Provider Handbook

CAPS Provider Handbook 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Types of Providers Eligible for CAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Do I need a license to provide child care with the CAPS Program? . . . . 5

How do I become a CAPS provider? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Do I have to meet any special requirements? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Required documents for licensed and license-exempt providers . . . 4 Required documents for informal providers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

What do I need to know about payments? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Payment options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Invoicing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Remittance notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Tax levy or lien . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Do I have to pay taxes on the CAPS funds? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

What if I do not invoice in time? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Will I be paid for time that a child is absent? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

What if I received less payment than expected? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

What do I need to know about scholarships? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

What happens if I get too much money? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Types of improper payments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Repayment options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

How do families apply for CAPS? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Where can I find CAPS policies and procedures?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Where can I find MAXIMUS forms? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Why is Annual Renewal (AR) important? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Policy reminders for CAPS partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Provider supports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Contents

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November 2019 MKT-585

CAPS Provider Handbook 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Programs

Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL)

• Meets child care and early education needs of Georgia’s children and their families

• Operates Georgia’s Pre-K Program• Licenses child care centers and

home-based child care• Operates Georgia’s Childcare and

Parent Services (CAPS) Program and federal nutrition programs

• Manages Georgia’s child care rating system (“Quality Rated”)

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Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS)

• Provides families access to high quality, affordable early learning

• Helps: » Improve school readiness » With child care costs so families can be self-sufficient

MAXIMUS• DECAL contracts with

MAXIMUS to manage: » Provider enrollment in CAPS » Provider payments » Compliance documents » Overpayment recovery » Technical support

• MAXIMUS provides: » Business orientation for CAPS providers

» Program-related training » Document management » Provider payments » Attendance verification assessments to reduce and prevent overpayments

Child Care Services (CCS)• Licenses child care facilities

in Georgia• Regulates licensed child care

programs• Processes applications for programs

that ask for exemption from licensing• Investigates health and safety

complaints against child care programs

• Helps providers and parents understand child development and early education best practices

DECAL Audits and Compliance• Checks records to make sure

providers receive the right payment amount

• Penalizes providers who knowingly accept funds they are not eligible to receive

» Example: If providers do not provide arrival and departure and/or transportation records, CAPS will recover child care subsidies paid during the review .

Quality Rated• Georgia’s system to assess, improve,

and communicate the quality of care in early care and education programs

• Assigns a 1-, 2-, or 3-star quality rating to early care and education programs

• Helps programs improve the quality of care they provide

To keep CAPS funding, providers eligible for Quality Rated must have a star rating by December 31, 2020

CAPS Provider Handbook 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Child Care Learning Center (CCLC) Operated by a person, corporation or institution . A CCLC cares for children younger than 18 years old for less than 24 hours per day . CCLCs need a license for 7 or more children .

To learn more, go to http://decal.ga.gov/CCS/ChildCareLearningCenter.aspx .

Family Child Care Learning Home (FCCLH)Operated in a private residence (home) to care for children younger than 18, for less than 24 hours per day . FCCLHs need a license . They may care for more than 3, but no more than 6 children .

To learn more, go to http://decal.ga.gov/CCS/FamilyChildCareLearningHome.aspx .

License-exempt programs Programs do not need a license if they:

• Have a child care type that does not need a license or to follow child care learning center rules,

• Meet other rules for exemption, and• Have an exemption approval from DECAL .

Note: Only day camps and government-owned or operated programs such as Board of Education and Parks and Recreation Departments qualify for CAPS payments .

To learn more, go to http://www.decal.ga.gov/ChildCareServices/Exemptions.aspx .

Informal providersUnrelated providers who give care out of a child’s home.

• Providers who are not related to the child or children may only care for 1 or 2 children outside the children’s home .

• Related providers, like aunts, uncles or grandparents, who give care in or out of the child’s home may care for up to 6 children in or out of the children’s home .

See CAPS Policy 11 .7 https://caps.decal.ga.gov/assets/downloads/CAPS/11-CAPS_Policy-Participating%20Providers.pdf .

If you are a LICENSED or EXEMPT provider, you must send the following documents to MAXIMUS when you first enroll:

Licensed and Exempt Providers

Child Care Provider Agreement (CPA)

Form W-9 for Tax Identification

Direct deposit form

Online billing request

Monitoring checklist (License-exempt only)

Policies and procedures – published and made available by DECAL and the public . Includes Holding Slot policy when applicable .

