Child Care Billing and Payment Requirements

(b) All child care providers and authorized representatives, if any, shall be required to submit invoices via the DHHS web billing application at https://business.nh.gov/beb/pages/index.aspx, and:

(1) Request a web billing account from DHHS by completing, signing, and submitting Form 2679 “Provider Web Billing User Account Request Form” (February 2017);

(2) Be issued a logon by DHHS for use in accessing the web billing account; and

(3) Be issued a temporary personal identification number (PIN) by DHHS for use in submitting web billing invoices and certifying to the information in (g)(4) below. The PIN shall denote the user’s signature.

(c) Neither the child care provider nor any authorized representative shall transfer his or her logon or PIN, or allow use of his or her log on or PIN by any other person.

(d) Each child care provider shall maintain weekly attendance records as described in (e) below for a period of 3 years for each week billed to DHHS.

(e) Each child care provider shall accurately document the following information on a weekly attendance record:

(1) The name of the child care provider or program;

(2) The date of service including the month, day, and year;

(3) The child’s first and last name;

(4) The time of the child’s arrival and departure; and

(5) The parent’s original signature, or electronic signature, including the first and last name.

(f) Child care payments in (a) above shall be made if the child care provider:

(1) Is enrolled with the DHHS child care scholarship program pursuant to He-C 6914 and He-C 6912;

(2) Has on a weekly basis, submitted a billing invoice for each eligible child according to (g) or (h) below, as applicable:

a. Where the hours present and billed matches the arrival and departure times on the attendance records signed by the parent;

b. Where the child absentee hours reflect hours the child was absent;

c. Where the hours billed do not include any hours beyond the child’s last day in attendance; or

d. Where the invoice does not include fees or extra charges such as materials, activity, field trip, fees, or late pick up charges or deposits which cover a portion of the payment; and

(3) Is an enrolled license-exempt child care provider and has been the only person providing the child care and supervision for the time billed to DHHS.

(g) For employment-related child care, DHHS shall make payment to the provider if:

(1) The provider or parent has submitted a completed, signed, and dated Form 1863, “Child Care Provider Verification,” (May 2020) pursuant to He-C 6910 with the understanding that:

“A licensed is required when care is given in a private home for more than 3 children, unrelated to the provider at any given time, in addition to my own children;

I cannot be reimbursed for child care scholarship if I reside in the same home as the child that I am caring for and/or if the child has a biological, step, or adoptive relationship to me; and

The department may release child care information to the above-named provider by the Department of Health and Human Services.”;

(2) The family was eligible for child care scholarship during the time period indicated in the child care provider’s billing invoice;

(3) The child care provider or an authorized representative completes and submits a billing invoice for each child pursuant to He-C 6918.04(b); and

(4) The web billing PIN is submitted to DHHS to certify that:

a. The billing was completed in accordance with this section;

b. The hours included on the invoice are one of the following:

1. Hours in which the child care services were provided;

2. Hours the child was absent;

3. The closure hours available, per calendar year, to the provider include:

(i) Thanksgiving day;

(ii) Christmas day;

(iii) New Year’s day;

(iv) Twelve hours of staff professional development;

(v) Twelve hours of program closures;

4. A federal, state, or DHHS administrator declared disaster closure day(s); or

5. Any combination of 1. – 4. above; and

c. The billing is true and accurate.

(h) Payment for preventive or protective child care services shall be authorized:

(1) For protective child care, Form 2110 “Service Authorization,” (6/30/08), completed by the child protection social worker (CPSW);

(2) For preventative child care, Form 1902 “Referral for Preventive Child Care Services,” (February 2017), completed by the comprehensive family support agency; and

(3) For both protective and preventive child care, Form 1864 “Protective Child Care Provider Verification” (February 2017), completed by the provider, pursuant to He-C 6912.

