(10160)IDHS: CCAP Policy Manual 01.02.03 - Exempt Income#
(10160)(block-1)01.02.03 - Exempt Income#
Effective Date: 07/01/20 Revised: 12/24/13, 07/01/15, 07/01/20, 10/30/20, 12/1/22, 2/26/24 Reference: 89 Ill. Adm. Code, Chapter IV, §50.235
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Do not include exempt income received by a family in the income calculation.
Following is a list of exempt income:
Per capita payments to or funds held in trust for any individual in satisfaction of the Indian Claims Commission or the Court of Claims;
Payments made pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to the extent such payments are exempt from taxation under Section 21(a) of the Act (43 USC 1620 (a);
Money received from sale of property, such as stocks, bonds, a house, or a car (unless the person was engaged in the business of selling such property, in which case the net proceeds would be counted as income from self-employment);
Non-recurrent or inconsistent pay for overtime, incentives, bonuses, sick, vacation, travel/ cellphone reimbursements, PTO, Holidays, Jury Duty, Training or other types of non-recurrent or inconsistent income that is not part of the family's base income. If commission is on both check stubs it will be considered as non-exempt income.
Money borrowed, including education loans to a student who is included in the family unit as authorized in Illinois Administrative Code 89 Section 50.210(c);
Withdrawals of bank deposits;
Tax refunds, or any Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) payments;
Gifts;
Lottery winnings or proceeds obtained by gambling;
Lump sum inheritances or insurance payments;
Capital gains;
The value of the coupon allotment or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits under the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (PL 95-113) or the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (PL 110-246), as amended;
The value of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) donated foods;
The value of supplemental food assistance under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 USC 1771 et seq.) and the special food service for children under the National School Lunch Act (42 USC 1751 et seq.), as amended;
Any payment received under the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970 (42 USC 4651);
Earnings of a child (unless that child is the applicant);
Grants such as scholarships, obtained and used by a student who is included in the family unit as authorized in Section 50.210(c);
Any grant or loan to any undergraduate student for educational purposes made or insured under any program administered by the Commission of Education under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 USC 1001 et seq.);
Home produce utilized for household consumption;nergy grants or allowances received through the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program authorized by the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 (42 USC 8625);
Any DCFS foster care board payments or clothing allowance;
Earned income from the Census Bureau for temporary census employment.
Alimony;
Child support received by the family; a. Child support paid by the family is deducted from their income;
Ongoing monthly adoption assistance payments from DCFS;
Public assistance and welfare payments (TANF);
Social security payments, including SSI, SSA and pensions;
Survivor's benefits, permanent disability payments, and railroad retirement benefits from the federal government;
Retro payment/back pay from employment
Travel Reimbursement;
AmeriCorps/*VISTA*;
Cash/gifts, wages provided to individuals enrolled in research projects that are not funded via gen. revenue and investigate the impacts of policies or programs designed to reduce poverty, etc. shall be exempt.
Foster payment
Housing allowance/assistance
Do not include unpaid hours or any paid hours at a much lower rate than the regular rate when determining the eligible hours from payroll check stubs:
Shift/zone/site differential, etc.
Unpaid hours.
Unpaid FMLA.
Unpaid short/long-term leave, etc.
Paid short/long-term at a much lower rate than the regular rate.
Income from family members that do not meet the definition of family in Section 01.01 is not to be included when calculating family income. This includes parents that are not living in the household for 30 days or more due to military service, incarceration, education or other reasons.
Type Hours Rate Current Year-to-Date 010-Regular 36.37 17.67 $642.66 010-Regular 28.25 $17.67 $499.18 $26277.55 342-Wknd 24.00 $1.00 24.00 342-Wknd 12.00 $1.00 $12.00 $133.25 851- Cell Phone $5.00 $105.00 867- TxUnifReim $40.00 $40.00 030- Jury Duty 8.00 $17.67 $141.36 TOTALS 108.62 $1364.20 $26697.16
Answer: The incomes and hours that should NOT be included are as follow:
Exempt Hour Types Exempt Hour Amount 851-Cell Phone $5.00 867-TxUnifReim $40.00 030-Jury Duty $141.36 TOTAL $186.36
Exempt Income Types Exempt Income Amount 342-Wknd 24.00 342-Wknd 12.00 TOTAL 36.0 hrs
Effective Date: 07/02/20 Revised: 10/12/07; 01/01/13; 12/24/2013; 07/01/15, 07/06/15, 07/02/20, 10/30/20, 12/1/22, 02/26/24
Reference: 89 Ill. Adm. Code, Chapter IV, §50.235
Include all non-exempt income received by a family in the income calculation.
Following is a list of non-exempt income:
Gross base wages and salary, tips and commissions earned on a regular basis, excluding inconsistent pay for overtime, incentives, bonuses, sick, vacation, travel reimbursements or other types of non-recurrent or inconsistent income. Exempting sick, vacation or overtime pay should have no negative effect when determining eligible days.
Net income from farm self-employment.
Net income from non-farm self-employment.
Dividends, interest, net rental income, and royalties.
Pensions and annuities.
Veteran's pensions.
Unemployment compensation.
Worker's compensation.
Shift/day/zone/site differential, etc. (anything that is paid at a very low rate).
Earning of a household member aged 21 and older who is not the client's children.