Child care rates – If asked, must enter rates into DECAL’s provider self-service website at decalkoala.com .

Form 704 – Child Care Learning Centers only – View the

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Types of Providers Eligible for CAPS

FAQs

GA CAPS Handbook 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Do I need a license to provide child care with the CAPS Program? In most cases, yes . It depends on the number of children in your care . It is also based on the type of care you want to provide . You must renew your DECAL license, including paying a license fee, each year . You must meet all pre-service or licensing requirements .

To learn more, go to http://decal.ga.gov/CCS/StartingACenter.aspx .

How do I become a CAPS provider? After a parental authority chooses to enroll their child in your child care program, MAXIMUS will contact you about attending a provider business orientation where you will:

• Learn your rights and responsibilities as a CAPS partner

• Complete the required documents to become a CAPS provider

• Learn how to start and use your billing portal account and online resources

• Learn how to be a successful partner with CAPS• Learn DECAL policies or federal or

state laws and rules that you must follow

If you are an INFORMAL provider, you must send the following documents to MAXIMUS when you first enroll: Informal Providers

All adults in the household 17 years old and older must pass a comprehensive records check .

Note: • Passing a comprehensive records check (CRC) processed by DECAL is a pre-service

requirement . • Passing results must be on file with MAXIMUS before CAPS can authorize scholarships. • Informal providers who withdraw from CAPS but who re-enroll within 6 months may use

the same CRC result letters . • You must pass a CRC every 5 years .

Go to decalkoala.com/CBCApplication to submit your CRC application. Enter MAXIMUS as the facility name, press enter, then select MAXIMUS as your Provider Name/Facility Name. Please complete all required fields for the CRC application.

Infant and toddler CPR certification is a pre-service requirement. It must be on file with MAXIMUS. It must be current before CAPS can give scholarships .

Informal Care Giver Enrollment Affidavit (Form 58) on file with MAXIMUS.

Valid proof of SSN and ID card on file with MAXIMUS.

Child Care Provider Agreement (CPA)

Form W-9

Direct deposit form

Monitoring checklist – License-exempt only.

Complete 10 hours of health and safety training within 90 days . Renew each year .

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FAQs

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Do I have to meet any special requirements? Yes . To participate in CAPS you must send required documents to MAXIMUS by the due dates when you first enroll . You must also send them each year when you renew. MAXIMUS will email you a reminder. You will also get alerts on the Provider Billing Portal . The alerts will list all missing documents .

You will not begin receiving payments until MAXIMUS has all your

documents . If you miss due dates, you may be dismissed

from the CAPS Program .

Note: The legal or DBA names and the Taxpayer Identification (TI) number on your forms must match the names and numbers on file with DECAL, Internal

Revenue Service (IRS), and Secretary

of State. MAXIMUS will make sure the names and

numbers match .

What do I need to know about payments?The CAPS Program compares provider rates with the state-approved highest rate for that area . CAPS will pay the lower of the rates . Rates are set by:

The child’s age• Rates change when a child turns 1 and 3 years old .• Children no longer qualify for subsidized care when

they turn 13, or 18 if they are under court-ordered supervision or have a documented disability .

Child care type• Rates vary for full-time care, before-and-after care,

and part-time care .

Area of the state where care is provided • Rates vary by area . • Counties in Georgia are divided into zones based on

area and child care market rates in that area .

Provider type• Rates vary by provider type .

Parental AuthorityCAPS Scholarship Administration works with a parental authority for child care . CAPS approves a child care scholarship after the parental authority meets all eligibility rules and chooses an eligible provider . CAPS will tell the parent and the provider when the scholarship for the eligible child is approved .

MAXIMUS will not pay for any child who CAPS has not authorized for care . If you provide care in a time not covered by a child care scholarship, the parental authority must pay the cost of that care .

To learn more, go to https://caps.decal.ga.gov/en/ResourceArticle.

Payment OptionsAll providers in CAPS must set up an account to be paid by direct deposit . You can use a checking or savings account or a pre-paid debit card .

Invoicing• It’s faster, easier, and more accurate to fill out and

send invoices online . The Provider Billing Portal is at https://max.gacaps.com .

