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Child Care Assistance Program Policy Manual Issued 5/2022 Authorizing care – Switching providers and back-up providers 9.1.10 • Close the usual provider’s authorization; or • Designate the usual provider as secondary and reduce hours to 20 or less (if the child does not have a secondary provider). It is recommend that workers case note or communicate to billing workers that the child’s usual provider cannot bill. Switching a back-up provider’s designation and increasing and lowering hours in a single action It is recommended workers switch a back-up provider’s designation and increase and lower authorized hours in a single action, when: • A back-up provider’s authorization stays open continuously as a child’s secondary provider; but • The back-up provider occasionally needs to temporarily have their designation changed to primary and their hours increased because a child’s usual primary provider is unavailable. The child’s usual primary provider can keep their designation and typical authorization if: • The child’s usual primary provider is not paid, and care is unavailable; and • The back-up provider’s increased authorization is expected to last 15 days or less. If the back-up provider’s increased authorization is expected to last more than 15 days, workers must: • Close the usual primary provider’s authorization; or • Designate the usual primary provider as secondary and reduce hours to 20 or less. MEC² Recommendations It is recommend workers: • Case note or communicate to billing workers that the child’s usual primary provider cannot bill. • Check to be sure the back-up provider and the family get Service Authorizations with all changes in authorized hours and effective dates. If necessary, add comments to MEC² notices or send supplemental notices. • Increase “Total Hours of Care Authorized” on the Billing window, if necessary, to match what was authorized temporarily, when processing bills for a back-up provider. Raising hours on the Billing window without changing the designation will not increase payment above the secondary provider limit of twenty hours (or two daily rates). Authorization Examples Example 1: New primary provider (original provider bills absent days) Scenario On 11/29, the family reports their child is ending care with their primary provider on 12/7 and starting a new primary provider on 12/10. The original provider says they plan to bill absent days during the 15-day notice period. The worker processes the change on 12/3. What happens? The worker took action to close the Service Authorization on 12/3, so 15-day notice runs through 12/19. The child had absent days remaining, and the original provider bills absent days 12/10 through 12/19. The new