Archives: Lessons

Attendance at one of our Face-to-Face Training Days is REQUIRED in order to receive credit for this course. Mark your calendars now.

If you need to reach us on the day of the face-to-face training, call Christine at (859) 519-0401. If you have any other questions about course content, contact Julie.

For face to face day, please plan to bring:

• A laptop and its power cord. Wifi will be provided in the training space.
• Login information for your WordPress website
• Your budgeting sheet (you will create and submit for feedback as part of the prework). Also login credentials for your webhost, any paid plugins you plan to use, and any paid themes you plan to use – we’ll walk you through figuring this stuff out as part of your prework.
• Your Style Guide Document (you will create and submit for feedback as part of the prework)
• Training Plan outline (you will create and submit for feedback as part of the prework)

If you are using a different LMS option, please use google to find the documentation for that LMS.

This is the second of three separate assignments, it must be submitted and approved before you proceed to the next assignment.

In Part 1 of this course, we talked about the importance of the look and feel of your courses, and creating a style guide. Now, it’s time for you to create a style guide for yourself. This will let you focus on content instead of style when we are together.

Use canva, word, or freestyle in any program you like using the rubric below. There are examples and blank templates for Canva and Word.

Example Style Guide made with Canva

Example Style Guide made in Word

Canva Template to Edit

Word Template to Edit

This is the first of three separate assignments, each one must be submitted and approved before you proceed to the next one.

User Guides and Tip Sheets

Glossary

What’s that abbreviation stand for again? Here’s a list for you.

• CCAP – Child Care Assistance Program
• DCC – Division of Child Care 
• DRCC – Division of Regulated Child Care
• FPG – Federal Poverty Guidelines
• IEES – Integrated Electronic Eligibility System
• IPV – Intentional Program Violation
• KICCS – Kentucky Integrated Child Care System
• KOG – Kentucky Online Gateway
• KTAP – Kentucky Transitional Assistance Program
• PBF – Provider Billing Form
• PPA – Pay Period Adjustments
• SMI –  State Median Income

Lions and Tigers and Forms, Oh My!

(List of all the mentioned forms in the course)

• DCC-93 Authorization for Electronic Deposit form
• DCC-94 Child Care Service Agreement and Certificate
• DCC-94.1 Child Care Change Notice
• DCC-94B Licensed or Certified Provider Agreement Form
• DCC-94C Provider Notification Letter
• DCC-94E Child Care Daily Attendance Record
• DCC-97 Provider Billing Form
• DCC-97 Remittance Report
• DCC-300 Kentucky Child Care Maximum Payment Rate Chart

Complete the Course Evaluation

Congratulations, you have made it through all of the content in Provider CCAP Billing Basics (July 2022)!

You will receive 1 clock hour of credit in ECE-TRIS within 10 days of the completion of this course.

Don’t forget to print the course certificate for your records, and check your email for a Quick Reference Sheet!

The Division of Child Care (DCC), Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), Claims Section is responsible for childcare provider claims. All references to the claims policies and procedures are found in 922 KAR 2:020.

What is a claim?

Claims result from an improper payment.  The purpose of a claim is to collect the amount that was overpaid. Overpayment results from an action or inaction on the part of the child care provider, including failure to report a change in circumstance in accordance with 922 KAR 2:160, Section 11 or an agency error that provided the child care provider with an overpayment. (922 KAR 2:020, Section 2).

Reasons for claim establishment

• Falsification of information on DCC-94E Child Care Daily Attendance Record shall lead to a claim. All child care providers (licensed, certified and registered) are responsible for reporting the attendance of each child who receives CCAP. The attendance is reported on the regulated DCC-94E form (922 KAR 2:160).
• Falsification of information reported on the DCC-97 Child Care Provider Billing Form (PBF) shall result in a claim. Child care providers submit payment for CCAP using the Provider Billing Form; DCC-97.

Claim Determination can be made by, but not limited to:

• Auditing of the DCC-94E for fraudulent activity or erroneous errors. 
• Attendance reported on the 94E form that should be recorded legibly each time the child arrives and each time the child departs the provider’s care and signed by the parent or applicant for the child served by CCAP (922 KAR 2:160).  The 94E forms should be consistent with the billing forms/KICCS.
• DCC-94E inconsistencies such as:
  • Days billed, but not reflected on the 94E,
• Arrival and departure times for each child not recorded on the State approved the regulated DCC-94E, Child Care Daily Attendance Record, and
  • Missing legible parent weekly signatures and/or no provider signature at the bottom of the DCC-94E.

Notification from the Billing Team

• The CCAP Billing section notifies the claims section of payment errors. 
• Child Care providers may contact the billing section when they discover inadvertent payment errors. “Inadvertent error claim” means an overpayment resulting from misunderstanding or unintended error on the part of a recipient or a child care provider (922 KAR 2:020).

Random selection of Child Care Providers’ Attendance Report

• Every month a CCAP attendance report is generated through the state-approved child care eligibility system which, generates lists of active child care providers requesting payment for CCAP children’s attendance. A random audit of attendance records is completed for child care providers from this report.

OIG Referral Line

• If the cabinet has sufficient documentary evidence to confirm that a recipient or child care provider has committed an Intentional Program Violation (IPV), the cabinet shall refer the case to the cabinet’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) for investigation or referral for prosecution if warranted by the facts of the case  (922 KAR 2:020).
• “Intentional Program Violation” or “IPV” means a CCAP recipient or child care provider has intentionally: (a) Made a false or misleading statement; or (b) Misrepresented, concealed, or withheld facts”).

Remittance Statements

A Remittance statement serves as a detailed receipt for CCAP payments. Remittance statements are available the day after the PBF has been processed by payment staff. Portal users can print their remittance statement from the Provider Portal after the PBF has been processed. Each Monday, DCC will print and mail non-portal users the remittance statement for payments processed the prior week. It is advised to print the remittance statement and keep for your records for tax and bookkeeping purposes. DCC is unable to print and send remittance statements for the year as they are made available to each provider.

The remittance statement provides:

• Detailed payment amount for each child
• Allows the provider to review the information and determine if the payment amounts are correct

In the event of incorrect payments, the provider must contact CCAPProviderPayments@ky.gov within ninety (90) calendar days after the month care was provided.  Kentucky Administrative Regulations state that payment adjustments will not be made ninety (90) calendar days after the month care was provided. 

Find a tip sheet for Printing the Remittance here:
https://chfs.ky.gov/agencies/dcbs/dcc/Pages/kiccsportal.aspx

Prior Period Adjustments (PPA)

A Prior Period Adjustment (PPA) is the process used by DCC billing staff, under certain circumstances, to correct a billing issue.  A PPA can only be used if the child has received payments in previous months.  Per Kentucky Administrative Regulations, (922.KAR 2:160, 17(g)) payments or adjustments cannot be made to the payment ninety (90) days after the month care was provided. 

Enrollment Fees

Enrollment fees can be paid for KTAP or Child Care Protection cases approved by DCBS Family Support or DCBS Protection and Permanency. Enrollment fees are only paid for these two groups of recipients. 

The enrollment fee must be requested by the provider in writing to CCAPProviderPayments@ky.gov. Include the child’s name, case number, and the amount being requested.  Enrollment fees can only be paid once in a 12-month period and are limited to a family amount of $100 per year.

Overages vs Copays

 Overages vs Copays

An overage and a copay are 2 very different things.  An overage occurs when the provider charges more than the State Max rate for the area.  For example, a provider charges $30 per day but the State Max Rate is $25 per day.  This means there is a $5 per day overage that the parent is responsible for in addition to the assessed copay found on the child care certificate.  The copay is assessed and assigned to the family during the eligibility process and printed on the CCAP certificate.  DCC doesn’t become involved with overages.  An overage would be unique to each center and is a business responsibility of the provider.  DCC is also not involved in the process of collecting the copay.  It is the provider’s financial responsibility as a business owner to maintain the overage and copay collection. 

