Foster Kids In Daycare-Billing Issue

[Leigh]

Once again, I agreed to watch some foster kids in daycare as a favor to our caseworker. Once again (as my husband ALWAYS reminds me will happen), the dang foster parents didn't bother to fill out their paperwork with childcare assistance. My husband reminds me every time about how I "never" get paid for watching these kids. I now have to submit a bill to our local CPS, who will once again tell me that they have to talk to childcare assistance, blah blah blah, and it will be next month before they issue a voucher, and my payment will be at least a month late.

I'm debating on charging CPS a late fee or an administrative fee for all the extra paperwork involved in getting paid (what should have literally taken 2 seconds has already taken me 20 minutes, and there will be more time involved. I'm sick of all this extra work just to get paid for what I should have already been able to bill for.

Who has suggestions on how to proceed? Should I charge a $25/child administration fee for all the extra work? Charge a late fee? I know that CPS has no control over when I get paid for this-I will be paid on the 2nd Wednesday of the month if I have billed by the 1st and IF it has been approved, so instead of being paid tomorrow (as I should have), so I'll be paid 5/10 or 6/14, depending on when they get this taken care of on the state level. The care occurred last week, and tomorrow SHOULD have been when I was paid.

[LysesKids]

Once again, I agreed to watch some foster kids in daycare as a favor to our caseworker. Once again (as my husband ALWAYS reminds me will happen), the dang foster parents didn't bother to fill out their paperwork with childcare assistance. My husband reminds me every time about how I "never" get paid for watching these kids. I now have to submit a bill to our local CPS, who will once again tell me that they have to talk to childcare assistance, blah blah blah, and it will be next month before they issue a voucher, and my payment will be at least a month late.

I'm debating on charging CPS a late fee or an administrative fee for all the extra paperwork involved in getting paid (what should have literally taken 2 seconds has already taken me 20 minutes, and there will be more time involved. I'm sick of all this extra work just to get paid for what I should have already been able to bill for.

Who has suggestions on how to proceed? Should I charge a $25/child administration fee for all the extra work? Charge a late fee? I know that CPS has no control over when I get paid for this-I will be paid on the 2nd Wednesday of the month if I have billed by the 1st and IF it has been approved, so instead of being paid tomorrow (as I should have), so I'll be paid 5/10 or 6/14, depending on when they get this taken care of on the state level. The care occurred last week, and tomorrow SHOULD have been when I was paid.

I personally won't take Foster kids unless it is Cash pay by the Foster parents or they show me the Subsidy paperwork has been approved and payment is in my name and even then subsidy here won't pay all my fee - the Family has to pay out half at least every time (in advance); I worked with one family for 18 months & the family preferred to pay cash until the kids aged out here (under 2 years only) and then they did subsidy thru a center. They still got food stamps & medical, Public Assistance took into account they paid cash for childcare.

[Leigh]

I personally won't take Foster kids unless it is Cash pay by the Foster parents or they show me the Subsidy paperwork has been approved and payment is in my name and even then subsidy here won't pay all my fee - the Family has to pay out half at least every time (in advance); I worked with one family for 18 months & the family preferred to pay cash until the kids aged out here (under 2 years only) and then they did subsidy thru a center. They still got food stamps & medical, Public Assistance took into account they paid cash for childcare.

I understand why. The thing is, I am a foster parent, too, and I know these foster parents. I called the foster mom and it turns out that her application wasn't properly processed. They wouldn't process her because she hadn't submitted pay stubs (foster parents don't have to because they're automatically approved). She's going to call and raise heck with them tomorrow.

Foster parents here don't even get reimbursed enough to pay for daycare (they get $18 a day). Here, a foster parent can't be on public assistance-I was surprised to read that you had one on food stamps! You have to prove that you have the means to support the kids because the reimbursement isn't enough to cover all of the expenses. The kids DO get Medicaid, but I have paid out so much for medical expenses that Medicaid wouldn't cover! I didn't know at that time that CPS will reimburse for that stuff!

I know that CPS WILL pay, it's just such a pain to wait and wait and fill out the extra paperwork. This was an emergency placement, and they only needed me for a week (until the daycare that I referred them to returned from vacation), so they didn't have time to get approved, but when they weren't available for billing, I assumed that they (as all of the previous ones) hadn't sent in their application. I feel a little better knowing that she at least tried!

[LysesKids]

I understand why. The thing is, I am a foster parent, too, and I know these foster parents. I called the foster mom and it turns out that her application wasn't properly processed. They wouldn't process her because she hadn't submitted pay stubs (foster parents don't have to because they're automatically approved). She's going to call and raise heck with them tomorrow.

Foster parents here don't even get reimbursed enough to pay for daycare (they get $18 a day). Here, a foster parent can't be on public assistance-I was surprised to read that you had one on food stamps! You have to prove that you have the means to support the kids because the reimbursement isn't enough to cover all of the expenses. The kids DO get Medicaid, but I have paid out so much for medical expenses that Medicaid wouldn't cover! I didn't know at that time that CPS will reimburse for that stuff!

I know that CPS WILL pay, it's just such a pain to wait and wait and fill out the extra paperwork. This was an emergency placement, and they only needed me for a week (until the daycare that I referred them to returned from vacation), so they didn't have time to get approved, but when they weren't available for billing, I assumed that they (as all of the previous ones) hadn't sent in their application. I feel a little better knowing that she at least tried!