Include all the hours that are paid at a regular rate or higher when determining the eligible hours from payroll check stubs:
Regular worked hours.
PTO.
Holidays.
Sick/personal leave, Vacation, Jury Duty, etc.
Straight time
Overtime
Calculated by multiplying the number of hours worked by the hourly wage plus tips before any deductions for taxes, pensions, or garnishments.
Pay for overtime will not be included when calculating income.
Special rates and/or add-ons for shift differential should be included if they are part of the hourly rate of pay.
If commission is on both check stubs, include the amount that is included in gross earnings on both stubs when calculating income.
A client who receives tips from their work must report them as income. Income from tips can be documented in the following ways: on the client's pay stubs. IRS Form 4070. a tips ledger or letter from the employer. a ledger completed by the client.
If a client holds a job that would normally receive tips, especially when the hourly wage is below the State minimum wage, and none of the above documentation is available: instruct the client to begin documenting tips in one of the methods listed above. add 10% to the calculated monthly income amount. reassess the income at the next scheduled Redetermination or if the client provides documentation of income from tips of less than 10%.
Pay that is listed as overtime, incentives, bonuses, sick, vacation, travel reimbursements or other types of non-recurrent or inconsistent income should be deducted from the gross income amount of the pay documentation.
Days taken off of work for sick, vacation, or other reasons should not be deducted from the client's activity schedule when determining the number of eligible days to approve.
Hours worked overtime that appear on pay documentation should be included when determining the number of eligible days.
Example 1: Determine the non-exempt incomes and hours from the pay stub below:
Type Hours Rate Current Year-to-Date ELIG 64.00 18.5 1184.00 8991.00 VAC 8.0 18.5 148.00 269.00 INELIG 1.0 18.5 18.5 190.55 OT PREM 1.0 9.25 9.25 86.03 HOLIDAY 8.0 18.5 148.00 148.00 TOTALS 82.0 1507.75 9684.58
Answer: the incomes and hours that need to be included are as follow:
Non-Exempt Income Types Non-Exempt Income Amount ELIG $1,184.00 TOTAL $1,184.00
Non-Exempt Hours Types Non-Exempt Hour Amount ELIG 64.0 VAC 8.0 INELIG 1.0 Holiday 8.0 TOTAL 81.0
Effective Date: 11/01/04 Revised: 10/27/10, 2/22/13, 04/17/2015, 6/15/2016, 10/1/2019, 7/1/2021
Reference: Memos dated 1/8/01 and 3/8/02, 7/18/12
Payments for licensed and license-exempt child care centers are based on eligible days if the total number of days attended for all IDHS children at the center location are 70% of the eligible days.
Payments for licensed and license-exempt child care home providers are based on eligible days if the total number of days attended for all children in the family are 70% of the family's eligible days.
This policy is applicable to site administered providers and certificate providers.
Eligible Days - The number of days a child is approved for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) each month relative to the client's employment and/or education/training schedule. The number of eligible days must not exceed the maximum number of days the provider is open for business during the month.
Attended Days - The number of days a child is present during the month.
Location - The physical location of the day care center; street address.
Child Care Center The attendance percentage for a child care center is calculated on the total of all CCAP families approved for the location. A child care center with multiple locations must calculate the 70% attendance percentage for each location separately and submit the results separately. Location refers to the physical location. If a single physical location has multiple address indicators (i.e. one for child care programs and one for a collaboration program), the calculations for those address indicators will be added together to arrive at the center's total attendance percentage. Example: ABC Child Care Center's primary address indicator is "1". ABC also has a collaboration program. Children in the collaboration program are on indicator "C1". The attendance percentage for ABC Child Care Center will be based on the combination of address indicators "1" and "C1" since they are in the same physical location. Under no circumstances shall a child be lined off of the Certificate (Form IL444-3492), Certificate Report Form IL444-3492A), Site Administered Monthly Enrollment Report ( SAMER) or Monthly Enrollment Report (MER) because of low attendance to manipulate the result of the 70% attendance rule. In order for the rate type (full time, part time, or school age) to be included in the 70% calculation, a child must attend at least 1 day in the rate type in order for the eligible days to be paid. Example: Child is approved for 2 FT days and 20 PT days. The child only attends 15 PT days. The 70% calculation is based on 18 attended days divided by 20 PT eligible days. The center will not receive payment for the 2 FT eligible days because the child did not attend any days for that payment rate. Calculation Procedures Add the number of days attended for all IDHS subsidized children for a location Add the number of days eligible for all IDHS subsidized children for a location Divide the total number of days attended by the total number of days eligible. If the result is 69.5% or above, pay eligible days for all children even if the individual family's attendance is below 69.5% If the result is 69.499% or below, pay on a family-by-family basis. Payments for each family whose attendance percentage is 69.5% or above will be based on eligible days, and payments for each family whose attendance percentage is below 69.5% will be based on attended days.