• Paper invoices are also available . If you use paper invoices, MAXIMUS will send you 2 invoices each month. Invoices are printed on the second Monday of every month . They are mailed separately by the first 2 and last 2 weeks of the month. When a month has 5 weeks, invoices are mailed the last 2 or 3 service weeks .

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FAQs

GA CAPS Handbook 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

• Do not return your paper invoice until after you have provided care for the last day of the invoice period . If the invoice arrives before the end of the billing

period, your payment might be delayed .

For billing portal training guides and videos, go to https://max.gacaps.com/helpful-links .

Remittance noticeMAXIMUS will send you a notice once

your payment is processed . If you use a paper invoice, you will get a paper notice . If you invoice online, you will receive a notice online . You will not be paid for children not listed on your notice . You can contact MAXIMUS if you have questions about your payment .

Tax levy or lienWhen a tax levy or lien for you is

received from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), State Department of

Revenue, or other entity as allowed by law, your CAPS payments will be sent to

that entity . This will be done until the levy or lien is satisfied or released.

Do I have to pay taxes on CAPS funds? Yes . Payments you receive for caring for CAPS children are taxable . You are responsible to pay taxes on the income listed in Box 7 of the 1099, under “Nonemployee compensation.” MAXIMUS will send you a Form 1099 each year by the end of January if you received more than $600 in the year and are not exempt .

Note: You are not an employee of the state of Georgia or of MAXIMUS. You are not eligible to file unemployment claims . Providers are self-employed .

What if I do not invoice in time? If a payment request arrives more than 60 days after care, you must send MAXIMUS the following:

• Payment Request Form with the amount expected to receive

• Arrival and departure records for the time period being requested

• The reason the payment request was not sent within 60 days of service provided .

Note: You should request all payments within 60 days of service provided . Any payment requests made after 60 days of service may be denied .

Will I be paid for time that a child is absent?It depends .

• Attendance cannot be claimed if a child is not in your care .

• CAPS does not reimburse payments when a provider is closed for business .

• If a child is in your care for at least 1 day during the service week, you will be paid the amount on the authorized child care scholarship .

• You must inform MAXIMUS right away when a child leaves your care . You must report the child’s last day of care but you will be paid through the child’s last week of care .

» Use “hide scholarship” on the Provider Billing Portal to remove a child no longer in your care from the “Active” list .

• If a child in your care does not attend your program for the whole week, you may ask for the weekly authorized rate to hold the child’s slot . When you request payment, your policies and procedures must be on file with MAXIMUS. Your procedures for child absences must be in your written policy .

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FAQs

GA CAPS Handbook 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

What if I received less payment than expected?Contact MAXIMUS if you have questions about your payment .

What do I need to know about scholarships?You should know:

• The amount CAPS will pay you, the assessed family fees, and the amount you charge above the CAPS top rate .

• The date the child is eligible to begin care; the date care will end; and the authorized registration fee .

• The type of care you provide must be the type of care listed on the scholarship .

• CAPS can end scholarships or the case may close before the date the scholarship expires .

• The parental authority must contact CAPS if they need to make changes in their case or if changes happen for approved child care terms .

• MAXIMUS does not create new scholarships or change scholarship information .

• The parental authority and you will each get a copy of the scholarship .

You can access current scholarship authorizations online at https://max.gacaps.com .

Type of care: Description

Full-time care • Child care for 3 or more days in a service week, Monday to Sunday.• Usually authorized and paid to cover a full week of services. • Can be authorized for day or night-time services .

Part-time care• Child care for 1 or 2 days in a service week, Monday to Sunday. • Usually authorized and paid based on a per day rate.

Before-and-after care

• Child care authorized for services needed for school-aged children before and/or after the normal school day .

• Paid for school-aged children, including children in Georgia Pre-K and Head Start .• Based on rates for care for a full week of services before and/or after the school day .

Variable Schedule Scholarship (VSS)

• Authorized for school-age children at the same child care provider for the school year . This includes school holidays and summer breaks .

• Allows for payments to change between: » The before- and after-school rate while the child is in school, » The full-time rate while the child is out of school for full-time service weeks, and » Part-time rates when care is needed for a full day, up to 2 days per week in the school year to cover days out of school for teacher work days, school closings for bad weather, and holidays .

What happens if I get too much money?When you get more money than you were due, it is called an “overpayment .” Overpayments can happen if:

• You mark attendance for a child on more than one scholarship for the same week, so you get more than the full-time amount .

