943 Payment for NH Child Care Scholarship Provider Services and Provider Co-pay SR 20-23 Dated 08/20 (FAM-A)

_____________________________________________________________

Payment for child care services is made as a reimbursement directly to the child care provider. Providers are not employees of the Department and the Department incurs no financial liability for any amounts beyond the amount of the Department’s payment.

 

To determine the weekly amount paid to child care providers, the Department compares the provider’s charge for private pay families to the NH Weekly Standard Rate and subtracts the family cost share from the lesser of these 2 amounts.

 

Families are responsible for paying the child care provider for costs which exceed the amount of the Department’s payment, if the provider chooses to charge the family this extra amount. This extra amount that the child care provider may or may not choose to charge families is called the child care provider co-pay.

 

Before the Department issues a payment for child care provider services, all of the following criteria must be met:

●

the family has applied and been determined eligible for NH Child Care Scholarship;

●

the provider has been enrolled as a child care provider with DHHS (See Section 929.01, Required Provider Enrollment Documentation);

●

the family and provider have completed and submitted  Form 1863, Provider Verification Form;

●

the provider has an accurate record of the child’s attendance with the parent’s full or electronic signature verifying the weekly attendance;

●

the family and provider have on a weekly basis, completed and signed a weekly attendance record for each child for each week of service and billed via the DHHS Web Billing application;

●

the electronic invoice must not include any additional fees or costs for non-child care services; and

●

The child care provider must correct and resubmit any incorrect electronic invoices, no later than 60 calendar days from the date of service.

 

.

 

Payment will not be made for any billing invoice submitted 60 calendar days following the last date of service on the electronic invoice.

 

If there is no payment to a child care provider for dates of service rendered in the last 60 days, there will be an automatic termination of the child care provider link for NH Child Care Scholarship for that child. If the family has no other children linked to a provider who is billing and receiving payments for services rendered, the family’s eligibility for NH Child Care Scholarship will end. The NH Child Care Scholarship will terminate at the end of the 10-day ANP. When a parent receives a closing notice for this reason, the parent may submit a new  Form 1863,Child Care Provider Verification, for the same provider or a new provider, but must provide that form within the 10-day ANP. The link with the new or same provider can only be activated starting the day that the new  Form 1863 is received and only services provided from that day forward are eligible for payment. The Department will not pay for any services in any of the 60 calendar days that caused the termination notice. If the parent provides  Form 1863 AFTER the 10-day ANP has expired, NH Child Care Scholarship will have closed and the family must reapply.

 

Upon reapplication, if there is an active wait list, and the family is not receiving TANF cash or had TANF benefits close within the past 92 days, has not received protective or preventive services within the past 92 days, or was experiencing homelessness and/or found housing within the past 92 days, but is otherwise eligible for NH Child Care Scholarship, the child will be placed on the wait list with the position on the wait list determined by the date of the new application.

 

 

A child under the age of 72 months (6 years) cannot receive NH Child Care Scholarship if the child receives child care services in a License-Exempt Center. Any costs incurred by a License-Exempt Center provider for services provided to a child under 72 months will not be paid by the Department. The family will be responsible for any costs incurred.

 

A child must only be linked to one child care provider at a time. Families are responsible for the full payment to any other child care provider the family may use for child care services.

 

Allow NH Child Care Scholarship for a child of kindergarten age when the parent chooses not to utilize the available public kindergarten.

 

An enrolled license-exempt family child care provider who is linked to a child must be the person providing the care for all times that the Department is billed. If an enrolled license-exempt family child care provider requires a substitute caregiver for any period of time, the provider may not bill DHHS for any time he/she was not the actual person providing the child care.

 

If a provider fails to comply with DHHS billing requirements and consequently is not paid within 60 days of services being rendered, the provider is prohibited from billing the parent for the amount of the NH Child Care Scholarship that they did not receive from DHHS.

 

Child care providers are allowed payment for closure hours each calendar year, which include DHHS designated holidays, program closure hours, staff professional development hours, and federal, state or DHHS Administrator declared disaster closure day(s). DHHS does not accept paper-billing invoices.

 

DHHS allows payment for one child care registration fee up to $50.00 per calendar year for each child eligible for NH Child Care Scholarship. The registration fee charged must not exceed the amount charged to private paying families. DHHS does not accept paper-billing invoices. If the child care providers registration feed exceeds $50.00 the child care provider can charge the difference.

 

References: He-C 6918.04, 45 CFR 98.3, RSA 170:E2, XI-a, RSA 126-A:58, XV.