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) subsidized child care,

Provide parents with a broad range of options in addressing their child care needs,

Strengthen the role of the family,

Improve the quality of, and coordination among, child care and early childhood development programs, and

Increase the availability of early childhood development and school-age child care services.

The objectives of Child Care Services programs are:

To offer families an expanded choice of accessible child care arrangements

To offer families an identifiable source of child care and assistance

To assure greater opportunities for broad range of child care providers, including licensed centers and day camps, licensed group day homes, registered family homes, relatives, and sectarian organizations, to participate in the delivery of TWC- subsidized child care,

To reduce provider’s paper work and make timely payments,

To promote training resources for the professional development of the child care and industry’s workforce,

To provide local communities a focal point for the coordinated planning and delivery of child care services,

To provide services that meet the changing needs of the recipient families, especially ensuring uninterrupted services (continuity of care) to families and providers, to the extent statutorily possible,

To administer and manage child care and development funds responsibly, efficiently and effectively to ensure those statutory requirements are met and adequate about the use of public funds is provided.

Section 1.2

CCS CONTRACTUALREQUIREMENTS

As stated in the Texas Workforce Commission guidelines:

The Child Care Services contractor pays providers who offer child care to CCS referred children, a reimbursement rate based on the provider’s published rates and provider’s fees that have been approved.

The provider’s CCS reimbursement rate is a daily rate.

The provider’s published rates are subject to verification by the CCS contractor or TWC.

CCS Provider Payments

The CCS contractor must reimburse child care providers for services provided according to the procedures and timeframes specified by TWC in the CCS Child Care Rules and the Local Workforce Development Board’s (WDB) directives.

SECTION

Client Services

Section 2.1

CHOOSING CHILD CARE

The procedures in assisting parents in choosing suitable child care to meet their needs are:

Child Care Advisor will assist parents in choosing child care by giving parents enough information to make a choice among the different types of child care services available to them. These choices include facilities that may be licensed or registered by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (TDFPS) Child Care Licensing Division and may or may not have a signed Child Care Services (CCS) Provider Agreement. They include the following:

Child Care Centers
Registered Homes
Family Group Homes
Self-Arranged Relative Child Care

During the interview with the parent, the Child Care Advisor will gather pertinent information to determine parental needs such as the following:

Date that child care is needed.
The number of children needing child care.
Ages of the children needing child care.
Inquiring about any disabilities or other special needs that the child requires.
Hours and days care is needed.

Child Care Advisor offers parents a choice between self-arranged child care and CCS provider care. The Advisor is responsible for explaining the difference between both options to the parents. When discussing the child care options, the Advisor must include the following:

Parent choice of providers.
Identify the needs of both parent and child.
Advise parents of minimum standards that CCS providers must follow.
Notify parents of CCS provider holidays.
Advise parents of their rights and responsibilities of choosing child care.
Encourage the parents to visit the facilities before choosing a provider.

If the parent chooses to have his/her child with a CCS provider, the Advisor will provide the parent with a list of available CCS providers. Important features that are identified on the CCS provider list are provider names, addresses, telephone numbers, days and hours of operation, transportation services, whether or not they accept part week care and if the facility is a * Texas Rising Star.

FORMS: Forms used are subject to local area policy

Child Care Service Provider List
Child Care Services Consumer Guide

Section 2.2

CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES

The purpose is to provide child care services for Texas Department of Family and Protective Services-Child Protective Services (CPS) referrals.

Child Protective Services – Service Authorization (Form 2054) is emailed to both the Operations Manager and the Lead Child Care Advisor along with the Day Care Form, Violations Found and email containing the Program Director’s approval.

CPS referrals are assigned to the Lead Child Care Advisor.

Lead Child Care Advisor has 24 hours to contact the clientprovider and authorize care. Care may be authorized on or after the “Begin Date” on the Form 2054,

Lead Child Care Advisor must ensure that the child or children are funded correctly by using the information provided on the “Service” section of the Form 2054.

Lead Child Care Advisor will authorize care (days and hours) according to the information provided on the Day Care Form.

Lead Child Care Advisor will authorize child care at the facility identified on the Form 2054 and Day Care Form only.

Lead Child Care Advisor must ensure that the facility is a Texas Rising Star. Non-TRS facilities must include a TDFPS waiver and/or PD Approval with the Service Authorization.

Lead Child Care Advisor will contact the CPS worker immediately if the client requests a different facility, a transfer or the provider does not meet the child’s needs.

Lead Child Care Advisor must ensure that the Parent Acknowledgement of Rights and Responsibilities form is mailed out and returned within 12 days.

Lead Child Care Advisor must mail out Form 2450 to provider within 3 days of authorizing care.

Lead Child Care Advisor must data enter case information within 3 days of authorization or update.

FORMS: Forms used are subject to local area policy

2054 – Child Protective Services – Services Authorization
Day Care Form
Waiver for Non-Texas Rising Star Facilities (if applicable)
Form 2400 – Parent Agreement for Child Care Services
Form 2450 – Authorization or Discontinuation to Child Care Provider

Section 2.3

ENROLLMENT OF WORK FORCE REFERRALS FOR CHILD CARE

The purpose is to authorize and to continue Child Care Services for Workforce referral customers.

