October 2012 1 Social Services Institute Raleigh Convention Center - - PDF document

1 October 2012

2 October 2012

Social Services Institute

Raleigh Convention Center

Presenters:

Annie Blacknall Kim Miller Connie McAdams October 25, 2012

Thank you for inviting us to speak at your conference today. We are from the Subsidy Services Section at DCDEE. Individual introductions

3 October 2012

SEEK Timeline, Changes on the Horizon and New Policies Introduced

We’ve been asked to talk to you today about our new SEEK timeline, other changes that are coming up in Subsidy, and new policies that are being developed. Please note that this is a high level overview and not intended as a detailed training. You will receive appropriate training as we approach full implementation. We’ll have plenty of time at the end of this presentation for your questions.

4 October 2012

Overview

• SEEK (Subsidized Early Education for

Kids)

• SCCRS (Subsidized Child Care

Reimbursement System)

• Other Subsidy Changes

This presentation will provide an update on our progress with Subsidized Early Education for Kids, otherwise known as SEEK. We’ll talk to you about our current Subsidized Child Care Reimbursement System and

• ther changes on the horizon for all of us involved with child care subsidies.

5 October 2012

SEEK

• History
• Timeline
• Administrative Terminal
• Provider Web Portal

We’ll give you a little history about this project and how we got to where we are today. But we aren’t going to focus on the past. My purpose today is to talk about the future and how we are moving forward with SEEK. We’ll look at some of the details of our newly revised timeline for SEEK implementation. I will show you what to expect from the SEEK Administrative Terminal and you’ll get to see what child care providers will see when they access their Provider Web Portal.

6 October 2012

SCCRS

• Changes in SCCRS
• Phase II Screens

You are all familiar with our Subsidized Child Care Reimbursement system which has been around for many years. There are some changes to SCCRS which are related to the implementation of SEEK. We’ll take a look at those and see what you can expect in Phase II.

7 October 2012

Subsidy Changes

• DCDEE Field Staff re-assignments
• Subsidy Spending and Business Plans
• Improper Payment Process
• NC Fast
• Integrated Eligibility
• NC Pre-K
• Statewide Waiting List
• Subsidy Policy Revisions

Finally, our presentation today will cover a variety of changes on the horizon for the Subsidy program. There have been changes in staff assignments which are affecting the way we do business in our Technical Assistance and Program Compliance Units. Responsibilities

• f staff in these units typically include working with you on your subsidy spending and

business plans and handling improper payments. Changes at the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) are leading to our preparations for NC Fast and Integrated Eligibility. Legislative mandates are responsible for changes related to NC Pre-K and the possibility of a statewide waiting list. All of these things lead to necessary policy revisions, and we’ll talk about some of those too.

8 October 2012

History

First, some history about SEEK. The system has been in the making since June 2009 when the Director of DCDEE, Deb Cassidy, and the Subsidy Section Chief, Ron Byrd, went to Oklahoma to learn about their automated attendance reporting system. ACS (now Xerox) was ultimately selected as the contractor for SEEK. Many months of meetings, negotiations and program development followed. During the summer and fall

• f 2011 parents across North Carolina began receiving SEEK cards like the one shown

here, and Point of Service (POS) devices were installed in Child Care facilities. Phase I involved parents and providers learning the process of recording attendance by using SEEK cards in the POS devices. Phase I has also been an ongoing learning process for county and state level staff. Phase I was always intended as the “attendance recording” piece of the new system. Very soon the electronic attendance information will replace the paper attendance reports that providers are still submitting to you each month. Phase II will be the “payment” piece of the system. Complex and automated systems will use the attendance information gathered from swiped cards to calculate and issue payments to providers when Phase II is fully implemented.

9 October 2012

Implementation

• Extended timeline
• SEEK is unique to North Carolina
• DCDEE is committed to thorough testing

All counties have been using Phase I of SEEK for several months now. Phase II has been delayed because additional time was needed to complete and fully develop the functionality of the system. SEEK is unique to North Carolina and we have been working closely with Xerox to tailor the system to our specific needs based on our policies. The payment structure in North Carolina is more complicated than that in other states. We pay based upon enrollment when the child is enrolled and attending regularly according to the family’s level of care. Other states pay only for days the child attends. DCDEE is committed to testing the system thoroughly so that we can be certain that it is working properly before we move to Phase II. That is when payment calculations based

• n SEEK card swipes and the direct deposit payments will begin. That piece must be

absolutely accurate.