Licensed Day Care Home, Licensed Group Home and License-exempt Child Care Homes The attendance percentage for licensed child care homes and licensed group homes is determined by family. In order for the rate type (full time or part time,) to be included in the 70% calculation, a child must attend at least 1 day in the rate type in order for the eligible days to be paid. Example: Child is approved for 2 FT days and 20 PT days. The child only attends 18 PT days. The 70% calculation is based on 18 PT attended days divided by 20 PT eligible days. The licensed child care home will not receive payment for the 2 FT eligible days because the child did not attend any days for that payment rate. Calculation Procedures Add the number of days attended for all children in the family. Add the number of days eligible for all children in the family. Divide the total number of days attended by the total number of days eligible. If the result 69.5% or above, pay the eligible days for all of the children in the family. If the result is 69.499% or below, pay attended days for all children in the family. Repeat steps A-C for each family.
Special Instructions for School Age Children If a school age child routinely needs care less than five hours per day during the school year, the child shall be approved at either the part time rate or school age rate for the entire month. If the child attends more than five hours per day due to a school holiday or closure, the department will pay the full day rate if the child is in attendance. The client's work/school schedule must support the need for more than 5 hours of care. Site Administered Program For each child listed on the SAMER, Site Administered providers shall complete a Monthly Enrollment Report (MER) by: Entering the clients' and children's names Entering the number of full time days attended. Enter the number of eligible part time or school age days from the SAMER and the number of attended days. Since there are normally -0- eligible days approved at the full day rate for school age children during the school year, write in the number of full-time days eligible. Note: The number of eligible full time days and the number of attended full time days should always be the same for school age children unless before and after school care combined calls for care more than 5 hours per day. Indicate in the margin the date(s) and reason for full time attendance (i.e. 1/18/16, Martin Luther King's birthday). Certificate Program CCR&R staff must ensure that school age children who normally attend less than five hours per day, Monday through Friday, are only approved for either the part time rate or school age rate during the school year. In most cases, staff can make payment corrections on the payment entry screen if a provider indicates that a full day(s) of care was provided. In some cases, an approval update will be required before the payment can be entered correctly. CCR&R staff shall: Approve either part time or school age days for school-age children who routinely need care less than five hours per day during the school year. If the certificate is returned to the CCR&R for payment processing and the provider has indicated full time attendance, the provider must indicate the date(s) and reason for full time attendance (i.e. 1/18/16, Martin Luther King's birthday). On the Payment entry screen: If full time care was provided, reduce the number of eligible part time or school age days by the number of full days attended. Increase the number of eligible full-time days to equal the number of full days attended. Enter the number of full-time days and part-time or school age days actually attended
Changes to Eligible Days Eligible days are based on the client's work schedules. Changes should not be made to the eligible days unless the client has a documented change in their work or school schedule except under the following conditions: Vacations/Illness (Licensed child care centers only) If a child is absent for five (5) consecutive days that the center is open due to a vacation or illness, you may reduce the eligible days by 5. Adjustments due to vacations are limited to two (2) 5 consecutive day absences per year per child. In order to take advantage of the vacation or illness reduction, the site must use the adjusted codes on the Monthly Enrollment Report (MER), give the dates of the absence, and case note the explanation. Example 1: Child visits grandma July 1 - 6, Thursday through Tuesday. The provider is closed on July 3 - 5 for the weekend and holiday. This child is not eligible for the 5-day reduction, because the child was only absent on 3 days that the center was open. Do not reduce eligible days. Example 2: Child visits dad September 6 - 10, Monday through Friday. The provider is closed on September 6 for Labor Day. This child is not eligible for the 5-day reduction, because the child was only absent on 4 days that the center was open. Do not reduce eligible days. Example 3 : Mom and child are on vacation November 11 through 19, Thursday through Friday. The center is open on all of the days except Saturday and Sunday. The child was absent on 7 consecutive days that the center was open; therefore, this child is eligible for the 5-day reduction. Reduce eligible days by 5. Example 4: Dad and child are on vacation December 2 - 8, Thursday through Wednesday. The center is closed on Saturday and Sunday. The child is eligible for the 5 day reduction for Thursday, Friday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Reduce eligible days by 5. Example 5: Child is ill October 18-22, Monday through Friday. The center is open on all days. Reduce eligible days by 5. Provider Closures (All licensed providers and license exempt centers) A provider cannot charge the State of Illinois for days they are closed. The eligible days must be reduced by the number of days the provider was not open for business. Similarly, if a provider is open for business on a day that was not included in the eligible days, the provider should increase the eligible days by the number of days open for business.
Effective Date: 07/01/00
Revised 11/9/21, 12/21/21, 07/01/22, 7/1/24
Reference: Child Care Payment Rate Chart; Rate Certification Form; Cross Reference: 01.04.02 - School Age Children
A licensed child care provider or license-exempt child care center must notify the Department or its Agents of their published payment rates by completing a IL444-4469 - Child Care Rate Certification Form (pdf) or IL444-4469 S - Certificación Para Tarifa de Cuidado de Niños o Guardería (pdf) whenever one or more of the following conditions apply:
annually, for a Site Administered Child Care Provider upon renewal of a contract;
upon a change in licensing status (i.e. a change from license-exempt home provider to a licensed day care home provider);
to report a rate change that does not exceed the current CCAP rate.
Providers may choose to charge the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) a higher rate than they charge private-pay families. This flexibility allows providers to offer scholarships, discounts, or their own sliding fee scales to families who are not enrolled in CCAP. This supports providers in offering reduced rates to families who do not qualify for CCAP, helping to expand access to child care services for all children in Illinois.
