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CAPS Policy – Program Integrity No.: CAPS/00-16 Effective Date: 10/01/2016 Revised: 03/02/2026 Revision Effective: 03/02/2026

CAPS Policy Manual

Page 94 of 109 (CACFP), or by the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). This includes anyone receiving CAPS funds who may have participated in the cause of the deficiency. For CACFP and SFSP, the disqualification will span seven years from the day of disqualification or until the entity is removed from the CACFP/SFSP disqualification list. Individuals, providers, corporate partners, business entities, and officers of providers disqualified from CAPS shall not be enrolled in, participate in, financially benefit from, or be involved in any aspect of CAPS.

Parents 16.4.1 Parents support program integrity efforts by complying with CAPS Parent Rights and Responsibilities Policy (CAPS/00-3). Most notably, parents are expected to provide accurate, current, and complete information, report certain changes, comply with on-going eligibility reviews and investigations, and ensure their children are signed in and out of care each day.

16.4.2 CAPS will detect potential program integrity concerns related to child care cases during the eligibility determination process and through data matching and referrals. 16.4.2.1 As the first line of contact for families, CAPS staff are vital in the prevention, detection, and reporting of activities that appear to be in violation of CAPS policy. Staff should verify questionable or inconsistent information reported by the parent, during the interview, and when reviewing the child care application and supporting documentation. 16.4.2.2 DECAL’s Audits and Compliance Division will periodically compare parents’ reported income to Georgia Department of Labor data and other sources. Discrepancies may result in further investigation. 16.4.3 DECAL’s Audits and Compliance Division conducts investigations related to child care cases. 16.4.3.1 A parent’s child care case may be referred for investigation when conflicting information has been submitted, when information submitted appears to be altered or falsified, when there is an overpayment, or at the discretion of the CAPS program. Requests for investigation should be submitted using Appendix V and sent to: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning Audits and Compliance Division 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SE Suite 754, East Tower Atlanta, GA 30334 16.4.3.2 All parties are required to fully cooperate with any investigations on behalf of CAPS, and failure to do so may result in sanctions. 16.4.3.3 Parents must cooperate with any investigation by completing any required forms, responding to scheduled interview appointments, and by making requested records or information available. 16.4.4 DECAL may impose sanctions allowable under federal, state, or local law, regulation, or policy when a parent is found to be in noncompliance with CAPS policies. 16.4.4.1 The following chart details allowable sanctions for parents.

Parent – Program Integrity Noncompliance Allowable Sanctions Parent provided inaccurate, outdated, or incomplete information or did not report a change that would have impacted eligibility. If benefits were authorized for which the family was not eligible as the result of incomplete or incorrect information or failure to report a change, the child care case may be closed (if the family would not have been eligible), benefits will be appropriately adjusted for the remainder of the eligibility period (if applicable), and a claim will be established for the difference between benefits received and benefits for which they were eligible.