• You are paid the wrong amount based on scholarship type and type of care you provided .

• You mark attendance for a child when the child was not in your care .

• DECAL Audits and Compliance Division or MAXIMUS finds you were paid when you should not have been.

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FAQs

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REPAYMENT OPTIONS

Types of improper payments • Administrative Error (AE)

» An error made by DECAL that makes the subsidy payment and/or eligibility incorrect .

• Provider Error (PE) » An error made because of wrong information from you .

When you get more money than you should have, you must repay the money to CAPS .

When DECAL, MAXIMUS, or you find a CAPS overpayment, MAXIMUS will set up a “recoupment” to recover the overpaid amount. MAXIMUS will send you a letter with details.

Overpayments are usually paid back by reducing your future payments by one half (50%) until the overpayment is repaid . Reduced payments start 14 days after the overpayment is found . If the DECAL Audits and Compliance Division finds the overpayment, DECAL will work with you to set up payment terms .

If you are overpaid because you provided wrong information, you should:

• Contact MAXIMUS.• Send MAXIMUS the child or children’s:

» Identifying documents,

Option Provider action

Lump sum (total) with no installments

Sign and mail the agreement with a check or money order to:MAXIMUS34 Peachtree Street NW, Suite 2400 Atlanta, GA 30303

Withhold 50% of future payments

Sign and mail the agreement to MAXIMUS. Withholding of 50% from all future payments begins 12 days after the overpayment is found .

Inactive – not receiving payment from CAPS

Enter the installment amount and payment schedule . Sign and mail the agreement with a check or money order to MAXIMUS.

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» Scholarship number, » Service period, and » Dollar amounts .

You may send a check or money order to MAXIMUS for the overpayment amount . Otherwise, future CAPS payments will be reduced by half (50%) until the overpayment is repaid .

Administrative hearing You can address payment disputes, questions, and concerns through MAXIMUS. You may also ask for an overpayment appeal . You must ask by the deadline listed on the overpayment notice you received .

You cannot appeal future payments . To learn more, go to: https://caps.decal.ga.gov/assets/downloads/CAPS/18-CAPS_Policy-Administrative%20Hearings.pdf .

FAQs

GA CAPS Handbook 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

How do families apply for CAPS?To apply for CAPS, families must complete a 4-step process:

Step 1: Log in to Georgia Gateway or create an account if they don’t already have one

Step 2: Complete the application for child care

Step 3: Submit required documents that verify eligibility

Step 4: Have application reviewed by a CAPS staff member

For more details on these steps, go to: https://caps.decal.ga.gov/en/ApplicationProcess/

Where can I find CAPS policies and procedures?Policies, procedures, and more documents dealing with the topics below can be found on the CAPS website at https://caps.decal.ga.gov/en/Policy/

• Definitions and Acronyms • Participating Providers• Parental Rights & Responsibilities • Child Care Provider Rights & Responsibilities• Application Process • Case Changes and Documentation• Family Unit Annual Redetermination• Eligibility Requirements • Health and Safety Standards• Priority Groups • Program Integrity• Income Calculations • Grievances• Family Fees • Administrative Hearings• Purchase of Child Care through Scholarships • Agency Contacts

And procedural topics:• Determination of Eligibility• Redetermination• Authorizations at Higher Rates • Hearing Requests for Parental Authorities• Case Changes • Program Integrity

Where can I find MAXIMUS forms?You can find forms, training documents, videos, and useful web links at: https://max.gacaps.com/helpful-links

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FAQs

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Why is Annual Renewal (AR) important?All providers are required to resubmit certain documents annually . Annual Renewal makes sure provider information

DAY 1Required forms are mailed to provider 45 days before assigned renewal month .

DAY 30Reminder to submit required forms sent by email or letter

before assigned renewal month .

DAY 45Second reminder to submit

required forms sent by email or letter . Renewal month has begun .

DAY 75Payments suspended until all

required documents are received and approved .

DAY 105Required forms not received

and approved by the deadline . Provider dismissed from CAPS . To re-enroll with CAPS, forms

must be received and approved .

ANNUAL RENEWAL TIMELINE

on file with MAXIMUS is correct, current, and complete. AR aligns with other DECAL programs that require providers to update documents each year .

