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Child Care Assistance Program Policy Manual Issued 5/2022 Authorizing care – Switching providers and back-up providers 9.1.10 Back-up providers What is a back-up provider? A back-up provider is a provider that a child only attends, and child care assistance only pays, on a sporadic basis when the child’s usual primary or secondary provider is not available. Back-up providers are commonly used during school breaks, school release days, and/or when the usual provider is on vacation. Care can be authorized with a back-up provider for up to the entire time the child’s usual provider is unavailable. Can a back-up provider’s authorization stay open when care is not needed? A back-up provider’s authorization can only stay open when care is not needed if they are: • Designated as the child’s ONLY secondary provider and authorized for 20 hours or less; or • A legal nonlicensed provider (LNL). Legal nonlicensed providers do not count toward a child’s two provider limit.

Otherwise: • A child cannot be authorized with more than one primary provider and one secondary provider at the same time. See Chapter 9.1.9 (Authorizing care – Multiple providers). • Authorization with a back-up provider can only be opened when care with a child’s usual primary or secondary provider is unavailable.

Note: If a child’s secondary provider is only a back-up provider when the child’s primary provider is unavailable, the family does not meet Schedule Reporter criteria. See Chapter 8.3.6 (Reporting Types). Adjusting Service Authorizations in a single action A single action is when a Service Authorization is: • Opened and closed in the same approval package; or • Increased and lowered with the same provider on the same day. Taking a single action prevents authorization from continuing longer than needed and prevents the need to issue a 15-day notice. A 15-day notice is not needed in these situations because temporarily opening or increasing hours is a positive action. Opening and closing a Service Authorization in a single action When care is only authorized with a back-up provider for a short, limited time when care is not available with the child’s usual provider, it is recommended that workers open and close the back-up provider’s Service Authorization in a single action. Authorization with the child’s usual provider can stay open when care is authorized with a back-up provider, if: • The child’s usual provider is not paid, and care is unavailable; and • The back-up provider’s authorization is expected to last 15 days or less. If care with the child’s usual provider remains available or the back-up provider’s authorization is expected to last more than 15 days: