Rule and Procedure Table of Contents
The following procedures correspond to the services described in Part 359 for which the Department makes payments. The procedures for each service or item are organized by:
1) Type Service Code which is a unique four-digit code used to identify the type of placement, service or item for which payment is being made (also see Table CFT BL 1018 available from the Information Services Division);
and
2) Instructions which describe the purpose of the payment and other information necessary for making the payment.
Other factors, such as Age Level, Approval Level, and Preconditions for Payment, generally remain constant for all payments. Any exceptions will be noted in the Instructions.
Age Level: For most services the Age Level extends to children under 21 years of age.
Approval Levels: The Director's approval is generally required for contracts and approval of the supervisor for payment documents. Some services require approval by a higher-level authority then the supervisor, such as Regional Administrators or designee such as for CFS 906-4, Special Service Fee and Payment Extension Form and CFS 902, Exceptional Payment Requests. The payment document itself requires the actual signature of the person that has personal knowledge of receipt of goods and/or services (generally the caseworker).
Preconditions: Preconditions refer to certain prerequisites or conditions that must exist before certain payments can be made. The most common type of precondition will be that a case must first be registered and opened before a payment can be made on behalf of a child or family. For some services a provider must be licensed and/or a contract must be in place before payment can be made to the provider. For payments to a single provider that exceed $9,000 but are less than $9,999, the vouchers are submitted to the Business Manager for processing. A contract is required if a single provider is to be paid more than $10,000 in one fiscal year.
For payments to child care institutions or group homes, a DCFS Residential Placement Review has to be made prior to placement of a child in the residential care or group home. See Policy Guide 98.3, Approval of Residential Placements filed with Procedures 301.100, Residential Care.
Payment
Document: A
payment document is the particular form used to process a payment. There are
seven major types of payment forms used:
1) Placement/Payment Authorization Forms (CFS
906 or 906-1) which are used to initiate or change payments for the child's
living arrangement;
2)
Purchase Authorizations (CFS 932) which are used to authorize purchases
for goods or services for a child;
3) Forms necessary to authorize payment for certain services such as homemaker, counseling or day care services (CFS 1042, CFS 420-21-A and B);
4) Special Service Fee and Payment Extension Form (CFS 906-4);
5) Invoice Voucher (C-13);
6) Travel Voucher (C-10).
The payment document for each particular service will appear next to the Type Service Code throughout these procedures. For detailed instructions on the use and completion of these payment forms, refer to "Fiscal Unit Procedure Manual"
Authorized Rates: Authorized rates are allowable payment amounts for all items. These rates are contained in Appendix A.
Account Code: The Account Code is the appropriations account number that describes what budgetary line is used for payment of the particular service or item. Account codes are identified in Tables CFTB 1148 and 1122 available from the Information Services Division.