SF 2157

as introduced - 87th Legislature (2011 - 2012) Posted on 04/02/2012 04:15pm

A bill for an act
relating to human services; providing an exception to the absent days limit
for certain children; amending Minnesota Statutes 2011 Supplement, section
119B.13, subdivision 7.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2011 Supplement, section 119B.13, subdivision 7, is
amended to read:

Subd. 7.

Absent days.

(a) Licensed child care providers and license-exempt centers
must not be reimbursed for more than ten full-day absent days per child, excluding
holidays, in a fiscal year. Legal nonlicensed family child care providers must not be
reimbursed for absent days. If a child attends for part of the time authorized to be in care
in a day, but is absent for part of the time authorized to be in care in that same day, the
absent time must be reimbursed but the time must not count toward the ten absent day
limit. new text begin Children in families where at least one parent is under the age of 21, does not have a
high school or general equivalency diploma, and is a student in a school district or another
similar program that provides or arranges for child care, as well as parenting support,
social services, career and employment supports, and academic support to achieve high
school graduation, may exceed the ten absent days limit upon request of the program
and approval of the county. If a child attends part of an authorized day, payment to the
provider must be for the full amount of care authorized for that day. new text end Child care providers
must only be reimbursed for absent days if the provider has a written policy for child
absences and charges all other families in care for similar absences.

(b) Child care providers must be reimbursed for up to ten federal or state holidays
or designated holidays per year when the provider charges all families for these days
and the holiday or designated holiday falls on a day when the child is authorized to be
in attendance. Parents may substitute other cultural or religious holidays for the ten
recognized state and federal holidays. Holidays do not count toward the ten absent day
limit.

(c) A family or child care provider must not be assessed an overpayment for an
absent day payment unless (1) there was an error in the amount of care authorized for the
family, (2) all of the allowed full-day absent payments for the child have been paid, or (3)
the family or provider did not timely report a change as required under law.

(d) The provider and family shall receive notification of the number of absent days
used upon initial provider authorization for a family and ongoing notification of the
number of absent days used as of the date of the notification.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective January 1, 2013.
new text end