MN Providers: Is Govt. Assistance Really That Bad???

[Zoe]

I had an interview last night for a 3 year old and a 1 year old. The mother came alone which I thought was odd and she didn't ask me any questions both at the phone interview and at the in-person interview, so there were some red flags there.

Anyway, she didn't mention she was on govt. assistance until we were doing the in-person interview. It didn't occur to me to ask since I've never run into this before in this town (I've been here for a year). I told her that I currently do not accept govt. assistance but that I'd look into it and get back to her this afternoon. She wants to start care next week.

After all these stories on the forum, I'm not really sure I want to deal with it! I take 2 1-week vacations a year (at half-rate) as well as 5 paid personal days (one of which is next week). I do not offer back-up care, nor do I feel it is my job to find any for my clients. I charge for absences. Basically, I couldn't go over my contract with her because I'm pretty sure not a single part of it is relevant to subsidy clients.

So I need some advice. Are there any info links for MN that you guys could guide me to or any wisdom on how this works? Can I take a vacation? I just don't know if this is something I want to do.

TIA!

[countrymom]

I think this is the reason alot of providers are getting away from parents that are subsidy. They come with way too many strings attatched.

[jojosmommy]

Vacation is unpaid. Any days your daycare is not open you cannot bill the state. I quit taking assistance b/c there are too many problems with it for me. You end up babysitting the parents as much as the kids.

[momma2girls]

I agree with state paid children. One thing if you do start it, the parents must pay you out of their pocket, til everything with state has gone thru. One of my good friends, babysat for her sister on state pay, and even her own sister screwed her out of alot of money!! Her sister kept telling her, it was going thru, and would take quite a while, to get everything in order. My friend kept calling state, and finally state told her, after about 2 months, her sister isn't even qualified for state assistance at all. So she had been watching her 2 children over 2 months, without any pay!!! SO be very careful when doing this!! Make sure you and they have state #'s- and you will get paid. Make sure and have them pay til state kicks in.

[Blackcat31]

I used to take a lot of clients on state assistance but when our state government shut down, I realized how risky that was. Because of that I now only take 2 families on assistance.

However, I have no issues what-so-ever with these families. The only advice I have for you is:
1. Do NOT provide services until you have a Service Agreement in hand or have spoken directly with the family's case worker and have been told by them that care is covered from whatever date you are starting.
2. Collect the bi-weekly co-pay IN ADVANCE.

You must also fill out a packet of info to become "registered" with the state to accept CCAP payments. I turn my bi-weekly vouchers in on Sundays in the HHS drop box and my direct deposit payment is in my account on Tues at midnight, so I have no issue with receiving my payments in a timely manner.

Jojosmommy is right though the state will not pay for any days you are closed so all my families on CCAP have to pay me out of pocket. What I do though is figure out what they will owe me and we start adding an additional amount to hteir co-pay a few weeks in advance of my vacation so the amount they pay doesn't seem so large and overwhelming.

The state does pay for absent days provided you charge all families in your care for absent days.

Here is the link to the handbook you receive when taking families on assistance:

http://www.dhs.state.mn.us/main/idcplg?IdcService=GET_DYNAMIC_CONVERSION&RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased&dDocName=id_008778

Click on the CCAP Manual link and you can read exactly how it works and what your responsibilities are.

If you have any questions though, just PM me. I have been taking CCAP families for as long as I have been open so I am very familiar with their rules.

[Zoe]

Thanks for the advice and the links ladies. I'm not registered for CCAP and this mom wants to start care on Tuesday. That sounds like a heck of a rush to fill out the paperwork and when you combine that with the fact that she didn't bring her kids to the interview because they were being "naughty" as she put it, I just don't have a good feeling about this family. So I'm turning her down, but I will definitely look into getting registered in case a great family comes along. CCAP doesn't sound that scary now, I just have to go with my gut on individual families.

Can I register without a prospective family? Just to be prepared?

Thanks!

[Blackcat31]

Thanks for the advice and the links ladies. I'm not registered for CCAP and

Can I register without a prospective family? Just to be prepared?

Thanks!

Yes, you can.

Also want to mention that our state pays a specific amount per hour, day and/or week for a rate. If you have a CDA, a 2 or 4 yr degree or are accredited, you receive 15% more than the regular rate paid out.

[kidkair]

Yep you can register without a family needing it and our office recommends you do that so that you are ready if a family needs care. I don't take it any more because all the ones I interviewed needed care "right now!" and I refused to start them before getting the paperwork from the gov't though I did offer to treat them like any other client and get the full pay in advance and credit their account once I started getting gov't monies. Since no one seemed willing I just let my registration expire.