10 October 2012

Timeline

• October 2012: Phase I data conversion

near completion

• November 2012- April 2013: User

Acceptance Testing (UAT)

• May-June 2013: Pilot
• July 2013: Group I Rollout
• August 2013: Group II Rollout

We are now in the final days of the Phase I data clean-up and conversion. This process is scheduled to be completed very soon. That means all of the information in SCCRS is correct and formatted correctly to be used in the new SEEK system in Phase II. Once all of that data is transferred to SEEK, early in November, we will begin an extensive User Acceptance Testing (UAT) process to insure that everything is working correctly and that the SCCRS system and the SEEK system are communicating properly with each other. Test cases have been developed and staff from DCDEE and DIRM (Division of Resource Management) will use those realistic cases to take the system through the subsidy reimbursement process from “end to end” to verify that the systems are performing as expected. Any problems that arise during testing will be corrected before the pilot begins. SEEK is scheduled to be implemented in Pilot Counties in May and June 2013. This is the last step

• f quality control before the final implementation begins in July.

Group I counties will rollout in July 2013 and Group II counties will rollout in August 2013. By September 1 of next year, all parents and providers in the subsidy system will be using SEEK cards and POS devices. Payments will no longer be made through your county offices. When SEEK is implemented in your county, providers will begin receiving their payments by direct deposit, twice per month, based on the attendance recorded through their POS devices.

11 October 2012

SEEK Phase II Rollout Schedule

This map shows the roll-out counties. The same three counties, Alexander, Lee, and Cabarrus will be our pilot counties. Most other counties, all of those shown in green, are scheduled to roll-out as group 1 in July 2013. The remaining 10 counties shown in blue are the group 2 counties.

12 12

12 October 2012

NC SEEK Administrative Terminal Phase II

Let’s do a quick review of some of the screens you’ll see in the AT in Phase II. There have been some changes that will enhance the usability of the screens for you. Some screens are new, and some just have changes to the screens you’re already familiar

• with. Here are some preliminary mock-ups of the screens.

13 October 2012

Provider Profile

Phase II

Here’s a look at the Provider Profile Screen for Phase II. You’ll notice that the “Mailing Address” section of the screen has been moved from the bottom left to the bottom right. License Expiration Date has been removed, and facility status, star license level, and LPA have been added. There are also some additional navigation buttons added at the bottom of the screen.

14 October 2012

Provider Payment Inquiry

The Provider Payment Inquiry screen allows the user to search for a Provider Payment Report. To access the Provider Payment Details Screen, select the appropriate month from the drop down menu and the 1st or 2nd Period and select the SEARCH button.

15 October 2012

Provider Payment Details

The Provider Payment Details screen displays the Provider Payment Detail Report and shows payment amounts for all children being paid for this provider during the payment period, as well as provider level adjustments.

16 October 2012

Provider Adjustment

This screen displays the provider adjustments. You will be able to make adjustments to provider payments at the provider level from this screen. When a DETAILS button is selected from the Provider Adjustments Screen, a new screen will display, allowing the AT user to view provider adjustment details and edit adjustment information. When the NEW button is selected from the Provider Adjustments screen, a new screen will display allowing the AT user to set up a 1 time or recurring manual payment adjustment.

17 October 2012

Child Attendance Detail

This screen displays the child attendance information for the child selected.

18 October 2012

Child Payment Detail – By Enrollment

This screen displays the Child Payment Detail Information – By Enrollment.

19 October 2012

Child Payment Detail – By Attendance

This screen displays the Child Payment Detail Information – By Attendance.

20 October 2012

Child Payment Detail – By Partial/New Enrollment

This screen displays the Child Payment Detail Information – By Partial Enrollment (New Enrollment).

21 October 2012

Child Payment Detail – Terminating Child’s Care

This screen displays the Child Payment Detail Information for terminating services for a child.

22 October 2012

Child Payment Adjustment Detail

This screen displays the child payment adjustment details.

23 October 2012

Modify Provider Closure Dates

This screen allows the AT user to view, add, or delete provider closure dates.

24 October 2012

Authorization Manual Attendance

This screen allows the AT user to view attendance information and manage manual attendance.

25 October 2012

Admin Menu

User Manual has been added to the Menu Items shown. This is where you are able to access the AT User Manual.

26 26

26 October 2012

NC SEEK Provider Web Portal Phase II

Now that you’ve seen the changes in the Administrative Terminal, we’ll move on to take a look at the Provider Web Portal.

27 October 2012

Provider Web Portal www.ncseek.nc.gov

Basically the Provider Web Portal looks just like the AT, except individual providers only have the authority to see their own information. Providers are able to access the web portal using their license number and zip code through the URL www.ncseek.nc.gov. If you are still getting calls from providers for assistance with the web portal, they should be advised to call the Provider Call Center at 877-606-2776.