Maximum Daily Rates
Maximum Daily Rates The rates listed in this section's Payment Rate Chart are the maximum rates that the Illinois Department of Human Services will pay according to the provider type, County and length of time each day care was given.
Use the part-time rate if the care is provided for less than 5 hours per day. Use the full-time rate if the care is provided from 5 through 12 hours per day. If the care provided is more than 12 hours but less than 17 hours in a day, use the full day rate for the first 12 hours of care and the part day rate for the remainder. If the care provided is from 17 to 24 hours in a day, use the full day rate for the first 12 hours and a full day rate for the remainder.
Rate Changes IDHS will notify CCR&Rs and CCAP providers any time the maximum daily rates will be changed. If a provider is approved with a rate lower than the CCAP maximum, they can submit a Rate Certification Form (IL444-4469) at any time to increase their rate. Providers can also submit a Rate Certification form to reduce their daily rates at any time. Providers have 60 days to submit a rate certification form following an increase in CCAP reimbursement rates.
Effective Date: 08/07/08 Revision Date: 12/16/08 , 04/01/17
Reference: Title IV of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996, P.L. 104-193, as amended; Federal Register notices 62 FR 61344 (November 17, 1997), 63 FR 41658 (August 4, 1998), and 63 FR 41662 (August 4, 1998); ACYF-PI-CC-98-08; CCDF-ACF-PI-2008-01 (May 2, 2008), and 45 CFR, Subpart C, §98.20
Title IV of PRWORA requires programs offering Federal public benefits to verify the citizenship and immigration status of the recipients of such services. The Child Care and Development Fund is considered a program that provides a Federal public benefit and is subject to the verification requirement.
The citizenship status must be verified unless the child is exempt from verification requirements. A child enrolled in a Head Start or Pre-K collaboration is exempt from the verification requirements. However, if a Head Start grantee operates a separate program that is entirely supported by CCDF funds, the separate CCDF program is not exempt from the verification requirements.
Federal Funds: Citizenship and immigration status of the child, the primary beneficiary of Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), is relevant for the purposes of establishing a payment funding source. Federal funds may be utilized for payments of eligible U.S. citizens, U.S. non-citizen nationals, and qualified aliens.
State Funds: Federal funds cannot be used to pay for eligible care for a non-citizen child who is not a qualified alien (see definition below).A non-citizen child who does not meet criteria as a qualified alien includes undocumented or illegal immigrants as well as immigrants, formerly considered eligible for benefits by the courts, known as Permanent Residence Under Color of Law "PRUCOL".
Illinois will continue to authorize services to non-citizen children and will pay for these services with State dollars.
Eligibility for the Child Care Assistance Program:
Citizenship or immigration status of the child's parent cannot be considered and will not impact the child's eligibility determination.
Eligibility will not be denied based on a child's citizenship status
The law regarding U.S. citizenship and nationality is complex; therefore the following are broad definitions for general guidance only. If additional clarifications are necessary, please contact the Bureau of Child Care and Development Program Policy Manager.
United States citizen : (1) A person (other than the child of a foreign diplomat) born in one of the several States or in the district of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or the Northern Mariana Islands who has not renounced or otherwise lost his or her citizenship; (2) A person born outside of the United States to at least one U.S. citizen parent (sometimes referred to as a "derivative citizen") or (3) a naturalized U.S. citizen.
United States non-citizen national : a person born in an outlying possession of the United States (American Samoa or Swain's Island) on or after the date the U.S. acquired the possession, or a person whose parents are U.S. non-citizen nationals (subject to certain residency requirements).
Qualified Alien : An alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). I ncludes lawful permanent residents, asylees, refugees, parolees, individuals granted withholding of deportation or removal, conditional entrants, Cuban or Haitian entrants, battered aliens, and alien victims of a severe form of trafficking. The term qualified alien is not itself an immigration status, but includes a collection of immigration statuses. It is a term used for Federal public benefits purposes.
Applicant Responsibility An applicant shall attest to the citizenship status of each child by completing Section 3 - Family Information of the Child Care Application ( Form IL444-3455 ). If the child is a qualified alien, the parent must provide the alien registration number and submit supporting documentation. The applicant must declare under penalty of perjury and possibly subject to later verification of status, that the child is a U.S. citizen, U.S. non-citizen national or qualified alien. The parent's signature obtained in Section 8 - Parent/Guardian Certification of the Child Care Application that includes the child for whom care is requested is sufficient to meet this criteria.
Staff Responsibility The citizenship status of each child for whom care is requested must be verified and appropriately coded in the Child Care Management System or CCMS. Qualified Child A child who is a U.S. citizen or U.S. non-citizen national or qualified alien is identified in ACID with the following codes: 30, 31, 34, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 71, 72, 73, 81 or 82. Non-Qualified Child A child who is a "non-qualified" immigrant or who is undocumented is identified in ACID with the following codes: 36, 37, 38, 39, 42 or 55. Status Unknown A child whose status is unknown may have one of the following codes in ACID: 32, 33, 35, 43, or 44. If either the declaration, documentation, or signature is not received, the child shall be considered non-qualified. If the case has no connection to TANF, SNAP, or Medical assistance programs the following procedures apply: Qualified child If the case is otherwise eligible, care may be approved for this child. Non-Qualified Child Do not Request Additional Information or otherwise delay processing the application for this information. Head Start/Pre-K Collaboration A child who is no longer enrolled in a Collaboration program must document their status as a United States citizen, United States non-citizen national, or a Qualified Alien if care is needed with a non-collaboration provider.