(i) Payment for preventive or protective child care services shall be made by DHHS if:

(1) The child was authorized for child care scholarship during the time period indicated on the child care provider billing invoice;

(2) The child care provider or an authorized representative completes and submits a billing invoice for each child; and

(3) The web billing PIN is submitted to DHHS to certify the invoice in accordance with (g)(4) above.

(j) Billing pursuant to (g)(4)b.2. and 3. above shall only reflect the hours the child was scheduled to attend the program.

(k) The provider shall only bill for the holidays listed in (g)(4)b.3.(i)-(iii) above, when the child care program is closed.

(l) DHHS shall not accept paper billing for provider closures listed in (g)(4)b. 3 and 4. above.

(m) The provider shall maintain a closure and training calendar in the web billing application.

(n) A foster parent with valid licensure to provide child day care services shall be approved to provide child day care services for children in care only when the ratio of children in care to other children receiving child day care services in the home is at least one to one.

(o) Upon written request from DHHS, and within 7 business days of such request, each child care provider shall provide DHHS with weekly attendance records as described in (e) above as supplemental billing documentation.

(p) If DHHS determines a child care provider submitted incorrect billing:

(1) DHHS shall adjust the incorrect billing invoice to negate the payment; and

(2) DHHS shall notify the provider to correct the billing errors and resubmit the billing invoice no later than 60 days from the date of service.

(q) If the provider does not comply with (p)(2) above, DHHS shall withhold the total amount of the child care payment from future DHHS payments to the provider, beginning with the next scheduled payment.

(r) DHHS shall not pay the billing invoice if the provider does not resubmit the billing invoice correctly in accordance with (f), (g), (h), (i) and (j) above.

(s) If DHHS determines the provider or the provider’s authorized representative has repeatedly submitted the billing invoices incorrectly, DHHS shall issue a notification with the following information:

(1) A description of the billing errors, including the type and frequency of the errors, and instructions on how to correct the billing errors;

(2) The required web-based training the provider shall attend within 20 business days of the date of the notification;

(3) How to access the mandated web-based training; and

(4) Notification that provider disqualification shall occur if:

a. Further billing errors occur after the provider has attended the mandated web-based training; or

b. The provider does not attend the mandated web-based training within 20 business days of the day of notification.

(t) Any child care provider applying for a DHHS assistance program shall report all child care payments received as income.

(u) A child care provider shall not be eligible to receive payments for child care services for a specific child when the provider has not:

(1) Submitted a weekly billing invoice and been paid within 60 days of the date of service in accordance with (f), (g), and (h) above; or

(2) Submitted invoices in accordance with (e) above.

(v) No claims shall be paid over 60 days.

(w) If DHHS does not pay the child care provider because the provider’s billing practices are contrary to the provider agreement, He-C 6914, He- C 6912, and He-C 6918, the provider shall:

(1) Only charge the parent the DHHS cost share plus the co-payment and not bill the parent for the cost of the child care services that could have been paid by DHHS; and

(2) Forfeit the right to pursue payment.

(x) DHHS shall issue to a child care provider a federal Form 1099 in January of each calendar year if the total reportable payment from all state agencies equals $600.00 or more.

(y) If an overpayment is received, a provider shall contact DHHS provider relations at (800) 852-3345.

(z) A provider and a parent shall determine whether the amount the parent or guardian pays the provider each week shall include one or both of the following:

(1) All or part of the cost share; and

(2) All or part of the copayment which is the difference between the DHHS maximum standard rate and the provider’s regular weekly fee.

(aa) DHHS shall allow one child care registration fee payment for employment related child care, up to $50.00 per calendar year for each child eligible for child care scholarship.

(ab) DHHS shall allow for preventive and protective child care registration fee payment, determined by the provider charge, for each child eligible for child care scholarship.

(ac) The registration fee charged in (z) and (aa) above shall not exceed the amount the provider charges to a private paying family.

(ad) DHHS shall not accept paper billing for child care registration fees.

Source. #12224, eff 7-10-17; ss by #13066, eff 7-1-20