Overage Calculation Example

If a provider charges $50 per day for an infant and the State Max Rate is $40 per day, there is an overage of $10 per day.  CCAP/CHFS pays $40 per day and the parent pays the overage of $10 per day to equal $50 per day.  ($40+$10=$50)

If the provider charges $50 for an infant and the family has a $5 copay, and the State Max Rate is $40 then CCAP/CHFS pays $35 per day and the parent pays the $5 per day copay and the $10 per day overage for a daily parent responsibility of $15 per day.  ($35 + $5 +$10 =$50)

Tax Details

DCC doesn’t provide a 1099 for taxes. The Kentucky Finance & Administration Cabinet/ Department of Revenue send out 1099’s yearly. DCC is unable to print or reissue a 1099.

Contact KY Department of Revenue: (502) 564-4581 or https://revenue.ky.gov/Get-Help/Pages/Contact-Us.aspx or Department of Finance and Administration (502) 564-8639.

Intercepts

An intercept may occur on a CCAP reimbursement payment if funds are owed to another state agency. Generally, this applies to back taxes, educational loan defaults, or back child support owed. DCC is not involved in the intercept and cannot offer any details, except the amount that was intercepted. Questions may be directed to:

Common Questions

Accessing Provider Billing Forms

The DCC-97, Provider Billing Forms (PBF) are available on the first day of each month to cover the prior month’s CCAP enrollments.

A KICCS User Guide and a guide to process and print a PBF can be found on the Kentucky Integrated Child Care System Provider Portal Launch Site.

Blank Paper PBF

The form below is a blank paper DCC-97 form. Once generated and ready to mail, the form would include the children’s names and care schedule from the current certificate prefilled on the ‘Scheduled’ line.

Provider Portal PBF

The portal PBF below is filled out for May 2022 and is available to be submitted by the provider on June 1, 2022. The child’s care schedule from the DCC-94 certificate is prefilled on the ‘Scheduled’ line. The PBF shows the Care Level for the child which is determined by the child’s age and may change during the month if the birthday falls during that month. The Codes being paid either from the prefilled schedule, the provider exception line or both. The count which is the number of days being paid for each code. The Rate the provider charges per day for that care level and the copay rate. The form also has the daily calendar for billing for each day the child is scheduled to attend in the month of May with lines for Provider Exceptions and Worker (DCC staff) Exceptions. The exception codes are under the calendar boxes. Last, the Provider’s note box (for the provider to leave explanations of the exceptions) and the EAV Note box (for DCC staff to communicate with the provider).

Once a provider submits the PBF, either by mail or online, it goes into the KICCS portal for DCC staff to process. The system puts the PBFs in the portal according to the order in which they are received. This can be affected by the speed of the internet being used or the server processing the information-both of which are out of human control.

Once the provider has submitted the PBF, Kentucky Administrative Regulations and DCC CCAP Policy require that provider billing forms are processed by DCC staff within ten (10) business days of receipt.

Questions about Payment Timeframes

Providers that have inquiries about the timeframe for payment should reference KRS Chapter 45.453. Providers shall receive a payment within thirty (30) working days of processing the PBF, except when there are payment discrepancies in the payment amount billed and the amount owed to the provider. In these instances, the Cabinet is not held to the thirty (30) day period for payment.

Issuing Payments

Provider payments are issued in the form of a check unless the provider chooses to receive the payment as an electronic direct deposit. To set up direct deposit a provider must submit a DCC-93, Authorization for Electronic Deposit and a W9.  

A DCC-93 and W9 can be requested by contacting CCAPProviderPayments@ky.gov. If the DCC-93 is incomplete, it will be returned to the provider for completion.

How to fill out a Provider Billing Form

When a DCC-97 Provider Billing Form is received, either in the portal or in paper form, it will have the expected attendance/care schedule (found on the DCC-94 Licensed and Certified Enrollment Agreement Enrollment Certificate) prefilled on the Scheduled line.

The next line, for Provider Exceptions, is left blank.  Providers use the exception line to make needed changes to the prefilled schedule. If a child’s attendance is different from the expected prefilled schedule, the provider must enter the correct billing code to make the exception (change).