Effective Date: 11/01/04 Revised: 05/1/10, 06/15/10, 04/1/11, 07/1/12, 0 7/1/13, 07/1/17, 07/1/22, 04/01/25 Reference: 89 Ill. Adm. Code, Chapter IV, §50.310 ; 45 CFR Part II, Subpart E, §98.42;
All families approved for CCAP (other than those exempted below) must share in the cost of child care by paying a monthly Family Copayment based on their family size and non-exempt income as illustrated inSection 2060.320 Maximum Monthly Income and Parent Fee by Family Size and Income Level at https://www.ilga.gov/agencies/JCAR/EntirePart?titlepart=02302060 .
If all the children in care are school age* and are approved for only part-time days (less than 5 hours per day) during services months of September through May, the Family Copayment will be assessed at 50% of the amount shown in Administrative Rule 50.320.
* A school age child is a child whose age is 5 to 13 years and is enrolled in school.
The State is responsible for the costs in excess of the assessed copayment up to the state maximum rates. See example in section IV. (C) of this part. The parent is responsible for additional costs charged by the provider that are not reimbursed by CCAP.
All families must share in the cost of child care as illustrated in Section 50.320, except the following criteria:
relatives (other than parents) who receive a child-only TANF benefit for children needing care due to the relatives' employment:
families approved for the following CCAP Protective Child Care services: Families Experiencing Homelessness (See 01.03.10.a); Families Transitioning from IDCFS Intact Family Services (See 01.03.10.b); Deployed Military Families (See 01.03.10.c Parenting Youth in Care (See 01.03.10.d) Extended Family Support Program Services (See01.03.10.e)
Families that meet the following criteria will have their copayments assessed at $1.00 per month: CCAP-eligible families with a parent or guardian working in child care, as defined by the Department (See section VI below). Families with income at or below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) .
If all of the children in care are of school age and are approved for part-time (less than 5 hours per day) day care for any month September through May, the parent share is 50% of the amount shown in Section 50.320. A school age child is a child whose age is 5 to 13 years and is enrolled in school.
Use IDEC CCAP Parent Co-Payment Rates webpage Table A for all families for the service months of June, July and August.
For the service months of September through May, use Table A for all families not covered by Table B.
Use IDEC CCAP Parent Co-Payment Rates webpage Table B during September through May only when all of the children in care are school age (age 5 or older as of the month of September of each school year) and are approved for less than 5 hours of care. This also applies to families whose children are in year-round school.
The parent's copayment is based on the family's combined non-exempt income and family size at the time eligibility is determined with a new application or at the time of a scheduled redetermination.
Refer to Policy 04.03.01 for other potential costs to the parent.
To determine the monthly copayment, include income from all sources unless the income is on the exempt income list. (see section 01.02.03)
In general, the copayment shall be allocated to the child having the highest reimbursement from the state to avoid the need to allocate a portion of the copayment to multiple children or multiple providers.
When the family has only one provider, the copayment shall be allocated to the youngest child first. If the copayment exceeds the approved cost of care for the youngest child, the remaining amount shall be allocated to the next oldest child. This method shall be used until the full parent copayment has been allocated. For CCR&Rs or site providers entering cases, the child care tracking system will allocate the copayment automatically.
Payment will not be made by the State if the monthly copayment exceeds the approved cost of care for all eligible children. Add the following language to the approval notice until the form can be permanently changed: "If the assessed copayment exceeds the actual cost of care, then the parent pays the actual cost of care and no payment is made by the state."
Parents are responsible for paying the copayment directly to the provider. IDHS considers the collection of the monthly copayment to be between the parent and the provider.
To determine the monthly copayment, include income from all sources unless the income is on the exempt income list. (see section 01.02.03)
In general, the copayment shall be allocated to the child having the highest reimbursement from the state to avoid the need to allocate a portion of the copayment to multiple children or multiple providers.
When the family has only one provider, the copayment shall be allocated to the youngest child first. If the copayment exceeds the approved cost of care for the youngest child, the remaining amount shall be allocated to the next oldest child. This method shall be used until the full parent copayment has been allocated. For CCR&Rs or site providers entering cases, the child care tracking system will allocate the copayment automatically.
Payment will not be made by the State if the monthly copayment exceeds the approved cost of care for all eligible children. Add the following language to the approval notice until the form can be permanently changed: "If the assessed copayment exceeds the actual cost of care, then the parent pays the actual cost of care and no payment is made by the state."
Parents are responsible for paying the copayment directly to the provider. IDHS considers the collection of the monthly copayment to be between the parent and the provider.
Use IDEC CCAP Parent Co-Payment Rates webpage Table B only if: All the children in care are school-age (age 5 or older as of the month of September of each school year), and All the children in care are approved for part-day/school age rate (less than 5 hours per day) unless full time days are needed to cover week days the school is not in session (holidays, in-service days, snow days...). If any full time days are approved based on the client's activity schedule, chart A must be used,and The care is provided during the months of September through May.
