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Correcting Copayment Errors If a case is certified with an incorrect copayment at intake or redetermination, the Child Care Supervisor can correct the income and run eligibility to increase a copayment if the correction is made prior to the copayment payment effective date using the “Case Change” case action.

When there is a case change that warrants a change in the copayment amount the Child Care Worker must take appropriate action to validate and update the copayment amount on the authorization(s). During a temporary job disruption (not to exceed 90 days), such as parental leave or a government shutdown, authorized hours of care should remain unchanged, and copayments should not be adjusted based on the temporary loss of income. Documentation of the arrangement must be recorded in the case record. • If the job disruption exceeds 90 days and there is a potential change to the copayment amount, parents must provide written verification to their child care case manager. The case manager must review this information with their supervisor to make a determination. If further clarification is needed, the locality should consult with their Regional Practice Consultant, who will engage the Home Office as necessary for additional guidance.

If more than one child from a family goes to the same provider, VaCMS will assign a copayment per each child authorized for the provider. Each child’s copayment is deducted from the provider payment for that child. If payment for an individual child’s attendance is less than the amount of the per-child copayment, no payment will be made by the system. If changes need to be made to the per-child copayment, the worker can override and make changes, but should not do so without first discussing with supervisor and documenting justification.

The copayment is assigned to the provider authorized at the first of the month. If the family changes provider providers during the month, the copayment is assigned to the new provider the first of the following month. The copayment is not pro-rated nor split between the two providers during the month the change occurred.

When parents share custody of a child and both parents receive child care services, there will be two separate cases with a per-child copayment assigned to each child in the case, even if the child is authorized with the same provider . When an authorization is removed from a suspended status, the copayment is assigned immediately. The copayment is not pro-rated nor assigned the first of the following month. The per-child copayment and total family copayment amounts are shown on the POSO as of the effective beginning date of the reinstatement.

B. Countable Income

In determining copayments, income that will be used includes all earned and unearned income received by the family unit except certain types of disregarded income listed in subsections 3.4., F and G of this guidance.

Initiation of and changes to copayments must be made effective at the beginning of the month following the month the copayment is initiated or the change is effective. A copayment increase, as a result of a