Find a tip sheet for Exception Codes and Flex Schedules here:
https://chfs.ky.gov/agencies/dcbs/dcc/Pages/kiccsportal.aspx

The billing codes are as follows:

• Codes 43, 45, 55 and 65 are based on the provider’s circumstance.
• Codes 40, 45, 50, and 60 are based on the child‘s circumstance.

The exception codes for each provider type are as follows: $=payable code

Enrollment vs Attendance PBF Coding

CCAP has been paying based on enrollment and not attendance since 12/1/22. There is currently a tentative end date for this initiative of 12/31/23.

This means that payments are based on the care schedule from the CCAP certificate. The care schedule is the hours and days per week a child is expected be in a child care program. Child absences using codes 40, 45, or 50 will NOT be recorded. The customary 5 absences per month do not apply when paying based on enrollment.

Providers will only need to use codes that affect the entire center’s attendance, such as code 43 (holiday) or 55 (to follow a code 60/65 or center is closed more than the allotted ten (10) holiday code 43s). Weather related closures will not be coded.

Exceptions to this rule are when the care schedule is incorrect on the certificate. In these cases, codes 1 and 2 can be used to correct an incorrect prefilled code.

The parent should also be advised to contact Family Support to have the care schedule corrected. This is a frequent issue with School Schedule enrollments. For example, the prefilled schedule is a 1 but the child’s actual schedule is part day. The provider will enter a 2 in the Provider Exception box.

Flex schedules will remain the same as if payment was based on attendance because the nature of the Flex schedule is that the provider fills in the child’s actual attendance.

Important Reminders:

• Provider Billing Forms (PBF) are ready for providers beginning the first day of the month.
• PBFs are processed by DCC Staff during normal business hours M-F 8am-4:30pm.  If the first falls on a weekend or a holiday processing will begin the first business day of the month.
• PBFs are processed by billing staff within ten (10) business days of receipt or being submitted in the portal.
• Providers shall receive payment within thirty (30) calendar days.
• If there is a claim, the PBF may be signed monthly to have the claim payment taken out of your payment.
• No payments or adjustments will be made ninety (90) or more days after the month care is provided.
• Using correct billing codes helps prevent overpayments.
• A provider may end an enrollment on a PBF using a code 60 or 65 followed by code 55. A code 60 will pay for the last day the child attended, and a code 65 will end an enrollment without payment.
• A code 43 is for HOLIDAY pay only.  If code 43 used even on one child during a billing cycle, the system picks it up and uses one of the center’s 10 holidays for the calendar year.  During the December billing cycle, providers frequently question why they are out of holidays and it is often because a child was coded incorrectly in a previous month.
• Never submit a blank PBF and leave a provider note with directions on how to code the PBF.  Coding the PBF is the provider’s responsibility.  If you have questions, contact CCAPProviderPayments@ky.gov.

A DCC-94E Child Care Daily Attendance Record is required for all providers (licensed, certified, and registered).

Each child’s name needs to be listed legibly on attendance records exactly as listed on the Provider Billing Form and certificate.

The parent, guardian, authorized representative, or center staff needs to record the actual time the child arrives and departs daily and initial. DO NOT record this information in advance.

To verify the accuracy of attendance, the parent/guardian, or authorized representative must sign the form at the end of each week. If the DCC-94E is not signed at the end of each week the CCAP funds may be recouped by DCC.

The PBF and sign-in and sign-out sheets should be compared to ensure the child’s attendance, absences, and holidays have been recorded and billed correctly. The DCC-94E Child Care Daily Attendance Record must be kept for 5 years for each child.

If the child’s enrollment is being discontinued for any reason during the 12-month certification period (before the end date on the certificate), a DCC-94C Provider Notification Letter will be generated. The effective date on the DCC-94C is the first day of non-payment.  If an enrollment does not have any changes, then the end date on the certificate serves as the notice and a DCC-94C will not be sent.  

A DCC-94C will be sent to the provider if a CCAP case ends because of a change in the case, making the family ineligible.

Parents frequently tell providers that the issue has been resolved. Unless a DCC 94.1: Notice of Change certificate has been received, it is best to contact CCAPProviderPayments@ky.gov to double check.