Use IDEC CCAP Parent Co-Payment Rates webpage Table A in all other instances. Example 1: Ms. A has one school age child, and one child who is age 3. Use Table A Copayment for family size of 3 for all months of care. Example 2: Mr. B has 3 school age children who receive care during the month of April. Use Table B Copayment for family size of 4 for April and May. Use the Table A copayment for care provided in June, July and August. Example 3: Ms. C has 2 school age children who attend a school with a year-round schedule. School is in session in June, but not in December. Use Table A copayment for family size of 3 for care provided in June, July, and August. Use the Table B copayment for care provided in September through May including December.
CCMS will calculate copayment amounts based on family size and income. A copayment override will be needed for some cases to ensure the correct copayment has been assessed according to this policy.
If a family has more than one child care provider, only one provider is assessed and collects the copayment.
If all the providers are paid through the CCR&R, the CCR&R shall assign the copayment to the provider receiving the highest reimbursement from IDHS, considering the amount of the copayment and the amount of the child care charges. The provider(s) not collecting a copayment will be reimbursed the full amount of the child care charges up to the maximum state rate.
If the family has both a Site Administered Provider and a provider paid through the CCR&R, the copayment shall be assigned to the Site Administered Provider. The Site Provider must give the CCR&R a copy of the Approval Notice for the case record.
If the family uses two Site Administered Providers, the copayment shall be assigned to the Site receiving the highest reimbursement from IDHS, considering the amount of the copayment and the amount of the child care charges. The Site not collecting a copayment will be reimbursed the full amount of the child care charges up to the maximum state rate.
If the copay exceeds the amount charged to the first provider, the second provider shall be assessed the remainder. This situation doesn't happen very often.
The copayment shall be calculated at the time of application and when a redetermination is conducted at the end of an eligibility period.
If you receive new earned income information due to a change in a family income prior to redetermination: recalculate the income to ensure the case remains eligible by being below 85% SMI. Case note the date that you received the new information along with the new total monthly income amount. If the copayment has decreased due to a loss of income or increase in family size, the lower copayment goes into effect the month following the reassessment. Do not increase the copayment amount in the CCMS Families continue to be subject to the Combined Gross Monthly Base Income limit of 85% of SMI and shall report all increases in income within 10 calendar days even if the change does not immediately affect the copayment. If the family is determined to have income over 85% of SMI , cancel the case giving 10 calendar days' notice in accordance with Policy 02.07.01.
A decrease in the monthly copayment shall be implemented on the first of the month following the month in which the change is reported and documented. Parents who report a decrease in income must provide written documentation to support the reduction in copayment. This documentation must be maintained in CCMS.
Do not adjust the copayment for any month due to vacation, illness, center closure, or when care begins or ends mid-month, even at the time eligibility is established.
The State is responsible for the costs in excess of the assessed copayment up to the state maximum rates. See example in section IV. (C) of this part. The parent is responsible for additional costs charged by the provider that are not reimbursed by CCAP.
The only times a copayment amount can increase during an eligibility period is when it had been decreased during the eligibility period and is being re-assessed due to a change reported by the client. Copayments can only be re-assessed up to the amount originally assessed during eligibility determination. This could occur when: A client reported a temporary loss of employment and their copayment was lowered due to decreased family income. If the client returns to work, the copayment is to be reassessed based on the new income documentation. If the new income exceeds 85% SMI, cancel the case with a 10-day notice. If the new copayment is higher than the original amount assessed at the time of eligibility determination, increase the copayment to the same amount as established at the beginning of the eligibility period. If the copayment is higher than it was during the loss of employment, but lower than the original amount, change the copayment based on the new income amount. A family that qualifies for use of Co-payment Chart B per Procedure I. F. above can have their copayment increased to the Chart A level starting in September since the change was determined at the time eligibility was established.
All providers in the IDHS Child Care program are required to collect the monthly copayment and keep records of this collection. IDHS may ask for copies of records of parent copayment collection.
Providers are encouraged to collect the fees before the service is given or use fee collection policies developed for private pay parents.
IDHS automatically deducts the assessed monthly copayment for each family from the total charges billed on the Child Care Certificate or Monthly Enrollment Report during the payment process. A provider should still submit the Certificate or MER for billing purposes even if the copayment exceeds the payment amount so the provider can be paid for any additional add-on fees for which the provider is eligible. Example: Eligibility begins on 6-29-22. The monthly copayment is calculated to be $213. The provider bills the state for 2 days of care at $35.30/per day. The total charge for the month of April is $70.60. Since the copayment of $213 exceeds $70.60, the provider should only collect $70.60, from the parent for the first month of care. The state will pay the provider for the other fees such as Quality Add-ons (if applicable), etc. for which they are eligible.
Managing the copay Families shall pay their monthly co-payment to the provider that is approved on the first day of the month. Consequently, if a family changes provider any time after the first day of the month, the first provider shall collect the whole monthly copayment. If charges for care are less than the monthly copayment, the provider shall collect the smaller of the two amounts. The new provider will not collect a copayment until the first of the following month. Example A: A family's monthly co-payment is $100.00. Provider A is the current provider and charges $25.00 a day. If the last day of care at Provider A is June 2, the parent will pay Provider A $50.00 ($25.00 x 2 days of care). The charges for care used are less than the monthly co-payment. The new provider will not collect a co-payment during the month of the change but will begin collecting $100 on July 1. Example B: A family's monthly co-payment is $100.00. Provider A is the current provider and charges $25.00 a day. If the last day of care with Provider A falls on July 10, the family will pay their full monthly co-pay to Provider A and will pay nothing to the new provider for July (the month of the change). On August 1 the new provider should collect $100.
