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Child Care Authorization Plans

Authorization plans are sent out to you and our clients when the clients have been approved for state pay. The main things to look at are:

• Name of parent(s)
• Certification start date
• Certification end date
• Co-payment amount
• Your provider name, addresses and license expiration date

This authorization plan tells you all the important information you will need for a state-paid parent in your facility. The certification start date lets you know when the state will start reimbursing you. The certification end date is the last date the state will reimburse you. The state will not back pay for time that a client failed to re-certify.

Invoices

Invoices are sent out around the 20th of each month. Providers turn them in by the 1st of the following month and are usually paid starting the 3rd working day of that month (This is not a guaranteed time frame for payment, however.).
When you receive an invoice in the mail please check your address and phone number to make sure they are correct. If either is incorrect, please cross it out and write the correct one in and contact Family Connections with the change. (The state does not try to find you; your check will go back to Helena.)

On the right toward the middle is the copayment amount the parent is supposed to pay you each month. If they have paid it, just fill the amount in under “Copay Amount Parents Paid in (month) $________.” If they have not paid it leave it blank or write in $0.00 and we will send a closure notice to the parent.

Sign and date your invoice, and please have the parent sign it at least three times a year.

At the bottom of the invoice will be a chart for one of the children in your facility. The other children will be on the back of the invoice, or on a separate page. Just think of this chart as a calendar and write in the day of the month (put only that month’s hours on that invoice. The invoice month will be at the top right-hand corner).

You will be reimbursed at a daily rate for any hours from 6 to 10. You will be reimbursed at an hourly rate for any hours under 6 hours. If you charge more than the current state rate the parent is responsible for that extra amount.

Special Needs

If you have a Special Needs child in your childcare facility, you will need to have the parents contact their case worker at Family Connections to see if they qualify for a Special Needs Assessment.

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