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Policy reminders for CAPS partners

You and your staff should read and use the online CAPS policy manual http://caps.decal.ga.gov/en/Policy/

You must contact MAXIMUS before you sell your child care business, change locations, or change the type of program you offer .

You must keep records and follow recordkeeping rules for all DECAL programs you participate in .

You must keep CAPS records for at least 3 years after the month of the last day of service .

You must get approval before you store records offsite .

You may be interviewed by an investigator from the DECAL Audits and Compliance Division on billing or payment errors . As a state-approved provider, you must cooperate with any investigation .

To avoid billing errors, you should use and refer to your arrival and departure records when billing for CAPS children in care .

Complete and send invoices within 60 days of the care provided .

Use the name of the child listed on the scholarship (Form 77) on all attendance papers that identify that child .

QualityRated .org can be used to find child care programs in the area . Eligible providers must be star rated by 12/31/2020, to participate in CAPS . Refer to the Quality Rated Program Manual for more information .

All scholarships have begin- and end-care dates for children in your care . After the end date, you must have a new scholarship to keep caring for a child . You will not get paid for care given without a valid scholarship .

Most families pay part of the cost of child care by paying weekly fees . The family pays fees to you while the child is enrolled . The fees are set by CAPS policy and can be found on the scholarship . CAPS will pay you the difference between the state rate and the weekly fee . The family must pay any other costs .

Mark only 1 type of care for child attendance when requesting payment .

By CAPS policy, a registration fee to a licensed or exempt provider can be paid 1 time each year for each child in care .

Mark “no care” for children who do not attend for the service week or weeks. By CAPS policy, the child must attend at least 1 day during the service week period for the provider to claim payment .

Day care staff may not sign children in and out . Transportation agreements and logs support but do not replace arrival and departure records .

Keep correct arrival and departure records for every day a child is in care . The records should report who dropped off and picked up the child each day they attended .

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The parental authority must make sure all child care costs are paid.

• If you charge more than the amount the CAPS scholarship pays you, the parental authority must pay the difference.

• The parental authority must report changes to CAPS within 10 days of the change . Changes include changes in address, job, and income . Report changes to: https://caps.decal.ga.gov/en/ContactSupport/ .

• The total amount the parent or guardian must pay includes any CAPS fees and any amounts or charges the authorized CAPS payment does not cover . To learn more, go to https://caps.decal.ga.gov/en/ResourceArticle .

MAXIMUS provider advocacy initiativesAttendance verification assessmentsMAXIMUS does monthly reviews. They sample your arrival and departure records . The reviews are to assess the record keeping process as defined in CAPS policy. They are also to give feedback, technical help or training to prevent wrong payments . The review is not an audit .

Document accuracy processThis is to make sure you send correct, complete Annual Renewal documents. It is monthly. A MAXIMUS Compliance Manager gives you a one-on-one, step-by-step explanation of all required documents .

Provider supports

Program Contacts Information

Agency Service Phone Service

Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS)

New family applications, redeterminations, scholarships, including foster care

833 .4GA .CAPS(833 .442 .2277)

caps.decal.ga.gov

MAXIMUS CAPS provider management 877 .755 .6522 max.gacaps.com

GA Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL)

Program administration 888 .442 .7735

Child Care Services (CCS) Licensing and exemptions 404 .657 .5562 decal.ga.gov

Audits & Compliance Division Investigations 404 .656 .5957 decal.ga.gov

Quality Rated Quality improvements and ratings 855 .800 .7747 qualityrated.decal.ga.gov

Georgia Applicant Processing Services (Cogent)

Criminal records check 888 .439 .2512

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Provider training with “how-to” videos The MAXIMUS website has short training videos with quick, timely, and relevant updates on completing documents, billing tools and tips, and other topics .

Self-service improvementsThe goals are to keep improving processes and service and to reduce the efforts you need to make as a CAPS partner .

Provider supports

PROVIDER RESOURCES

Fire, Police, and Medical Service

911 24hr Poison Emergency Hotline

800.222.1222

Hughes Spalding Children’s Hospital

Advice Nurse

404.616.0600

United Way

800.000.0211Babies

Can’t Wait

800.229.2038

Department of Public Health

404.657.2700

GA Council on Child Abuse

800.532.4208

Women, Infants, and Children

(WIC)

800.228.9173

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