PARENT FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Transcription

1 Frequently Asked Questions General Questions Army Fee Assistance PARENT FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 1. What is the official transition date? The official transition date has not been finalized. You will receive notification via , mail and website updates once the transition has been finalized. 2. Why did you transition? Since 2004, Installation Management Command (IMCOM) G9 Family and MWR Programs have offered Army Child Care Fee Assistance programs. The Fee Assistance programs have been administered by NACCRRA and by the General Services Administration (GSA). In order to eliminate duplication of effort and to reduce overhead costs for the administration of the program, IMCOM G9 will be consolidating this program under GSA. Contact Information 1. Who do I call if I have questions? Please continue to contact NACCRRA until the transition is complete. NACCRRA will be able to provide current information on who you will report changes and updates to. 2. I am expecting a child soon and will need to apply for child care in a few months, who should I apply to? Please continue to report any changes to NACCRRA. Notification will be sent once the transition is complete to include contact information for the GSA. NACCRRA s Parent Services hotline will also be available to provide you support by calling (800) After the transition will I be able to reach someone at NACCRRA for assistance? You will still be able to contact NACCRRA for support on who you should update your information with. Once we are closer to the completion of the transition, NACCRRA will post the contact numbers for the GSA on the transition website. 1

2 4. Do you have a call center a GSA to answer question/ address concerns? The GSA Subsidy Administration has a call center to answer questions, address concerns and provide general assistance to Families and providers. This phone number(s) will be published at a date closer to final transition later this summer. 5. Will my case manager change? Once the Army Fee Assistance Program Administration Transition is completed later this summer, each Family and Provider will be assigned to an Agency Representative. This Agency Representative will service your Family s case and will be able to respond via phone or to questions you may have regarding payments to providers, Recertification and/or child care arrangements, etc. 6. Is GSA agency representative found via a website? Each Family will be assigned an Agency Representative internally by the GSA Subsidy Administration management. There is no action needed on the Families part. Recertification, Updates & Eligibility 1. How often will I need to update my information? Please refer to your approval certificate for the start and end dates of eligibility. Please also check the note box on bottom right side of your approval certificate for important information on account updates and due dates. If you are still unsure of what this date will be, please contact NACCRRA at (800) Will we be contacted before eligibility lapses? You will receive notification from NACCRRA 60 days prior to your certification end date. Please also check your approval certificates for the start and end dates of eligibility. If you are still unsure of what this date will be, please contact NACCRRA at (800) Once the transition is complete and your case has been transferred to the GSA, families will be notified by the GSA when a Recertification will be required and what information will be necessary to complete the process 2

3 3. What if you have an active certificate extending through your child's birth date, and then a certificate approved from the birthday onward? Your approval will expire from on the end date of your most recently issued certificate. Please make sure that if you have more than one child that you review the dates of eligibility on all certificates. 4. If I have a school age child does fee assistance continue for summer care if full time care is needed during summer? If you have not already reported your school age child s summer care schedule, please contact NACCRRA with your child s last day of school and schedule for summer care. Your approval certificate will be adjusted to the end date of eligibility. 5. I recently had an increase in my pay, when should I report this change? Any changes in income should be reported to NACCRRA immediately to recalculate fee assistance eligibility. Once your case has been transferred to the GSA you will be required to report changes to them as well. 6. Is there a way to find out exactly what my recertify date is or expiration date? If you are not able to locate your eligibility dates on your approval certificate, please contact NACCRRA at (800) How do I find out the status if I have not yet received an approval letter? Please contact NACCRRA to get a listing of any required documents necessary to complete your request for fee assistance. 8. Can the daycare centers on Army installation accept this subsidy? Installation child care spaces are already subsidized by the U.S. Army. Fee assistance can only be paid to off post providers. The Army Fee Assistance Program is designed to offset cost of care for families who are not able to access care at an Army installation. 9. Will communication for recertification s post transition be sent to the address on record currently with NACCRRA? NACCRRA will be providing all information for Families with an Active Approval Certificate to the GSA. The information includes addresses and phone numbers. Therefore, please ensure that the information on file at NACCRRA is kept up to date. 3

4 10. What is your internal lead time for processing recertification applications? The GSA will notify each Family 90 days prior to the Family s need to recertify. This notification will be sent to the Sponsor and/or POA via and will list all documents required to be submitted for the Recertification. 11. If I am already receiving assistance, will my approval be automatically renewed? The GSA will use your NACCRRA Certificate approval through the end date. As per Army guidance at any time that there is a change to your Certificate that affects your Fee Assistance subsidy you will have to complete the application process with the GSA to include submitting supporting documentation Will the recertification documentation requirements be generally the same? Families will be notified by the GSA when a Recertification will be required and what information will be necessary to complete the process. 13. Will we be assigned new family ID numbers and provider ID numbers? Upon recertification under the GSA, you will be assigned a new case number. Providers will also receive a new case number upon application renewals. Provider Consent, Payment and Eligibility Questions: 1. What happens if the consent form was sent is sent to NACCRRA past the due date of 2/14/14? If your provider consent form was received after the due date it was still processed and the provider information will be transferred to the GSA. NACCRRA will continue to accept the release form until the transition is completed. If you or your child care provider is unsure if the consent form has been received by NACCRRA, please contact (800) option 7. NACCRRA will continue to send notifications to providers who have not yet completed the consent forms. NACCRRA will also notify providers of the last date of submission as we get closer to the final stages of the transition. 4