WorkforceCenterstaff submits Form 2510 to CCS for authorization of Choices/WIA/FSE&T child care.

Child Care Advisor receives the Form 2510, the parent has 5 workdays to contact CCS.

Once contact has been made child care options are discussed.

Child Care Advisor also informs the parent of the rights and responsibilities of participating in CCS funded child care.

If the customer contacts the Child Care Advisor within the allowed 5 workdays, the Child Care Advisor will:

Initiate and complete the enrollment process.
Request Form 2510 to discontinue from the Workforce Center Staff if the parent does not contact the Child Care Advisor within the allowed 5 workdays.
Should the Workforce Center Staff determine that child care must still be authorized; a new Form 2510 must be submitted to the Child Care Advisor.

Once enrolled, if the customer fails to fully participate (ex. Non-return of paperwork and/or excessive absences) the Child Care Advisor will:
Terminate child care services if the parent fails to return eligibility forms/documentation timely.
Terminate child care services on the 5th day if the parent fails to take the child to the daycare for 5 consecutive days and without notification.
Terminate child care services once the child reaches 30 absences within the anniversary period and at least 20 of those absences are not due to illnesses.
Terminate child care services on the Redetermination End Date on the current form Form 2510 if the Workforce Center Staff fails to provide CCS with an updated form Form 2510.

If the Workforce Center Staff determines that care will end, the Child Care Advisor will receive a Form 2510 to discontinue from the Workforce Center Staff. The Workforce Center Staff will notify the parent that CCS funded child care services will end on the date stated on the Form 2510. The Child Care Advisor will notify the child care provider of the child care end date.

a. The Child Care Advisor will generate and mail a Form 2450 or

2450A to the child care provider notifying of the termination date.

b. The Child Care Advisor will call the CCS provider and advise them

of the termination date and ending co-pay, if applicable.

FORMS: Forms used are subject to local area policy

Form 2510 – Authorization of Choices Child Care

Form 2450 – Authorization of Child Care to Child Care Provider

Form 2450-A – Authorization of Child Care to SACC Child Care Relative

Form 1034 – Self Arranged Child Care Provider Information

Form W-9 – Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification

Copy of valid Texas Identification or Driver’s License and Signed Social Security Card

Section 2.4

CONTINUATION OR DISCONTINUATION OF CHILD CARE

The purpose is to continue or discontinue Child Care Services for Choices, WIA, and FSE&T (re-certifications).

Child Care Advisor will update the system and paperwork for Workforce Referral cases that are up for recertification and Form 2510 is received on or before the eligibility re-determination end date. The Child Care Advisor will:

Contact the customer and provider and notify them of the update and any changes in child care services as per Form 2510.

Provide the parent with the necessary forms and allow them 12 days to return to CCS.

Generate and mail Form 2450 or 2450A to the child care provider notifying them of the continuation of child care services.

Discontinue child care services if the forms are not received by the due date.

Generate and mail a Form 2450 or 2450A to the child care provider notifying them of the termination date.

If the Child Care Advisor does not receive an updated Form 2510 for Choices, WIA, and FSE&T customers from the Workforce center staff on the eligibility re-determination end date, the Child Care Advisor will discontinue child care services on the same day.

a.The Child Care Advisor will generate and mail a Form 2450 or 2450A to the child care provider notifying them of the termination date.

b. The Child Care Advisor will call the provider and advise them of the termination date and ending co-pay (if applicable).

FORMS: Forms used are subject to local area policy

Form 2510 – Authorization of Choices Child Care

Form 2450 – Authorization of Child Care to Child Care Provider

Form 2450-A – Authorization of Child Care to SACC Child Care Relative

Form 1034 – Self Arranged Child Care Provider Information

Form W-9 – Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification

Copy of valid Texas Identification or Driver’s License and Signed Social Security Card

Section 2.5

WORKFORCE REFERRALS FOR CONTINUED CHILD CARE SERVICES

The purpose is to determine if parents continue to be eligible for child care services under a different fund source.

If the Child Care Advisor receives a Form 2510 – Discontinue Child Care-Child Care Contractor Determines Eligibility for Continued Care, Child Care Advisor will:

a.Mail Forms 2052/1071 to the parent notifying them that they are no longer eligible for Choices/FSE&T/WIA child care and they need to contact CCS within 15 days in order to determine whether child care services will continue or not.

b.Child Care Advisor will:

Extend the 15 days in the automated system to reflect the 15 days on the Forms 2052/1071.
Generate a Form 2450 and send to the provider advising them of the 15 days.
If the parent contacts the Child Care Advisor within the 15 days, the Child Care Advisor will determine eligibility.
Informs the parent of their rights and responsibilities of participating in CCS funded child care, if determined eligible.
Update the system reflecting the information on Form 2050 and change the funding to the corresponding fund code, if the parent is determined to be eligible.
Discontinue child care services immediately, if the parent is determined to be ineligible.
Discontinue the child care services on the 15th day, if the parent does not contact CCS within the allowed 15 days.
Generate and mail Forms 2450 or 2450A to the child care provider notifying them of the termination date.
Call the CCS provider and advise them of the termination date and ending co-pay (if applicable).

FORMS: Forms used are subject to local area policy