For the purposes of determining CCAP co-pay amount for parents or guardians determined eligible for CCAP, a child care worker is any employee at a licensed child care center, licensed child care home, licensed group child care home, license-exempt child care center, or license-exempt child care home who spends 75% or more of their regular daily scope of work in service of early childhood education and care, including, but not limited to: Directors and Assistant Directors; Regular teaching staff, including teachers, teacher aides, and assistants; Floating or substitute teachers; Family engagement and support staff; Office staff; Support staff, including custodial, kitchen, transportation, and other staff.
Employment in child care can be confirmed based on the employer information on the CCAP application, Redetermination or Change of Information forms.
Employers listed on pay/employment verification documentation that are known to be child care providers by CCAP eligibility staff need no further verification.
If unsure whether the employer is one of the child care provider types listed in VI.A, CCAP staff are to contact the employer to verify.
CCAP staff are to contact the employer with questions about the amount of time the parent/guardian is assigned to child care duties. For example: The CCAP Application list the client's job title as "custodian." The employer is a child care facility located in a business that provides services in addition to child care. The employer should be contacted to confirm the client spends at least 75% of their regular daily scope of work in service of early childhood education and care. If confirmed, a $1.00 copayment should be assessed. If not confirmed, the copayment will be based on family's size and income according to the IDEC CCAP Parent Co-Payment Rates webpage . The Gateways to Opportunities Registry can also be used to verify that a parent/guardian is employed by a child care provider.
Effective Date: 7/24/20
Revision Dates: 9/1/07; 4/1/08; 10/1/09; 04/01/11; 7/1/11; 7/1/12; 7/1/13; 7/1/14; 7/1/15; 11/09/15; 07/01/16, 07/01/17; 8/25/2017; 10/01/2017, 07/01/18, 12/31/18, 07/01/19; 10/1/19, 7/1/20, 7/1/21, 7/1/22
Cross Reference: 01.03.02 - Employment
A family is considered income eligible when the combined non-exempt gross monthly base income (earned and unearned) of all family members is at or below the amounts listed below for the corresponding family size. In two-parent families, both incomes must be combined to determine eligibility. Two-parent families include those with 2 or more adults living in the home, such as the applicant and his or her spouse or parents of a common child in the home.
Families whose monthly non-exempt income that does not exceed 225% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) for their family size at the time of initial program application are eligible for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP).
Family income must not exceed 275% FPL, with all other eligibility criteria met to be approved for another 12-month period when eligibility is redetermined up to 30 days after the ending date of an eligibility period. Redeterminations received more than 30 days past the last date of eligible will be treated as new applications and must have income at or below 225% FPL.
Families being redetermined with non-exempt income between 275% FPL and 85% of the State Median Income (SMI) will have their 12-month eligibility period extended 3 months. Copayment amounts should be updated to the highest amount for the family's size during this Graduated Phase Out period.
Whenever a family reports an increase to their non-exempt family income that exceeds 85% of the State Medium Income (SMI), the case is to be canceled effective 10 calendar days from the date of the termination notice sent to the family and provider(s).
If the family request child-care assistance at any time after the graduated phase-out period has ended, the request must be treated as a new application with family income below 225% of the Federal Poverty level or less to qualify.
2022 FPL & SMI Comparison
Procedure:
Family Size 225% FPL 275% FPL 85% SMI 2 3,433 4,196 4,921 3 4,318 5,278 6,079 4 5,203 6,359 7,237 5 6,088 7,441 8,395 6 6,973 8,523 9,553 7 7,858 9,604 9,770 8 8,743 9,987 9,987 9 9,628 10,204 10,204
To the extent resources permit, it is the intent of the Department to provide child care services to all applicants that meet the income eligibility requirements set forth in this Section.
In the event the Department must limit participation due to insufficient appropriations or available resources, applicants included in the priority service groups are:
Recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families as described in subsection (c)(1);
Teen parents enrolled full-time in elementary school, high school or high school equivalency classes to obtain a high school degree or its equivalent;
Families engaged in an eligible employment and/or educational activity with a special needs child and family income that does not exceed 185% of FPL for their family size;
Working families whose monthly incomes do not exceed 185% of the most current FPL for their family size;
Families that are not recipients of TANF whose monthly incomes do not exceed 185% of the most current FPL for their family size that need child care assistance to participate in education and training.
Parents are responsible for providing income verification and all other information required by the Department in order to determine income eligibility for child care services.
Documentation must be secured for all earned income and maintained in the family eligibility file or stored electronically in the Child Care Management System (CCMS) prior to approval for child care payments as stated in policy 01.03.02.
Other non-exempt income (see policy 01.02.02) listed on the Child Care Application (IL444-3455) is self-certified by the applicant's signature and should be included in the family's income calculation.
All non-exempt income discovered by preforming searches to State systems and databases as directed by Subsidy Management should be included in the family's income calculation
All income must be documented in the CCMS case file with either proper pay documentation, screen prints of State systems or on the self-certified child care application.
