ACF Child Care Bureau | Measuring Improper Payments in the Child Care Program

Phase II Findings: Error Rate Methodology Pilot

Executive Summary, I. Introduction, II. Methodology, III. Measuring Improper Payments in Nine States, IV. Findings and Next Steps, V. Recommendations, Appendices: Appendix A: Arkansas, Appendix B: Colorado, Appendix C: Illinois, Appendix D: Ohio, Appendix E: Record Review Worksheet, Appendix F: Data Entry Form, Appendix G: Telephone Discussion Guide, Appendix H: Arizona, Appendix I: California, Appendix J: Kansas, Appendix K: Nebraska, Appendix L: New Hampshire

Appendix G: Telephone Discussion Guide

1. How are improper payments defined in legislation and/or policy in your State? Is the definition consistent from jurisdiction to jurisdiction?

2. Please check all of the topics or activities listed below for which your State has policies or regulations in place for the program.

___ The definition of an improper payment (includes overpayments, in which a client is paid more than he or she is entitled to)

___ Steps involved in identifying a potential improper payment

___ Steps involved in verifying an improper payment

___ Establishing claims for underpayments

___ Collecting overpayments, including, for example, the authority to reduce payments to recover overpayments

___ Distribution of recovered improper payments

___ Sources of funding for addressing improper payments

___ Other (specify)

3. What child care automated systems do you have in place—eligibility, family data, provider data, licensing, payments/authorizations (including EBT), attendance?

4 For each data source listed below:

Indicate whether your agency or State utilizes the data source to better ensure accurate payments under the program.
If your State utilizes the data source, indicate when in the process the source is used (prior to or following issue of payment) and indicate how often that source is used.

Data source	Is the source used?	When in the process is source used?	How often is source used?
a. Income Eligibility Verification System (IEVS)
b. Other human services programs in your agency/State
c. State department of labor or employment security
d. State directory of new hires
e. State department of motor vehicles
f. Public Assistance Reporting Information System (PARIS)
g. State data (from other states) on length of TANF receipt
h. State data (from other states) on potential concurrent TANF receipt
i. State data (from other states) on client or provider debarment from benefits, for fraud or other infraction
j. Lottery agencies
k. Prisons and criminal justice agencies at State level
l. National Criminal Information Center (NCIC)
m. Local jails
n. Credit bureaus
o. Financial institutions
p. State tax intercepts
q. Immigration and Naturalization Service
r. K-12 school systems
s. Community colleges
t. Other providers of services, education, training
u. Child support
v. Social Security Administration (SSA) form W-2 (wage statements)
w. SSA Social Security number verification
x. SSA Supplemental Security Income (SSI) data
y. SSI death information
z. Other (Please specify:)

To what extent, if any, have the following factors contributed to improper payments in your State over the past 2 fiscal years for the program?

Factors contributing to improper payments	Great extent	Moderate extent	Little extent	No extent	Don’t know
Related to clients
b. Nonreporting/underreporting of income
c. Client receiving payment in more than one jurisdiction
d. Incorrect reporting of household size
e. Incorrect citizenship or immigration status
f. Incorrect information on client’s compliance with program requirements, such as participating in required activity
g. Other (Please specify):
Related to providers
h. Overstating performance
i. Claiming for services not rendered
j. Other (Please specify):

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