Approved Relative 400-28-105-20

(Revised 8/1/2023)

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NDAC 75-02-01.3-05

Approved relatives must be approved to provide care for specific children. Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) will only make payment for children who are identified on the approved relative’s approval letter.

An Approved Relative is a provider, whose relationship to the child by marriage, blood, or court degree, is a:

Grandparent (including step-grandparents)

Great-grand parent (including great step-grandparents)

Aunt or uncle (including step-aunt or uncle)

Sibling (including step-siblings) when the sibling lives at a separate residence form the child(ren).

Approved relatives must apply to become eligible. The following items are required as part of the application process:

SFN 23, Application for Approval for Relative Child Care Provider

W-9, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certificate

SFN 433, Child Abuse and Neglect Background Inquiry for each household member age 18 and over

Verification of SSN or Employer Identification Number (EIN)

Verification of relationship to the children that care will be provided for. Acceptable verification includes but is not limited to: Birth certificates Adoption papers Court records

To assure the health and safety of children, the approved relative and all adult household members (18 and over) will be subject to the following background checks:

North Dakota Supreme Court website

North Dakota State’s Attorney’s Sex Offender website

Children and Family Services criminal back ground check

In addition, Approved Relatives are required to complete the Getting Started training offered by Growing Futures. This basic child care course must be completed within 90 days of approval. If the training is not completed within 90 days, the approval will be ended. Approved Relatives will be eligible to receive up to 3 months of payments before completion of the training. If the 90th day falls into the 4th month, no payment will be allowed for this month. Overpayments will not be established for the 3 months of temporary approval if the provider does not complete the training.

Example: An application for relative provider is approved January 15th. The Approved Relative has 90 days from January 15th to complete the required training. On April 16th, state office staff determine the Approved Relative has not completed the required training, which was due April 15, the 90th day, the providers approval is no longer valid. Payments will be allowed for January, February, and March, but not for April.

If a prior approval has been ended for failure to complete the training, and the provider reapplies, the training must be completed within 30 days of the application being submitted in order to be re-approved.

Completion of the training must be completed once every 4 years. If a provider was formerly licensed and has completed the training within the past 4 years, the training would not need to be completed at application.

Example: An application was received on June 1, 2021. The applicant provides verification of the completed training with a date of June 15, 2017. Approval of the application does not occur until June 22, 2021. As the date of approval is 4 years past the date of the training completion, the approved relative will be required to complete the training within 90 days from the approval.

An Approved Relative’s request to be a provider will be denied or will be terminated in an ongoing case when the applicant or household members have been found guilty of, pled guilty to, or pled no contest to any offense described in section 75-02-01.3.05 of North Dakota Administrative Code (N.D.A.C.).

Approved relative applicants must reside in North Dakota. Approved relatives can only provide care in the provider’s own home. Approved relative providers cannot be approved to provide care in the child’s home unless the child is subject to policy at 400-28-35-30, In Home Care Due to Illness/Disability. If an approved relative provider applicant is living in the same home as the child(ren) they are applying to care for, and separate living quarters do not exist, the approved relative application is denied. The approved relative provider applicant must apply to become licensed or self-declared in order to receive payment from CCAP.

An approval or denial letter will be sent to the applicant upon determination. An applicant may appeal the decision by submitting a signed written request to the agency within 30 days from the date of the notice of the letter. During an appeal process, payments will not be made by the CCAP.

A request for verification notice will be sent in situations when more information is needed. The applicant or approved provider has 10 days to respond to the notice. If the applicant does not respond to the notice within 10 days, the application will be denied. In ongoing approvals, the approval must end at the end of the month after the 10 days have passed.

Once approved, a provider number will be assigned by the state CCAP office.

Approved relative providers must renew the approval every year in order to continue to receive CCAP. The provider must also submit a W-9 yearly with their renewal application.

If the approved relative provider moves, the approval becomes invalid and the provider must reapply.

Approved relative providers are required to maintain attendance records for each child in their care. Records should include the child’s name, the date, and check-in/check-out times. All attendance records must be made available at the request of the state or Human Service Zone office (HSZ) office. The attendance records must be handled in a manner that protects the identity of CCAP families.