Under Age 2 Full Day/Part Day Age 2 Full Day/Part Day Age 3 and Older Full Day/Part Day Licensed Day Care Center (760) $67.00/$34.00 $54.00/$27.00 $46.00/23.00 License-Exempt Day Care Center (761) N/A N/A $41.00/$21.00 Licensed Day Care Home or Licensed Group Day Care Home (762, 763) $56.05/$28.03 $52.23/$26.12 $47.51/$23.76
Under Age 2 Full Day/Part Day Age 2 Full Day/Part Day Age 3 and Older Full Day/Part Day Licensed Day Care Center (760) $64.00/$32.00 $51.00/$26.00 $43.00/$22.00 License-Exempt Day Care Center (761) N/A N/A $35.00/$18.00 Licensed Day Care Home or Licensed Group Day Care Home (762, 763) $50.12/$25.06 $46.58/$23.29 $42.76/21.38
Under Age 2 Full Day/Part Day Age 2 Full Day/Part Day Age 3 and Older Full Day/Part Day Licensed Day Care Center (760) $57.00/$29.00 $46.00/$23.00 $40.00/$20.00 License-Exempt Day Care Center (761) N/A N/A $33.00/$17.00 Licensed Day Care Home or Licensed Group Day Care Home (762, 763) $46.66/23.33 $43.26/$21.63 $39.63/$19.82
All Children Full Day/Part Day License-Exempt Day Care Home and Relative and Non-Relative Care in the Child's Home (764, 765, 766, 767) $25.76/$12.88
Effective Date: 7/24/20
Revision Dates: 9/1/07; 4/1/08; 10/1/09; 04/01/11; 7/1/11; 7/1/12; 7/1/13; 7/1/14; 7/1/15; 11/09/15; 07/01/16, 07/01/17; 8/25/2017; 10/01/2017, 07/01/18, 12/31/18, 07/01/19; 10/1/19, 7/1/20, 7/1/21, 7/1/22, 7/1/23, 7/1/24; 7/1/25, 7/1/26
Cross Reference: 01.03.02 - Employment
A family is considered income eligible when the combined non-exempt gross monthly base income (earned and unearned) of all family members is at or below the amounts listed below for the corresponding family size. In two-parent families, both incomes must be combined to determine eligibility. Two-parent families include those with 2 or more adults living in the home, such as the applicant and his or her spouse or parents of a common child in the home.
Families whose monthly non-exempt income that does not exceed 225% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) for their family size at the time of initial program application are eligible for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP).
Family income must not exceed 275% FPL, with all other eligibility criteria met to be approved for another 12-month period when eligibility is redetermined up to 30 days after the ending date of an eligibility period. Redeterminations received more than 30 days past the last date of eligible will be treated as new applications and must have income at or below 225% FPL.
Families being redetermined with non-exempt income between 275% FPL and 85% of the State Median Income (SMI) will have their 12-month eligibility period extended 3 months. Copayment amounts should be updated to the highest amount for the family's size during this Graduated Phase Out period.
Whenever a family reports an increase to their non-exempt family income that exceeds 85% of the State Medium Income (SMI), the case is to be canceled effective 10 calendar days from the date of the termination notice sent to the family and provider(s).
If the family request child-care assistance at any time after the graduated phase-out period has ended, the request must be treated as a new application with family income below 225% of the Federal Poverty level or less to qualify.
Family Size 225% FPL 275% FPL 85% SMI 2 $4,058 $4,959 $6,172 3 $5,123 $6,261 $7,624 4 $6,188 $7,563 $9,077 5 $7,253 $8,864 $10,529 6 $8,318 $10,166 $11,981 7 $9,383 $11,468 $12,253 8 $10,448 $12,526 $12,526 9 $11,513 $12,798 $12,798 10 $12,578 $13,070 $13,070
To the extent resources permit, it is the intent of the Department to provide child care services to all applicants that meet the income eligibility requirements set forth in this Section.
In the event the Department must limit participation due to insufficient appropriations or available resources, applicants included in the priority service groups are: Recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families as described in subsection (c)(1); Teen parents enrolled full-time in elementary school, high school or high school equivalency classes to obtain a high school degree or its equivalent; Families engaged in an eligible employment and/or educational activity with a special needs child and family income that does not exceed 185% of FPL for their family size; Working families whose monthly incomes do not exceed 185% of the most current FPL for their family size; Families that are not recipients of TANF whose monthly incomes do not exceed 185% of the most current FPL for their family size that need child care assistance to participate in education and training. Parents are responsible for providing income verification and all other information required by the Department in order to determine income eligibility for child care services.
Documentation must be secured for all earned income and maintained in the family eligibility file or stored electronically in the Child Care Management System (CCMS) prior to approval for child care payments as stated in policy 01.03.02.
Other non-exempt income (see policy 01.02.02) listed on the Child Care Application (IL444-3455) is self-certified by the applicant's signature and should be included in the family's income calculation.
All non-exempt income discovered by preforming searches to State systems and databases as directed by Subsidy Management should be included in the family's income calculation
All income must be documented in the CCMS case file with either proper pay documentation, screen prints of State systems or on the self-certified child care application.