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When a child care start date is backdated prior to the DECCD’s current payment cycle, a payment adjustment will be required before the provider can receive payment. This process is very time consuming and will cause a hardship for the DECCD staff. DECCD will monitor the provider adjustments and inform the DEA of counties and regions in which excessive adjustments have been made. Should provider adjustments become an issue, the ability to backdate the child care start date may be eliminated or the 30/45 day timeframe significantly reduced. Child Care Provider Payments Child care provider payments are issued monthly by the DECCD. Rates of reimbursement are assigned on a certificate based on the provider type (licensed or unlicensed), age of child, and Tier level. Questions concerning payments or eLedgers should be referred to DECCD at 1-800-877- 7882 (toll free) or emailed to ccpayment@mdhs.ms.gov. Parents/caretaker relatives must be informed and need to understand that the TANF Child Care Program will not pay a provider for child care services provided prior to the start date or beyond the termination date of a certificate. Case managers shall not provide verbal approval to the parent/caretaker or the provider that child care assistance has been approved and will be paid. Verbal approval can only be provided by DECCD staff. DEA case management staff will process child care referrals (adds, terminations, and voids) accurately and timely to ensure child care services can be arranged and provider payments processed timely. When a certificate is written and mailed to the parent/caretaker, the status of the certificate is “in process.” The status will not be updated to “active” until the certificate is signed by the parent and provider and returned to DECCD. If the provider selected by the parent is not licensed or approved, the certificate will remain “in process” until the provider is approved by DECCD. The provider will not receive payment for child care services provided prior to approval (retroactive payments will not be made by DECCD). child care providers cannot be paid for services provided prior to the certificate start date or after the termination date. Certificates for children of TANF TWP and TCC participants will not be issued by DECCD until a referral is processed in JAWS. The MDHS-EA-380, contains pertinent information needed to process a child care referral in JAWS and participants are responsible for providing a completed form timely. DEA case management staff will process child care referrals and terminations accurately and timely to ensure child care services can be arranged and provider payments processed timely. When a child care referral (CR01) is processed through the JAWS-to-CCPS nightly interface, a corresponding certificate will be created in the CCPS system in an “active” status. A copy of the active certificate will be emailed to the parent/caretaker relative and the child care provider the following work day. If necessary, the case manager may provide a printed copy of the child care referral (CR01), but shall not provide verbal approval that a certificate will be issued for the child. Verbal approval that a provider will be paid for care provided without a certificate can only be provided by DECCD staff. Change in Providers Parents/caretaker relatives are allowed to change providers when the current provider is no longer preferred. Parents/caretaker relatives must request a change in provider from DECCD prior to withdrawing the child, unless under emergency circumstances. The parent/caretaker relative shall give at least two weeks prior notice to the current provider before withdrawing the child from the center unless there are extenuating circumstances. While parents/caretaker relatives have the right to exercise parental choice in selecting a child care provider, certificates will not be issued to a provider until the provider meets all requirements to become a CCPP approved provider. Parents must select a CCPP approved provider to receive child care assistance. No payments will be issued for care provided while a provider is seeking to become an approved provider. Child care provider changes are handled by DECCD, not the DEA worker.