Rule and Procedure Table of Contents
I. Who Is Eligible? | II. Eligible Day Care Providers | III. Application and Payment
This appendix describes how to pay for employment-related day care for children under three years of age who have been adopted with adoption assistance or have been placed in subsidized guardianship.
I. Who Is Eligible? |
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Department wards under three years of age who have been adopted with adoption assistance or placed in subsidized guardianship are eligible if they require day care services because the parent or guardian is absent from the home due to employment or participation in a training program that will lead to employment. Payment for day care will be available to employed single parent adoptive or subsidized guardianship homes, as well as two parent adoptive homes or subsidized guardianship homes in which both spouses are either working or in a training program. Adoptive parents and subsidized guardians must provide documentation that they are working or in a training program. If one parent or guardian works and the other parent or guardian is unable to care for the child due to a disability, day care may be provided. The disability must be documented. Eligibility for employment related day care will be redetermined every six months by the regional day care staff.
II. Eligible Day Care Providers |
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The types of day care that may be authorized are licensed day care centers and homes, home networks, and license-exempt day care centers, licensed exempt homes, baby-sitters (care in the child's home) and relatives. Adoptive parents or subsidized guardians may choose their own providers.
DCFS staff will conduct a check of the Child Abuse and Neglect Tracking System on all license exempt providers. If the check shows that there is an indicated report, the provider is ineligible.
III. Application and Payment |
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This section describes procedures for application for employment-related day care for adoptive families and subsidized guardians with children under three years of age and for payments to day care providers for ongoing day care services until the child reaches 3 years of age. Procedures are also included for reimbursement to adoptive parents and guardians who paid the provider themselves between July 1, 2001 and December 31, 2001. After December 31, 2001, the Department will no longer reimburse parents or guardians for payments they make to the day care provider.
a) Ongoing Payment to Providers
Payments will be made directly to the day care provider.
Payment will be made based upon the provider's rates to the general public up to the regular allowable rate maximums which are listed in Appendix A of this Procedure. Full time care is defined as five or more hours in a 24-hour day. Contracts will be required when payment to a provider exceeds $10,000 per year. Payments will stop at the end of the month in which the child turns three years of age. Payments are to be billed under the child's adoption or subsidized guardianship ID number.
To initiate payments the following procedures are to be followed:
1) Starting the Application Process
A) First Time Day Care or New Provider
If this is a case in which the family was not receiving day care services for the child as a foster parent/ relative caregiver or they were receiving services from a particular provider, but are changing day care providers then:
At the time the adoption assistance/subsidized guardianship payments are being negotiated and completed with the family, the worker shall give the family the CFS 2002A, Adoptive Parent/Subsidized Guardian Application for Employment-Related Day Care. The family shall complete the form with their new day care provider. Day care providers exempt from licensure are also required to complete Part III of the form, Certification Statements.
B) Continuance of Day Care Services Provided During Foster/Relative Care
If the family was receiving day care services for the child as a foster parent/relative caregiver and are to continue receiving payment for day care under the adoption assistance/subsidized guardianship agreement and there is no change in the provider then:
At the time the adoption assistance/subsidized guardianship payments are being negotiated and completed with the family, the worker shall give the family the CFS 2002A, Adoptive Parent/Subsidized Guardian Application for Employment-Related Day Care, for completion of the first page only.
2) Upon Completion of the Form
After the adoption or transfer of guardianship has been finalized, the family, after having completed the CFS 2002A in accordance with either paragraph (A) or (B) above, shall return the form to the appropriate regional unit responsible for day care payments listed in Section A of the CFS 2002A. The worker shall ensure that the family knows where to return the application by including the address of the appropriate regional unit responsible for day care payments in Section A of the CFS 2002A.
The regional unit responsible for day care payments will begin payment after the family's case has been transferred to the Post Adoption Unit and the Adoption Assistance/Subsidized Guardianship Case has been opened. In the case of adoption assistance, billing will be made under the new case ID number. For subsidized guardianship, the case retains the foster care ID number and billing is made under that number.
The regional unit responsible for day care payments will pay the day care provider for services at the end of each month using the appropriation code and type service codes established for adoption assistance/subsidized guardianship day care.
Appropriation Code: 220-41817-4400-05-00
Type Service Codes:
0361--AA/SG Daycare--Licensed Day Care Center
0362--AA/SG Daycare--Licensed Exempt Center
0363--AA/SG Daycare--Licensed Day Care Home
0364--AA/SG Daycare--Licensed Exempt Home
0365--AA/SG Daycare--Home Network
0366--AA/SG Daycare--Non-Relative Childs Home
0367--AA/SG Daycare--Relative Relatives Home
0368--AA/SG Daycare--Relative Childs Home
0369--AA/SG Daycare--Licensed Group Day Care Home
0371--AA/SG Parent Reimbursement - Reimbursement payment to adoptive families and subsidized guardians for employment related day care for children under 3 years of age effective 7/1/01
b) Reimbursement to Adoptive Parents/Subsidized Guardians for Day Care Payments Back to July 1, 2001
Adoptive parents/subsidized guardians, who paid day care providers directly for day care services for children under three years of age from or after July 1, 2001 until the time that the Department began direct payment to their providers, can be reimbursed for their payments up to the allowable rate maximums listed in Appendix A of Procedures 359.
Payment will not be made for any day care provided prior to July 1, 2001.
In order to receive reimbursement for day care services which they paid directly to day care providers between July 1, 2001 and December 31, 2001, adoptive and subsidized guardianship families must:
1) if they have not already, complete the CFS 2002 A as indicated above in paragraph (a);
2) obtain a CFS 478, Adoptive Parent/Guardian Reimbursement for Post-Adoption/Guardianship Child Care, from the regional post adoption/guardianship unit or regional unit responsible for day care payments and complete the necessary information regarding the provider, the number of hours of day care provided during the time period, and the total cost. Both the adoptive parent/guardian and the day care provider must sign the form;
3) return the completed CFS 478 to the regional unit responsible for day care payments with proof of payment attached. Proof of payment may consist of cancelled check, money order receipts, receipts of payment from provider, etc.
Upon receipt the regional unit responsible for day care payments will initiate payment to the adoptive/subsidized guardianship family.
NOTE: Only for the reimbursement period do parent/guardians need to send bills and receipts to the regional unit responsible for day care payments. After enrollment the provider will send the bills directly to the day care units on a once per month basis.
POLICY GUIDE 2002.03