MN - Fixes Planned for Day-Care Payment System After Chaos Created by New Computer System

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RAMSEY COUNTY

Title: Fixes Planned for Day-Care Payment System

Short-Term Solutions Include New Hot Line

CHARLES LASZEWSKI STAFF WRITER

The next time a day-care operator doesn't receive a reimbursement check on time, the provider will be able to dial a new hot line and talk to a real person with the power to fix the problem, a Ramsey County official said Tuesday.

County Manager Paul Kirkwold told the Ramsey County Board Tuesday that the hot line is one of four short-term fixes the county will have in place before May 11.

The moves come in the wake of a major breakdown of the county's system for reimbursing people who provide day care for the children of low-income parents or parents just coming off welfare.

The chaos created by the switch to a new computer system in November resulted in some day-care providers not getting paid for weeks or months. While workers in the county's Community Human Services Department and the processing agency Resources for Child Caring were working to fix the problem, they were unable to answer phone calls from frustrated day-care operators.

``The person on the other end will be authorized to handle it, so a check will be delivered within two days, provided the caller's eligibility is current,'' Kirkwold told the commissioners. ``That way, there will be no voice mail.''

Another major change involves monitoring of the day-care payment system. Now, the child-care operator has to turn in a sheet listing the services provided every two weeks. The county or Resources for Child Caring processes the claim and the check is sent to the operators. Mistakes or slowdowns can occur at any point in the process.

Kirkwold said that under the new plan, county workers will randomly follow different claims to see how long each step takes. That way, they will know where problems are occurring and, the next time a new system is installed, will have something to compare it against, Kirkwold said.

In another change, the county will send day-care operators a ``bill of rights,'' which will outline what providers can expect from the county and what the county can expect from the providers.

The fourth change is the designation of Mary Nelson, the county's manager of financial aid for child care, as the temporary contact person for problems until the hot line is set up, Kirkwold said. Her phone number is (651) 266-3975.

Debbie Tonsager, who runs a day-care operation and is a leader of the East Side Providers' Network, had questions about the changes but was generally pleased.

``I think these things will be good,'' Tonsager said. ``Having a hot line is good. We had no one to call. I think the bill of rights could be a good thing. I just hope the providers have a say in it. I'm certainly glad it's being worked on.''

Kirkwold said the county is looking into longer-term solutions as well, including prepayments and direct deposit payments to the providers. Another measure could include a card that parents run through a machine at the day-care provider's house to document each time the service is used.

A state takeover of the entire day-care payment system is another possible option.

Cherie Kotilinek, manager of early childhood and family support programs in the Department of Children, Families and Learning, confirmed that the state will talk to all the counties this year to see if the department should take such an authorization bill to the Legislature next year.

The state expects to have a new software program in place by the end of 2001. The changeover would allow the state to do all the payments, or allow counties to continue the work by using a standardized system, Kotilinek said.

Charles Laszewski can be reached at claszewski@pioneerpress.com or (651) 292-1892.

http://www.pioneerplanet.com/news/mtc_docs/023985.htm

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