This foster family had 6 kids under 10 years of age from one family... it was a desperate situation with 3 kids having severe medical issues; both parents worked, but the extenuating circumstances required just an extra touch of help... $18 a day couldn't cover the youngest babies food supplements much less all the travel to medical appointments And they had 3 kids of their own too

[Alwaysgreener]

I understand why. The thing is, I am a foster parent, too, and I know these foster parents. I called the foster mom and it turns out that her application wasn't properly processed. They wouldn't process her because she hadn't submitted pay stubs (foster parents don't have to because they're automatically approved). She's going to call and raise heck with them tomorrow.

Foster parents here don't even get reimbursed enough to pay for daycare (they get $18 a day). Here, a foster parent can't be on public assistance-I was surprised to read that you had one on food stamps! You have to prove that you have the means to support the kids because the reimbursement isn't enough to cover all of the expenses. The kids DO get Medicaid, but I have paid out so much for medical expenses that Medicaid wouldn't cover! I didn't know at that time that CPS will reimburse for that stuff!

I know that CPS WILL pay, it's just such a pain to wait and wait and fill out the extra paperwork. This was an emergency placement, and they only needed me for a week (until the daycare that I referred them to returned from vacation), so they didn't have time to get approved, but when they weren't available for billing, I assumed that they (as all of the previous ones) hadn't sent in their application. I feel a little better knowing that she at least tried!

Foster parents are so seriously underpaid for all the crap that the system puts them through. When I did foster care, I got $12 a day and the daycare charged $27 a day. Every time they add a sibling to my home, I had to take a day off to get all the paperwork processed. (I got a family of 4 that came over 4 months) I had to send paperwork back to the case worker to correct her errors more than once.

As for state assistant, I was required to send in my income even though they did not need it. Doing so tricks the computer into thinking that the paperwork is complete and it does not attach a red flag error message to it, delaying human processing.

Since it is a government program, they won't pay you the same fees that they would charge you but you could ask for your interest.

[Unregistered]

As a dual licensed foster home and daycare home I feel your pain. I was promised daycare payment for both of my last placements, the 2nd one in writing for them to renig on it.

I am doing respite now and adopt. I can't afford to have a foster kid take up a slot in my daycare due to low reimbursement for myself.

I have not got a call from any foster parents wanting to place their kiddo full time, but this is what I would do.

1st in daycare you bill ahead. So for instance I bill the previous Friday due before Monday morning at drop off for that week. Meanwhile CCS has a huge lag time, that hurts your bottom line.

I would require all parents no matter what their background to pay weekly or monthly(give them discounted rate) ahead. No matter what program they are on, military or CCS/Foster/Low Income reimbursement. Then you bill CCS/military and when you get that check back, you apply that total amount as a credit to the daycare babies account. So they use that up and when you run out they start paying. So there will be a shortage because the reimbursement is never what your whole tuition rate is. Charge them your full rate, NOT the reimbursable rate.

This makes for a funky not consistent bill for the parents, but I see it as the only way to help them while not causing you to essentially float tuition and take a hit if CCS screws up or changes their mind on coverage, which they frequently do. I see this as an alternative to just saying no to all low income, military, and foster kids.

Might I recommend you have some kind of electronic invoicing set up, so the parents can see and have proof of the breakdown. DO NOT do this verbally or with cash, it could get messy and accusations fly. Spell it all out in a contract, make an addendum to your current one if you must.

Best of luck.

[Leigh]

As a dual licensed foster home and daycare home I feel your pain. I was promised daycare payment for both of my last placements, the 2nd one in writing for them to renig on it.

I am doing respite now and adopt. I can't afford to have a foster kid take up a slot in my daycare due to low reimbursement for myself.

I have not got a call from any foster parents wanting to place their kiddo full time, but this is what I would do.

1st in daycare you bill ahead. So for instance I bill the previous Friday due before Monday morning at drop off for that week. Meanwhile CCS has a huge lag time, that hurts your bottom line.

I would require all parents no matter what their background to pay weekly or monthly(give them discounted rate) ahead. No matter what program they are on, military or CCS/Foster/Low Income reimbursement. Then you bill CCS/military and when you get that check back, you apply that total amount as a credit to the daycare babies account. So they use that up and when you run out they start paying. So there will be a shortage because the reimbursement is never what your whole tuition rate is. Charge them your full rate, NOT the reimbursable rate.

This makes for a funky not consistent bill for the parents, but I see it as the only way to help them while not causing you to essentially float tuition and take a hit if CCS screws up or changes their mind on coverage, which they frequently do. I see this as an alternative to just saying no to all low income, military, and foster kids.

Might I recommend you have some kind of electronic invoicing set up, so the parents can see and have proof of the breakdown. DO NOT do this verbally or with cash, it could get messy and accusations fly. Spell it all out in a contract, make an addendum to your current one if you must.

Best of luck.

A good idea. I do get deposits from foster parents who have long term placements and put them in my care, but the foster kids that I take are usually emergency placements and I have them for a few days (because I had some kids gone, I had space for them last week). I don't have trouble with CCS once they're approved, but getting them approved and most often, the parents not bothering to fill out the paperwork at all!

I have always given space in my daycare to my OWN foster kids, but I am done with that, too, for the same reason you are...I would be literally paying myself out of my own pocket for their daycare! My reimbursement isn't enough to cover the cost of a space in my care, so from now on, they go to daycare elsewhere (CPS would rather pick them up and drive them both ways to a neighboring town, 22 miles from my home, than pay for the slots in my childcare).