Child Care Attendance – Excessive Absences Webinar: July 18, 2012 Ginger Rogers

Webinar Agenda Background Special Provisions List of Process Steps Review of each Process Step Questions

Background Customers who receive financial aid for child care – must make sure children attend regularly. Maximum allowed absences = 30 days/year. We’re required to warn customers when absences reach 50% and 75% of the 30 days maximum. We terminate financial aid when customer’s exceed 30 absences. Customers wait at least 30 days to reapply after termination. (Wait list time + 30 days)

Special Provisions for TANF/Choices & Child Protective Services

TANF/Choices Receive warnings - 50% and 75% absence max Lose financial aid for excessive absences Not allowed to reapply (financial aid) for at least 30 days after termination for excessive absences. (Wait list time + 30 days) Must be authorized for financial aid for child care during a period of sanction to allow the customer to demonstrate cooperation.

Child Protective Services Won’t be terminated as long as child care is authorized and funded by DFPS, regardless of the number of paid absences.

Process Steps

1.Identify customers w/excessive absences. 2.Notify customers – warnings/termination 3.Notify vendors – customer’s status (warning or termination) 4.Answer calls/questions from customers – and decide to adjust or not adjust attendance

Process Steps - continued 5.Report vendor issues 6.Investigate vendor issues 7.Terminate financial aid 8.Make sure customer waits 30 days to reapply 9.Hear Appeals

Step 1: Identify Customers Beginning July 20 th - each week on/after Friday – FAPO runs report of customers with excessive absences. FAPO sets up an event & creates a roster in TWIST Scheduler. Uses the roster to mail letters to customers Scheduler – auto creates counselor note entry.

Step 2: Notify Customers FAPO mails warning and termination letters to customers Letters tell customers to contact a career office if they have questions. Termination letter gives the customer 15 days to make other arrangements and includes appeal form. (Use letter for denying financial aid, insert denial reason from chart and attach A1 appeal form.)

Parent Agreement

Warnings

Terminations

Step 3: Notify Vendors FAPO mails a copy of warning and termination letters to the child care provider/vendor. For terminations – FAPO will also mail the vendor an Authorization for Child Care Enrollment (Form 2450) – showing the date financial aid for child care ends.

Step 4: Answer Calls & Decide to Adjust or Not to Adjust Warning and Termination notices will have career office (or call center) addresses and phone numbers. Career office/call center staff make decisions about adjusting attendance. Staff document decisions and absence adjustments in TWIST Counselor Notes.

Common Issues In general issues will include:  My child doesn’t have excessive absences.  My child was sick, in the hospital or visiting other parent. (Includes chronic illness or extenuating circumstances.)  I need an attendance card. I never received it. I lost it. It was stolen. It was damaged.  The POS machine is broken (or other vendor side issue).

To Adjust or Not to Adjust For this round of 1 st warning notices - use this opportunity to tell the customer we will enforce our policy to terminate financial aid for excessive absences. Adjust absences as appropriate. For future termination notices – require customers to offer proof to substantiate her claim that absences are not excessive. In each case – staff must document the conversation with the customer in TWIST Counselor Notes.

Issue: Disagrees w/absence total Our records show: x days absences, x no swipe. We will reset your absences to (x days) for this first warning notice. You must continue to use your swipe card to report attendance. We will issue warning notices and eventually discontinue child care financial aid for excessive absences. If we discontinue financial aid for child care – you will have to wait 30 days or more before reapplying.

Issue: Child was sick, etc. You’re required to notify us when your child will be absent. We will reset your absences to (x days) for this first warning notice. You must continue to use your swipe card to report attendance. We will issue warning notices and eventually discontinue child care financial aid for excessive absences. If we discontinue financial aid for child care – you will have to wait 30 days or more before reapplying.

Issue: Need replacement card We will request a replacement card for you. Verify addresses – Intake Common & Program Detail. We will reset your absences to (x days) for this first warning notice. You must continue to use your swipe card to report attendance. We will issue warning notices and eventually discontinue child care financial aid for excessive absences. If we discontinue financial aid for child care – you will have to wait 30 days or more before reapplying.

Issue: POS Machine Malfunction or other vendor issue We will contact the child care provider to investigate the matter. We will reset your absences to (x days) for this first warning notice. You must continue to use your swipe card to report attendance. We will issue warning notices and eventually discontinue child care financial aid for excessive absences. If we discontinue financial aid for child care – you will have to wait 30 days or more before reapplying.

Step 5: Report Vendor Issues Career office/call center reports vendor issues (reported by parent/customers) to FAPO using FACS. Career office/call center - document vendor issues – when reported by a customer - in a TWIST counselor note in the customer’s record.

Step 6: Investigate Vendor Issues FAPO contacts the vendor to investigate and follow-up on issues. FAPO responds to the FACS issue with a “next action” showing the results of the investigation – and adds a note in the customer’s TWIST record to document the results of the investigation.

Step 7: Terminate Financial Aid FAPO will terminate on the 15 th calendar day from the letter date for the child exceeding max absences. FAPO will change the referral end date to the termination date for the child with excessive absences and adjust the parent fee if necessary - and If customer has only one child in care – close the program detail with term reason: 117-Excessive Absences.

Step 8: Make Sure Customer Waits 30 Days to Reapply Career office/call center check customer’s TWIST record. If terminated for excessive absences in the last 30 days - customer must not be added to the wait list or must not be approved for financial aid for child care. Remind the customer she cannot reapply until 30 calendar days past her termination date.

Step 9: Hear Appeals Career offices will process requests for appeal hearings using the usual process. During any appeal – we will not continue financial aid for the child with excessive absence. Warning and Termination notices will have career office (or call center) addresses and phone numbers. Career office staff make decisions about adjusting attendance.

Make Sure to… Be prepared for phone calls from customers next week. Respond timely to customer calls. Document your decision and conversation in TWIST Counselor Notes Watch for final version of these new procedures.

Workforce Solutions is an equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Texas Relay Numbers: (TDD) (Voice) or 711 Questions? 1.Ask supervisor or manager 2.Submit question through electronic Q&A – when policy distributed. 3.Manager can contact Ginger Rogers or at