Section 218-RICR-20-00-4.8 - Enrollment for CCAP Authorized Services4.8.1ResponsibilitiesA. Through the enrollment process, the family of an eligible child and the CCAP approved child care provider of choice make the arrangements necessary for the delivery of the CCAP authorized services, in accordance with the requirements established by the Department for payment of allowable child care expenses. 1. The child care provider is required to transmit the pertinent information about these arrangements to the DHS using the CCAP automated enrollment system.a. All CCAP approved providers shall have access to the CCAP automated enrollment system and are required to enroll all eligible children through that system within the first week the child enrolls with that provider as a condition of receiving payment for the CCAP authorized child care services.B. DHS Responsibilities 1. The DHS shall issue each family applying for child care assistance a CCAP certificate number, to serve as a unique identifier for the purpose of enrolling an eligible child for authorized services and establishing a basis for payment to a CCAP approved provider. a. Once the enrollment process has been completed, a letter shall be sent from the Department to both the family and provider that confirms enrollment of the child(ren) and indicates the assignment of the family's share of the cost for authorized services, if any.b. The DHS shall initiate the process for authorizing payment to a provider for allowable child care expenses upon receipt of the notification that an eligible child has been enrolled. The DHS reserves the right to deny payment for services to providers who fail to enroll eligible children within the first week that an eligible, or potentially eligible, child begins care with that provider.c. The DHS shall pay for child care service provided while an application is pending for housing insecure families, up to the first ninety (90) days, even if the application for the CCAP is ultimately denied for lack of verification or eligibility.C. Responsibilities of the Family 1. To initiate the process of enrolling an eligible child for the CCAP authorized child care services, the family of the child shall contact a CCAP approved provider and present the Certificate of Approval for the CCAP services or its CCAP certificate number.D. Enrollment During the Pending Period1. As indicated in § 4.4.2 of this Part, some approved child care providers may be willing to enroll a child, using the CCAP certificate number, while the application is still pending and before the final determination of eligibility. a. The certificate number may first be issued to the family in the pending letter, which acknowledges that the application has been received and is pending further review.b. In RI Works cases, if no pending letter is sent and the application is approved, the certificate number is issued to the family in the Notice of Approval. In such instances, the following conditions apply:(1) If the application for the CCAP services is subsequently denied by the Department, no payment shall be made for any child care services rendered during the period when the application was pending and before the final determination of eligibility.(2) If a family does not give their DHS certificate number to a provider, the provider may hold the family liable for payment for any child care services used.2. The family of the child shall present the CCAP certificate number to an approved provider when arranging authorized child care services.3. Enrollment with Multiple CCAP Approved Providers a. A family choosing to enroll a child for authorized services with multiple providers shall advise each provider accordingly when making arrangements for child care and shall not enroll a child at more than one (1) provider during overlapping hours.b. The CCAP automated enrollment system prevents enrollment of, and payment for, services to an eligible child during overlapping hours.c. No more than one (1) provider shall be authorized to provide full time services to an eligible child for a specific period of care.4. The family of an eligible child may choose to change approved child care providers at any time while authorized for the CCAP child care services. a. However, the DHS is permitted to make payment to only one (1) approved provider for a particular hour or set period of the CCAP authorized child care once the week begins.b. Accordingly, families are best served when changes in providers are arranged to take effect at the start of the week (Sunday).c. To the extent time and circumstances allow, notification of the change should be made by the parent to any providers involved. (1) In general, however, to change approved child care providers a family is required to present the CCAP certificate number to the new provider of choice and make the arrangements necessary for authorized child care services.(2) Enrollment information sent to the DHS by the new approved provider through the CCAP automated enrollment system shall automatically disenroll the eligible child from, and thereafter prohibit payment for, child care services rendered by the child's previous care provider.d. Families may change approved providers at any time during the CCAP eligibility period.5. A family may choose to enroll an eligible child for services in excess of the CCAP period authorized. a. No CCAP payment shall be made for any unauthorized hours of child care even with an approved provider.E. Responsibilities of CCAP Approved Providers. 1. It shall be the responsibility of the CCAP approved provider selected by the family of an eligible child to officially enroll a child for authorized services before or during the first (1st) week that the CCAP authorized services are provided. a. A provider may enroll the child of a housing insecure family prior to receipt of the immunization record and/or completion of other health and safety requirements.b. A provider shall dis-enroll the child of a housing insecure family if the requirement to provide the immunization record and/or the completion of other health and safety requirements have not been met by day ninety (90) of the enrollment.2. Only child care providers who have been approved and entered into a signed and valid DHS-Approved Provider Agreement, have access to the DHS CCAP automated enrollment system. a. Both the DHS approval and access to the CCAP automated enrollment system are necessary preconditions for provider participation in the CCAP. (See § 4.12 of this Part for requirements for approval.)3. The approved child care provider shall use the CCAP certificate number issued by the DHS acknowledging receipt of the application, as specified in § 4.4.2 of this Part, when enrolling a child whose eligibility for authorized services is pending. a. The enrollment process is not completed unless and until the CCAP eligibility has been approved. Any provider that has not been approved by the DHS shall not initiate enrollment of a child for the purposes of seeking the CCAP payment, irrespective of whether a final determination of eligibility has been made.b. If the application for the CCAP services is subsequently approved, payment for any CCAP authorized services rendered while the application is pending shall be made by the DHS to the approved provider as long as the child was appropriately enrolled.c. Upon receipt of payment from the DHS, the approved provider shall refund the family for any allowable child care expenses paid by the family during the period in which the application was pending. (1) The approved provider may apply a refund due to the family to future cost-sharing obligations of the family, if the eligible child's family expressly requests, in writing, the refund be applied to future costs.4. The approved provider shall enroll a child using the DHS CCAP automated enrollment system.5. The approved provider shall dis-enroll a child immediately upon receiving notice that an eligible child shall not be using services any longer, for any reason.a. A provider shall not receive continued payment for a child not in their care even if the parent failed to notify said provider of the child's disenrollment.6. The CCAP approved child care providers shall monitor enrollment patterns to ensure that the number of children receiving services at any one time remains within the provider's authorized maximum capacity, that is, the total number of children in a provider's care both the CCAP eligible and non-CCAP eligible children.a. The Rhode Island DHS establishes the maximum capacity for all State-regulated child care centers and family child care homes in the applicable standards for licensure. The CCAP approved providers subject to the DHS Regulations shall not be permitted to enroll an eligible child through the DHS CCAP automated enrollment system when at full capacity.b. Approved license exempt providers, though not directly regulated by the DHS, are prohibited by the State from caring for any unrelated children or for more than six (6) children related to the provider at any one (1) time without obtaining licensure as a family child care home.(1) The children of the license exempt provider who are under six (6) years of age count toward the maximum limit of six (6) related children.(2) The DHS shall not make payment for an eligible child once the maximum number of children allowed for a license exempt provider has been reached.c. Approved child care providers cannot retroactively enroll an eligible child. Approved providers must enroll both eligible and pending children before or during the first (1st) week that care is delivered if the DHS payment is anticipated.7. Providers shall not charge additional fees to CCAP eligible families enrolled in their program, including but not limited to activity fees, field trip fees, materials fees, registration, or annual fees. The only exception is for reasonable transportation costs when parents request transportation, provided that such costs do not exceed the transportation fees charged to all enrolled children.218 R.I. Code R. 218-RICR-20-00-4.8
Amended effective 6/19/2019
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