27

28 October 2012

Administrative Menu

Once the provider is logged in the provider will find an Admin drop-down menu in the upper right corner of the screen. At this menu, she can change her password, review her user profile, or, most importantly, she can access the Provider Web Portal user manual at any time. In Phase II, this menu will be updated to include the POS user manual as well.

28

29 October 2012

SCCRS

Now lets look at some of the changes in SCCRS. For many years, someone in your county has been entering attendance and payment information into the Subsidized Child Care Reimbursement System (SCCRS) each

• month. When SEEK is implemented, this process will change. Instead of only one or

two reimbursement workers using SCCRS, caseworkers will be adding case information directly into SCCRS, but you will no longer have to enter attendance information as you do now. Data will be transferred directly from SCCRS to SEEK on a daily basis.

30 October 2012

The new primary menu will look like this. To make a selection simply enter any key on the line by your choice and press <ENTER>. You will no longer have to remember whether to enter an “S” or an “I”. This “new and improved” version of SCCRS is more user friendly. Screens will flow easily from one step to the next, and you won’t have to remember so many codes. Help screens are built into the system to guide you through any problems you might encounter.

31 October 2012

Here is an example of the Unit Profile Family Case screen. It is used to enter information for a family case when it is new in the system. Once the case exists data is displayed on this screen by entering the case number. New information about children is not entered on this screen, but will display for existing cases.

32 October 2012

The “Parent Profile” screen is accessed from the “unit profile family case” screen. It displays parent information for the case. A blank version of this screen can also be accessed from the person menu. .

33 October 2012

Here is an example of a Child Plan of Care Screen. You will be able to select the child’s level of care, ranging from 50% to 200%. This is also the screen where you are able to identify specifics like Smart Start Bonus or Enhancements and Before and After School Care.

34 October 2012

This is the screen we refer to as the “REAL” screen which stands for Race, Ethnicity, And Language. A REAL screen is completed for each individual parent or child. Ethnicity is only required when “Hispanic" is the selected race.

35 October 2012

There is also a separate screen where you will select the reason or “need” for care. You will notice that you get to select from a list of words and will no longer have to remember those 800 and 400 codes.

36 October 2012

Here’s an example of the Family Income screen. In this example you can see that the “weekly” income of $550 has been entered. SCCRS automatically calculated the monthly income. Fee amounts are automatically displayed based on the income information you enter. On this screen you are also asked to identify income sources.

37 October 2012

Here is an example of the Child Care Authorization. The information on this screen is populated after all the case information has been entered on other screens. This is the screen that will eventually be printed out to replace the current voucher form. There are many more new screens in SCCRS, but we’re not going to show them all to you today. All of the screen shots you have seen today are draft examples to give you a general idea of what the new systems will look like. You’ll get detailed training, with specific examples, before you have to start using the Phase II version of SCCRS

38 October 2012

Subsidy Changes

Now let’s take a few minutes to review some other changes that are happening in the Subsidy system in North Carolina.

39 October 2012

Allocations and Spending Co-Efficients

40 October 2012

Allocation Formula Handouts

• SFY 12-13 Non Smart Start Allocations
• Final SFY 2012-13 Non SS Allocations Include

Market Rates

• Final SFY 12-13 Non SS Allocations for Military,

Upfront Reversions and Additional Funds for Overspenders

• SFY 2011-12 Non SS Allocation History and

SFY 2012-13 Initial Non SS Allocations

Allocation Formula Handouts

• SFY 12-13 Non Smart Start Allocations
• Final SFY 2012-13 Non SS Allocations Include Market Rates
• Final SFY 12-13 Non SS Allocations for Military, Upfront Reversions and Additional

Funds for Overspenders

• SFY 2011-12 Non SS Allocation History and SFY 2012-13 Initial Non SS Allocations

41 October 2012

Coefficient Calculation Coefficient historically calculated by: [{(ytd / number of months completed) x number of months remaining} + ytd] / allocation = spending coefficient July Services/August Payment Non Smart Start Expenditures statewide coefficient was 113% Coefficients ranged from 80% to 159% This part is one calculation: ytd / number of months completed = projected average monthly expenditures This part is another calculation: projected average monthly expenditures x number of months remaining = projected future spending This part is another calculation: projected future spending + year to date spending = projected annualized spending This part is the last calculation: projected annualized spending / allocation = spending coefficient An example is: [{($1,257,091 / 3) x 9} + $1,257,091] / $4,334,698 = 116%

42 October 2012

New Methodology

current month x remaining months = projected future expenditures projected future expenditures + ytd = projected annualized expenditures projected annualized expenditures / allocation = spending coefficient

New Methodology for calculation of the spending coefficient introduced for the September Services/October Payment month Starting with September Services/October Payment is: current month x remaining months = projected future expenditures projected future expenditures + ytd = projected annualized expenditures projected annualized expenditures / allocation = spending coefficient The same county example is: {($404,265 x 8) + $1,661,356} / $4,334,698 = 113% Handout: Combined statewide expenditures for the September Services/October Payment Month is 100% using this new methodology. This report is available in it’s entirety on the DCDEE Website at: ncchildcare.net on the county staff tab A new version of the spreadsheet 5_3 is in development. This will have improvements over the current version. We expect it to be ready for November services.

