SECTION 340:40-10-4. Child care electronic benefit transfer (EBT) payment process

(a)   Child care payments. The Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) makes payments for child care services to providers electronically using the electronic benefit transfer (EBT) system unless the provider is an in-home provider. In-home providers are paid manually via the EBT system after submitting Form 10AD121E, Child Care Claim.

(b)   Point-of-service (POS) machines. Contracted child care providers are issued a POS machine within 10-calendar days of the date the worker authorizes care for a child and the provider notifies the DHS contractor that he or she started caring for a child eligible for DHS subsidized child care and submits all necessary forms to the contractor.

(c)   Attendance swiping. Clients record actual times their child attends child care by swiping an EBT card through the POS machine. Providers may charge clients for care provided on days they fail to bring their EBT card or when the machine message shows care is denied. When the client pays for care that is later approved for that date(s), the provider must reimburse the client for any care paid above the family share copayment amount.

(1)   Providers must monitor the POS machine to ensure correct attendance times are recorded. When incorrect times are recorded, the provider can void the incorrect transaction and ask the client to start over.

(2)   When clients forget to swipe their EBT card for a day their child attends care, record incorrect times that are voided by the provider, or receive a denied error message, the system allows the client to swipe previous in and out times for the current day and the previous nine days.

(3)   Based on attendance recorded and the level of care authorized, electronic settlements to providers are made weekly.

(d)   EBT payment week. The EBT payment week begins every Sunday at 12:01 a.m. and ends every Saturday at midnight. Electronic settlements are made each week in the provider's designated financial institution account on Tuesday morning for services provided two weeks prior to the current week. When the financial institution is closed on Monday or Tuesday or Monday is a holiday, the electronic settlement is deposited on Wednesday morning.

(e)   Manual claims process. When the provider reports he or she was not paid correctly, the provider may submit Form 10AD121E to the DHS Financial Services Electronic Payment Services (EPS) Unit for a manual adjustment. Manual claims must be submitted within 90-calendar days of the error. EPS staff evaluates whether to adjust the payment to the provider based on the reason care was not paid electronically.

(1)   When the client did not attempt to record attendance electronically, DHS does not pay the provider for those days unless extenuating circumstances beyond the client's or provider's control exist. These extenuating circumstances must be documented on Form 10AD121E.

(2)   EPS staff makes manual adjustments when the:

(A)   client swiped correct attendance times, but swipes were denied in error:

(B)   family share copayment applied by the EBT system was incorrect; or

(C)   provider was paid the wrong rate because:

(i)   the child care plan was incorrectly coded;

(ii)   an incorrect birth date was entered for a child; or

(iii)   an incorrect star status was paid.

(f)   Absent-day payments. Providers can be paid an absent-day payment for a child who misses some days of scheduled attendance and is authorized for a weekly unit type. An absent-day payment is electronically deposited in the provider's account in their weekly settlement received after the 10th day of the month following the month care was given. To be eligible to receive this additional payment, the child must be approved for a weekly unit type and attend the minimum number of full-time days shown on DHS Appendix C-4-B, Child Care Provider Rate Schedule, for that month. The provider is not eligible for an absent-day payment when the child did not attend the minimum number of full-time days for that calendar month or attended the maximum days paid as shown on DHS Appendix C-4-B.

[Source: Added at 22 Ok Reg 1238, eff 6-1-05; Amended at 24 Ok Reg 1027, eff 6-1-07; Amended at 25 Ok Reg 920, eff 6-1-08; Amended at 26 Ok Reg 820, eff 6-1-09; Amended at 28 Ok Reg 831, eff 6-1-11; Amended at 37 Ok Reg 1813, eff 9-15-20]