If the CCAP case does not have any changes that affect the end date of the 12-month eligibility period, the end date on the certificate serves as the provider’s notice of discontinuance. The effective date on the DCC-94C is the first day of non-payment.

Due to confidentiality, DCBS and DCC staff are not able to communicate the reason for the discontinuance with providers. Staff may only discuss the information that is on the certificate and the status of the case. Any other concerns or questions will require the parent to contact DCBS Family Support.

Kentucky Child Care Maximum Payment Rate Chart

The DCC-300: Kentucky Child Care Maximum Payment Rate Chart, details by county the max rate the state can pay per child based upon license type and age of the child. Rates are based on a full day, which is defined as care five (5) to eighteen (18) hours per day, or a part-day, which is defined as less than five (5) hours of care per day.   

The state of Kentucky does not mandate the rates a provider can charge.  Each provider can consult the DCC-300 when setting their rates but ultimately, may charge more or less than these rates.

Licensed or Certified Provider Agreement Form

Providers are encouraged to complete a DCC-94B, Licensed or Certified Provider Agreement Form, yearly.  The DCC- 94B allows providers to make any billing changes that may affect their CCAP payments. 

Incentive/Special Rates

Child Care centers may receive incentive or special rates.  This currently includes an extra $5 per day for accredited centers, $10 per day for centers with non-traditional hours of operation, and $5 per day for special needs child care. Any applicable incentive or special rates are added at the time of payment through the KICCS system and are not reflected on the State Max Rate DCC-300. The special rates above took effect beginning in August of 2022 and are funded in part by the American Rescue Plan Act; like all specialty rates, they are subject to change based on available funding.

Family Responsibilities

 Families are responsible for:

• Copay
• Registration fees
• Overages
• Activity fees
• Transportation fees
• Any other charges required by the provider not included in the daily rates

Payment Rate Codes

Payment rates are determined by the age of the child.

Schedules

There are three types of child care enrollment schedules.

The regular schedule and the school schedule are prefilled with codes on the PBF. The codes are prefilled according to the care schedule on the certificate. If the care schedule is wrong, then the payment will be wrong. Therefore, it is important to review the entire certificate with the parent when signing.

A flex schedule does NOT have the care schedule prefilled on the PBF because it is flexible and needs to be filled in by the provider per the child’s actual attendance. If a flex schedule is not coded by the provider upon submitting the PBF then payments cannot be made.

When a parent needs to make a change to the care schedule, it will need to be reported to Family Support as soon as the need is known. Changes to a care schedule are not retroactive therefore the payment will be incorrect if the parent waits until after the need to change occurred. These changes are common when a preschool child is moving to kindergarten. If a change is not reported timely incorrect payments are processed. This can result in underpayments or overpayments that will be recouped.

Notice of Change Certificate

Providers will receive the DCC-94 Notice of Change Child Care Service Agreement, if the copay increases/decreases, the child’s care schedule changes, or if any rate information changes.

No signatures are required, this is for information and record-keeping purposes only.

When child care enrollment is added to an approved CCAP case, a DCC-94 Child Care Service Agreement and Certificate will be sent to the parent and the provider through the provider portal (if the parent granted Provider Portal access during the interview process). The DCC-94 shows the child’s pending enrollment, along with other valuable information.

Please review certificates for:

• Child’s schedule
• State reimbursement rate
• Provider payment
• Family copay
• Start and end date of enrollment

Before signing the certificate

Before signing the certificate, discuss with the Parent:

• Enrollment start/end date
• Enrollment schedule
• Copay amount to be paid weekly
• Overage amounts (difference between the State Max Rate and what the center charges daily. Overages are not printed on the form as they are unique to each child care center)

If any of the information on the certificate is incorrect, DO NOT sign and return the certificate. When both parties sign and return the certificate, this means they are BOTH agreeing to the information on the certificate. It is the parent’s responsibility to contact Family Support for corrections to the certificate. DCC/CCAP staff cannot correct a certificate.