43 October 2012

Subsidy Business Plans

DCDEE Management decided action needed to be taken earlier than in previous years due to the unusually high spending

• statewide. Non Smart Start for July Services/August payment was 113%

It was realized that: Reported reduction of 10% when summer care for school aged children ended and rising kindergarteners ended services or reduced to a part time plan of care The full amount of Smart Start funding was not allocated in many counties Email with instructions for Business Plan completion was sent on September 5, 2012 Instructions and a spreadsheet v5_3 Two types of plans: Attrition – 111%-115% Reduction in Services – 116% and above Attrition Plan – 12 questions Reduction Plan – 8 questions Number of counties Attrition 20 Reduction in Services 45 Total of 60 plans due to grouping of Region A counties. Due date: September 14, 2012 Most counties complied with the request to complete the business plan by submitting at least a partial response. There are 5 counties that continue to have spending within the range of the business plan requirement and have not completed a business

• plan. These counties will be assisted to complete the business plan

Follow-up memo sent out on 10/3/12.

44 October 2012

Common Themes

• Attrition
• Reduction in Services
• Success Story

Attrition: Most counties currently have a waiting list. Some counties that do not typically maintain waiting lists have established waiting lists. Reduction in Services: 9 counties initially identified needed reductions in services as part of the business plan process Termination dates range from September 30, 2012 through March 31, 2013. In those 9 counties 2122 children were targeted for termination. Counties were encouraged to consider reducing services to school age children first. When families were receiving services to support post- secondary education counties were encouraged to allow recipients to finish the current semester/quarter in progress and provide at least 30 days notice of the termination. To date 4 counties have reduced services to 701 children. One county has plans to reduce services to 604 children at the end of November. One additional county plans to reduce services to 100 children each month of January, February, and March 2013 if spending is not reduced sufficiently by then. There may be more counties that find it necessary to follow their reduction in services plans as the year progresses. DCDEE is working with the counties reducing services to produce an “acceptance document” that acknowledges the terminations by extracting information from the business plans and conversations that take place with John Winstead, Subsidy Budget Officer and Kim Miller, Subsidy Technical Assistance Program Manager. Ron Byrd, Subsidy Section Chief approves these documents. Success Story: In one county that does not receive Smart Start funding, the partnership for children provided funding for 60 children and TANF MOE will be

• utilized. These two steps prevented service reductions in Davidson County.

Reversion and reallocation plans are underway. Several models are under development. Reversions will be done after October Services have been closed out on November 16, 2012. Priorities for reallocation are being considered at this time.

45 October 2012

Fiscal Management is a priority. Monthly meetings are held with DCDEE executive management to review spending patterns, business plans, and reduction in services needs. Tools: Data Warehouse has some standard queries to assist with fiscal management. These queries are “refresh upon opening”. This means that when you select the query you will not have to select “edit query” to enter your county or date. When you select the query, the prompts will come up automatically.

46 October 2012

Improper Payments

• November 2012: LPA notification
• January 2013: Record reviews
• January – March 2013: Follow-up
• April – May 2013: Certification

Now let’s look at the improper payments review schedule. Next month, in November 2012, Local Purchasing Agencies will be notified about the sample selection. Records will be requested and submitted for review. The record reviews will be conducted in January 2013. Then during the period between January and March 2013, counties will be notified of corrections that need to be made, and follow-up will be completed. During April and May 2013 the final review will take place and our final report and certification will be sent to the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). This review schedule relates to implementation of the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002. North Carolina is in the third year of the three-year cycle. This review was first completed 3 years ago. A total of 276 records are randomly selected from the universe of all children receiving subsidy. Not every county will have a record and some counties may have multiple records. The record review worksheet is presented to the states by ACF. It contains 10 elements in 4 sections. The improper payments review is completed inside SCCRS on screens specifically designed 3 years ago for this process.