[Zoe]

Yes, you can.

Also want to mention that our state pays a specific amount per hour, day and/or week for a rate. If you have a CDA, a 2 or 4 yr degree or are accredited, you receive 15% more than the regular rate paid out.

Cool. I have a teaching degree as well as a special ed certification. I don't think the 15% more would really help me out though, as I charge $25 a day and I think that's under their max payout. Thanks for the tip!

[Blackcat31]

Cool. I have a teaching degree as well as a special ed certification. I don't think the 15% more would really help me out though, as I charge $25 a day and I think that's under their max payout. Thanks for the tip!

My area the max pay out is 2.73 per hr/27.20 daily/136.06 weekly.
(that is the 15% more rate) I charge more than that so the parent needs to make up the difference so basically it is a benefit to them that I get the 15% more...kwim? Oh and the rates I listed above are for toddlers/preschoolers. They pay more for infants.

Check this link: http://www.dhs.state.mn.us/main/idcp...ame=id_008688# scroll down half way and it will how a link to the max rates in your area. Click the one that says "with accreditation/credential"

[Zoe]

My area the max pay out is 2.73 per hr/27.20 daily/136.06 weekly.
(that is the 15% more rate) I charge more than that so the parent needs to make up the difference so basically it is a benefit to them that I get the 15% more...kwim? Oh and the rates I listed above are for toddlers/preschoolers. They pay more for infants.

Check this link: http://www.dhs.state.mn.us/main/idcp...ame=id_008688# scroll down half way and it will how a link to the max rates in your area. Click the one that says "with accreditation/credential"

I did look at that and I don't charge more than that. I think the max with accreditation was 30 a day. Boy that would be nice, but the average in my area is 25 a day, so I stick with that.

[Countrygal]

Wow! MN actually pays you for days off??? In WI we get paid only for actual time the kids are in our presence. Period. Anything else is the provider's responsibility. And as I've found out, there is pretty much always a copay, no matter your income. Even with my gs who is on a "child only" account, I had a copay - go figure - he has no income.

As you can probably tell, I am not a big fan of subsidy payment, but I'll do it because part of the reason I'm doing daycare is to help the single moms and dads around these parts. But working with the subsidy programs is pretty rough.

[Blackcat31]

Wow! MN actually pays you for days off??? In WI we get paid only for actual time the kids are in our presence. Period. Anything else is the provider's responsibility. And as I've found out, there is pretty much always a copay, no matter your income. Even with my gs who is on a "child only" account, I had a copay - go figure - he has no income.

As you can probably tell, I am not a big fan of subsidy payment, but I'll do it because part of the reason I'm doing daycare is to help the single moms and dads around these parts. But working with the subsidy programs is pretty rough.

No, we do not get paid for days off.

The state will pay for a child's absent day if the child was scheduled to be in care. The state does NOT pay for any days the provider is closed. Parents pay out of their own pocket fo rdays I am closed and for any days they use over the allotted amount of payable absent days.

The maximum amount of absent days is 25 per calendar year but wil be changing to 10 per calendar year in 2013, I think. I could be wrong on when the change takes place, but do know they are changing from 25 to 10.

I have had parents have co-pays ranging from $0 to $200. Depends on the family income and their allowable expenses.

Our state has also stopped paying family members to care for their own relatives.

[Meeko]

Utah just pays a set monthly rate. We (the providers) don't account for hours in care.

The state and the parent work outs how many hours they think they need. The state pre-approves them for 6 months at a time. The state issues funds on the first of each month and it's transferred directly to my account.

I don't fill out anything except one piece of paper when the parent starts.. Parents have to make up any difference to me if there is a difference.

I don't think I would take state pay kids if I had to hassle to get the money. The parents are enough to contend with most of the time!

[GretasLittleFriends]

Got a letter in the mail today regarding changes to the MN CCAP program. The changes are as follows:
March 5, 2012 - CCAP will not make payments to someone who lives in the same home as the child unless approved by CCAP.

April 16, 2012 - Payments for one day cannot be more than the daily rate and payments for one week cannot be more than weekly rate. (Basically they will only allow 10hrs/day or 50hrs/week and parents will have to cover the difference)

September 3, 2012 - Non-standard hour payments will end. Payments for activity fees end.

January 1, 2013 - CCAP will not make absent day payments to legal nonlicensed family child care providers. CCAP will only pay for 10 absent days a year per child at a licensed provider or a licensed exempt center.

January 1, 2013 - CCAP will not make payments to a child care center if more than half the children at the center are children of the center's workers or live with center workers.