The certificate must be signed (not electronically) by the provider and client and returned to DCBS Family Support or uploaded to the Provider Portal within ten (10) calendar days of being generated. Payments cannot be made until the signed certificate is returned. It is the responsibility of the parent to make sure the certificate is returned.

DCC-97 Provider Billing Form

To receive a DCC-97 Provider Billing Form (PBF), or for a child to show up on a PBF in the portal, the DCC-94 Service Agreement and Certificate must be signed by the provider and parent then returned to the DCBS office or provider portal within ten (10) calendar days. Once returned a Family Support worker will change the enrollment from pending to active in the system. Changing the enrollment from pending to active will signal to the system to send out a DCC-117: Enrollment Approval Notice to the provider.

Return the ENTIRE 3-page Certificate by:

*Keeping a copy of all pages of the certificate for the provider’s records is useful if the certificate is lost in the mail or not all pages are received through the fax. Retaining a copy of the fax transmission sheet to guarantee number of pages faxed, date, and time faxed is also advisable.

Allowing children to begin receiving care without a signed certificate is a business decision the provider may make. Please remember, CCAP payments are not guaranteed until a certificate has been signed, returned to the DCBS office, and entered into the system (which completes the enrollment process) and a DCC 117 Provider Enrollment Approval Notice has been received.

Parent Copay

The parent is responsible for paying the family copay on a weekly basis.  It is important to not allow parents to fall behind in their copayment.  When a parent makes a request to change their child care provider enrollment, a ten (10) day notice (DCC-94C) is given to the current provider to ensure collection of any outstanding copayments.  This ten (10) day notice is built into the provider change process to protect the current provider and allow them time to collect any monies owed. 

CCAP Payments

There are 2 requirements that must be completed before a child care provider can receive a CCAP payment.

If approved for CCAP, the parent receives an approval notice, DCC-94.1 Child Care Approval Notice. This notice details the start date of approval, the eligible children, and the copay amount.

An approval notice does not mean enrollment has been added to the case. It means that enrollment CAN be added. A CCAP case can be approved but not have an enrollment added which prevents the provider from being paid.  

It is the parent’s responsibility to communicate their child care provider choice, start date, and needed care schedule with the Family Support office.  They can do this during the application process, report online in the KYNECT portal, or contact the Family Support office.

Once Family Support receives this information, they will enter it into the system generating the enrollment certificate.

Provider Portal for Billing Submissions

Providers are advised to open a Kentucky Integrated Child Care System (KICCS) Provider Portal account through the Kentucky Online Gateway (KOG) system.

Access to the Provider Portal is necessary for many actions required by licensing and makes submitting CCAP Provider Billing Forms easier.

Please complete the form below. If you mark “no” credit for completion of this course WILL NOT be added to your ECE-TRIS professional development record.

Your individual training record in ECE-TRIS will be updated within 10 days with the course credit. ECE-TRIS is a training registry for early care and education providers and gives you 24/7 access to your professional learning record: https://tris.eku.edu/ece.

*** Please note: The only REQUIRED fields to verify information are Birthdate, and last 4 digits of your Social Security Number. Feel free to skip the rest if your information in ECE-TRIS is up to date. If you need to update information in ECE-TRIS, fill out those fields here.

The purpose of the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) is to assist families in accessing and obtaining quality child care.  CCAP funds are used to assist families with the cost of child care through payment of full or partial costs. Eligibility for CCAP is based upon the family’s gross monthly income, family size, and ability to meet all technical eligibility requirements.

Who is eligible to receive Child Care Assistance?

Parents of a child under age thirteen (13), or of a child under eighteen (18) who has a verified special need. The parent must also meet one of the following:

• Be employed
• Be enrolled in a full-time educational program, certified trade school, or accredited college
• Participate in the SNAP Employment & Training Program
• Be unemployed but actively participating in an initial job search.  Applications approved on Job Search are given three (3) months of eligibility to locate work. Job Search eligibility can be used once in a twelve (12) month period
• Be a teen parent attending elementary, middle, or high school or pursuing a GED in a classroom setting
• Are a Kentucky Transitional Assistance Program recipient who needs child care while they participate in Kentucky Works
• Have a Protective/Preventative Service case needing care

What happens during the Application Interview?