47 October 2012

North Carolina Families Accessing Services through Technology

NC FAST is something we’ve all been hearing a lot about lately. For those of you in the counties the current focus is on the launching of NC FAST with the Food and Nutrition Services program. For those of us at DCDEE, NC FAST means many things. One of the things it means for us is that many of our staff have been temporarily re-assigned to work on the On-Site Support Teams that go to the counties as FC FAST is rolled out. But NC FAST is also a big part of our long term planning. Throughout our design and development of SEEK we have known that SEEK will function as a bridge to our transformation to NC FAST. We are gradually advancing from a highly manual process with our existing paper forms and SCCRS system, to a more efficient automated process with SEEK, and ultimately NC FAST. Many of the processes we are building into the SEEK system will transfer easily to NC FAST which will make that transition easier for us all. Current projections show that NC FAST is tentatively scheduled to come to Subsidized Child Care between July 2014 and June 2016. For us, NC FAST will encompass screening, intake, eligibility determination and service delivery, as well as replacement of the current SCCRS system.

48 October 2012

Integrated Eligibility

For more than a year the Subsidy Section at DCDEE, along with folks from many program sections at the Division of Social Services have been working with Public Consulting Group (PCG) on Integrated Eligibility among all of our means-tested programs. Integrated eligibility is intended to align countable, non-countable, earned and unearned income, and other policies where feasible, in accordance with each program’s federal/state rules and regulations. Currently representatives from the various means-tested programs are working together to develop a consolidated online manual using RoboHelp. The first stage of this manual will focus on income eligibility and should be available soon. Eventually this consolidated manual will replace the current and familiar Subsidized Child Care Services Manual. All of the “integration work” now falls under the Work Support Strategies umbrella.

49 October 2012

NC Pre-K

NC Pre-K is the program that was previously known as More at Four. It is designed to provide high-quality educational experiences to enhance school readiness for eligible four-year-olds. Governor Perdue announced an NC Pre-K Expansion last week. On August 21st, 2012, the NC Court of Appeals unanimously upheld Judge Manning’s ruling that the state cannot deny children who are at-risk admission to public pre-kindergarten programs. At this point in time, NC Pre-K is a constitutional right for at-risk four year olds. Additional funding of 20M is now available for expansion. Our goal is to serve up to 6,300 additional children by January 2013. Recent survey data shows that there is a waiting list for NC Pre-K of approximately 11,678 children statewide. The North Carolina Legislature has also required that all county departments of Social Services must include on any forms used to determine eligibility for child care subsidy, an indication of whether the family waiting for subsidy is receiving assistance through the NC Pre-K program or Head Start. So, you’ll be seeing those changes on some of

• ur forms in the future.

50 October 2012

Will exceptions to the Pre-K Requirements be allowed?

• No. For the initial allocation of expansion funds available, classrooms must have a

lead teacher who holds a minimum of a BA/BS degree and is working toward the B-K

• license. ALL other Program Requirements must be met as well.

Exceptions MAY be granted if there is funding still available after children are placed in classrooms that meet all of the NC Pre-K Program Requirements This includes exceptions for staff qualifications (administrator, lead teacher, etc), length of day, and any other exception request.

51 October 2012

Statewide Waiting List

Legislation requires LPAs to track children on the subsidy waiting list that are enrolled in NC Pre-K or Head Start. As a result, when conducting informal eligibility screenings for the waiting list, you must collect:

• All family demographic information such as the family name, address, phone number.
• Names of all children needing care, and their dates of birth
• Reason care is needed
• Family size and income
• Indicate whether or not the family has a child who is currently receiving services in NC

Pre-K or Head Start Each LPA must submit a monthly report to DCDEE with valid information about the number of families on the subsidy waiting list that has children enrolled in NC Pre-K programs or in Head Start.

52 October 2012

Subsidy Policy Revisions Level of Care

We are phasing out the terminology for “Plan of Care” and changing to “Level of Care”. This is really not a policy change, but a more accurate description. For example, a full- time plan of care is equivalent to a 100% level of care. Levels of Care will range from 50% to 200%.

53 October 2012

Web Site

Division of Child Development and Early Education’s Web Site www.ncchildcare.net

From the Division’s web site you can access the SEEK website for additional information for providers, parents, and counties. You can also link to the web portal user guide there and to our policy manual..

54 October 2012

Questions?

I hope we’ve been able to clarify some new information for you today. If you still have questions, we will be glad to try to answer them for you now. Thank you.

55 October 2012

Contact Information

Annie Blacknall Annie.Blacknall@dhhs.nc.gov Kim Miller Kim.Miller@dhhs.nc.gov Connie McAdams Connie.McAdams@dhhs.nc.gov Subsidy Services Section: 919-662-4561