Relating to state child care assistance program benefits

This bill relates to state child care assistance (CCA) program benefits. Under current law, the CCA program reimburses child care providers (providers) after the department of health and human services (HHS) receives a bill from the provider based on the amount of time a child enrolled in the program actually attended child care with that provider. The bill requires HHS to remit payment to a provider prior to the provider rendering child care to a child enrolled in the CCA program. Payments must be made on a monthly basis and must be based on the amount of hours a child is scheduled to receive child care from the provider and not the number of hours a child actually receives child care services. Any copayment a family participating in the CCA program is required to pay as a condition of participation must be made after the family’s child receives child care. The bill prohibits a child’s CCA benefits from terminating unless HHS sends written notification to the child’s family and the child’s provider explaining the reasons for terminating the child’s benefits, and at least calendar days have passed since the date HHS sent the written notices. The bill temporarily enrolls a child in the CCA program if the child has at least one sibling that is currently enrolled in the CCA program, the provider providing child care to the child’s sibling agreed to provide child care to the child, and the provider notified HHS of the provider’s agreement. HHS must approve a child as temporarily enrolled in the CCA program within one business day of receiving the provider’s notification. HHS must send notification of approval to the provider and the child’s family. The bill provides a temporarily enrolled child’s family calendar days from the date HHS approved the child’s temporary enrollment to submit an application to enroll the child in the CCA program. HHS has five business days from the date HHS receives the application to render a decision. The bill ends a child’s temporary enrollment if the child’s family does not apply for the CCA program within calendar days from the date HHS approves the child’s temporary enrollment or HHS renders a decision on the child’s application for the CCA program. The bill requires HHS to make payment to a provider for child care provided to a temporarily enrolled child within one calendar week of the 21st day after HHS approved the child’s temporary enrollment or when the child’s temporary enrollment ends, whichever is earlier. The bill is not to be construed to require a provider to provide child care to a child prior to HHS approving the child as temporarily enrolled. The bill makes temporarily enrolled children exempt from waiting list requirements for the CCA program.