During the CCAP application interview, Family Support staff will:

• Ask to view and copy documentation of the birth dates of children for whom benefits are requested.
• Ask to view and copy proof of applicant’s identity.
• Request social security numbers for all case members.
• Request proof of citizenship or legal status of child if not established by birth verification.
• Verify residency and household composition.
• Request verification of a special need for any child aged thirteen (13) through eighteen (18).
• Verify all sources and amounts of income.
• Explain all the parent rights and responsibilities, including the copay and overages.
• Help in locating or choosing a child care provider.

How are Applications Approved?

The client must meet all technical eligibility requirements established by the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services’ Division of Child Care (DCC) to receive services. A case will be approved or denied within (30) days.

If the parent does not have all verifications at the time of the interview, the case will remain in a pending status for thirty (30) days to allow the parent time to return the paperwork. If verifications are not returned within thirty (30) days, the case will automatically deny.

If the application is approved for benefits, the certification is valid for twelve (12) months as long as the family continues to meet the technical eligibility requirements of the program.

What about Job Search approvals?

What’s Transitional Child Care (TCC)?

CCAP families that are discontinued because their combined household incomes exceed 85% of the State Median Income (SMI) at case change and recertification are eligible for Transitional Child Care (TCC). This is an additional CCAP benefit period.

What this means for you as a provider:

• The co-payments are always zero ($0).
• The reduced rate is calculated at 50% of the Provider Subsidized Rate or the State Max Rate (whichever is lower). Example: If the State Max Rate for the child’s care level is $20, during the TCC period, the rate paid by the state would be $10.
• The family is responsible for any overages charged by your center.
• You will receive a DCC-94 – Notice of Change that outlines the new reimbursement rate and end date for each child. This will serve as your notice of eligibility discontinuance.
• Parents will also receive a Notice of Change showing the new rates being paid by CHFS.

Normal billing procedures will be followed. The adjusted rate will be reflected on the Remittance Report.

What are Grace Periods?

Grace periods are only applied to cases with active eligibility that have a break in the work, education and training, or SNAP E&T requirements for circumstances such as maternity/medical leave, loss of job, or reduction of hours in the eligible activity.

Grace periods will NEVER extend past the original 12-month recertification date. If the issue has not been resolved by the end of the grace period, the case will discontinue. 

A DCC-94C will be sent to the provider 10 (ten) calendar days before the date of discontinuance.

What are the Application Income Eligibility Requirements?

When a family applies for CCAP benefits, the countable monthly household income must be less than or equal to 85% of the State Median Income (SMI). Adjustments are made based on the size of the household; the table below shows the maximum income based on family size. At reported case changes and yearly recertification, families previously approved for CCAP benefits remain eligible so long as their countable monthly household income is still less than or equal to 85% of the SMI.

How do CCAP Renewal Interviews work?

CCAP is a public assistance program designed to assist families with the cost of child care. Therefore, the CCAP case is the parent’s responsibility from the date of application until the date the case discontinues. At least forty-five (45) days before the end of a certification period, a DCC-90F Notice of Renewal Interview is mailed to the family, giving them time to begin the recertification process.

Ways to renew

The letter details what they need to bring to their appointment to ensure the case can be approved as quickly as possible. Same-day approval is only available if all required documentation is provided on the day the parent is in the office.

During the renewal interview, the DCBS Family Support worker informs the parent about their responsibilities as a CCAP recipient as well as their benefits. Information includes:

• Families may be assessed a daily copayment based on their income, household size, number of children, and other factors.
• The amount of their copayment.
• The responsibility of paying their copayment to their provider on a weekly basis.
• They may be required to pay an overage if the provider charges more than the state’s maximum payment rate.
• The parent may be responsible for payment of additional fees charged by the provider.

How do parents report a change in status?

The parent is responsible for reporting status changes to the DCBS Family Support office within ten (10) days. Some changes can impact the family’s CCAP eligibility. Changes that must be reported include:

Ways to report