August 15, 2016
Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) Providers:
This notice concerns information regarding recent changes to the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) Attendance Policy that has been put on hold until further notice. Unless a provider has been specifically requested to do so, providers are not required at this time to submit documentation to verify attendance with monthly billing certificates.
The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) will proceed through the rule-making process under the Administrative Procedure Act to propose Department guidelines for attendance by rule rather than policy.
Until a new rule has been established, current procedures requiring child care providers to maintain a system that will verify the attendance of the children in care is still applicable. Providers may use an attendance system of their choice (paper or computerized) rather than the sign-in/sign-out worksheet previously requested by the Department.
However, please note that providers must ensure that any system used should appropriately and consistently document the care rendered by the provider and reflect the days billed to the Department. The provider's attendance documentation must be maintained at the provider site and available upon request for a period of 5 years to present to IDHS or the Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agency.
The Department will provide additional detailed information about the proposed rules to all providers participating in the CCAP as it becomes available.
Until that time, all policies remain the same.