5 2. Who do I send my attendance sheets to? Until further notice, you will continue to send all attendance sheets to NACCRRA. Please save copy in the event that your attendance sheet needs to be forwarded to the GSA for payment processing. 3. When will we be getting the new attendance sheets, as they are slightly different from our current ones? The GSA will issue the new Invoice and Attendance Forms directly to your qualified provider. Your provider will continue to use the NACCRRA Subsidy Attendance Sheet until they receive the new GSA form. 4. Will we also receive a copy of the attendance forms or will they only be sent to the provider? Families do not receive a copy of the Invoice and Attendance Form. The GSA provides the form directly to the qualifying provider as they are the recipient of the Army Fee Assistance Subsidy payment. 5. What if the total charged does not match on the invoice. i.e. I get charged weekly and some months are 4 weeks and some 5, is this going to be reflective on the invoice? The GSA issues Invoice and Attendance Forms based upon each child s specific attendance and provider billing method. Therefore, if your qualified provider bills on a 4 and 5 week month, the GSA Invoice and Attendance Form will reflect such. 6. Does GSA require a copy of the Power of Attorney on file for the spouse? It is not required, but is highly recommended to provide the POA to the GSA to be included in your case file. Documents can be submitted via fax, scanned and ed or U.S. Postal Service. 7. Is the Provider Invoice available in PDF format? I would like to give my facility a copy and discuss with them The Invoice and Attendance Form is issued in a PDF format. The GSA will provide the form directly to your qualified provider and can answer any questions the provider may have regarding the form. (This form was presented and reviewed during the provider webinar held March 26, 2014 and the slides can be found on the NACCRRA transition website.) 5

6 8. Will we still need to fill out separate attendance sheets for siblings at the same center? Also will benefit amounts be changing after the transition? The GSA issued Invoice and Attendance Form can be used for up to three children. Therefore, if you have three or less children attending the same center, then all three children will be listed on a single Invoice and Attendance Form. The benefit will not change as a result of the transition. However, after the transition, any change to your child s current arrangement of care may result in a change to your Army Fee Assistance benefit. 9. Will there be a delay in receiving payment since it will be coming from a location further away? The GSA highly recommends that providers receive payment via Direct Deposit. This is the most secure and efficient method and is not reliant on U.S. Postal Service delivery. However, if your qualified provider elects to receive payment via check, then they will be subject to the 7 10 business day guidelines set forth by the U.S. Postal Service for delivery of mail. 10. If a couple is not married, and does not have a POA, is there a specific deadline that the soldier has to sign and submit the attendance form? A qualified provider has up to 60 days after the period of service has ended to submit the Invoice and Attendance Form to the GSA for payment. 11. Is there a reason why my provider already approved by NACCRRA will not be transitioned to the GSA? All eligible Child Care Providers who have submitted the Consent to Release from to NACCRRA as instructed will have their information transferred to the GSA. Please note that if your provider has been suspended after they have submitted the consent form for any reason, their information will not be transferred to the GSA. If you have questions as to the status of your provider s information, contact NACCRRA for assistance. 6

7 12. Do I have to claim the assistance as taxable income and will I, or the provider, receive a form from GSA to submit to the IRS when filing taxes? If you are an Army Civilian receiving Army Fee Assistance, then yes you will need to include the Fee Assistance paid on your behalf. The GSA will provide Army Civilians with notification per Army guidelines. 13. Where can i find information on GSA approved providers? If your provider has completed the Consent to Release Form, GSA will be posting qualified provider information received from NACCRRA. A new provider that has not already approved by NACCRRA as part of the transition will need to apply directly to the GSA. The standards for a provider to be approved as a qualifying provider will not change as result of the transition. Army Fee Assistance Program guidelines to determine eligibility will not change. 14. If my provider was placed on disqualified status when I applied for NACCRRA will they be able to reapply through the GSA? If your provider has been placed in disqualified status they will not be eligible to apply to the GSA until the expiration date of their disqualification period. The provider will have to meet all requirements to become an eligible Child Care Provider. 15. Is the GSA going to use the same criteria for determining provider eligibility as NACCRA did? The standards for a provider to be approved as a qualifying provider will not change as result of the transition. Army Fee Assistance Program guidelines for eligible providers will not change. 16. What will change as far as the way parents pay for childcare? Nothing will change as far as the way parents pay for child care. The parent will pay their portion directly to the provider and then the GSA will issue the Fee Assistance portion directly to the provider on behalf of the Army. Army Fee Assistance Program guidelines for payment will remain the same. Please note that the IRS does not allow Fee Assistance payments to be made directly to a parent. The Fee Assistance MUST be paid directly to the child care provider and is reported to the IRS as such for tax purposes. 7

8 17. I had to get special approval based on my eligibility status to use the nonaccredited care. Will this be the same process with GSA? Provider eligibility will remain the same. If your provider does not meet the eligibility requirements based upon your status, you will still be required to go through the review process for waivers and special approvals. 8