Provider FAQs
Changing Systems
- How do providers register with Rapid Financial Solutions (RFS)?
Log into I-LEAD then click on “Attendance and Voucher Info.” Next, select the tile labeled “Rapid Financial Solutions.” From this page, write down or copy the Provider Key. At the bottom of this page, select “RFS Registration.” You will now be in the Rapid Financial Solutions portal. Complete all required fields to register your account and enter your bank information to complete your registration.
- And how will providers be impacted if families do not register for the parent portal in a timely manner?
There is no impact to a provider if a family chooses not to register for a parent portal account. The information in the parent portal is read-only and used to help keep the family up to date, but there are no actions the family needs to complete for the provider to be paid.
- When will providers stop using the EPPIC system for attendance tracking?
After families stop swiping on July 13, providers will have until July 25 to enter late attendance. After that time, the state will no longer process late attendance requests.
- What if a parent has not approved pending late attendance?
On July 25 the Conduent system will automatically approve any late attendance entered within the past 56 days that has not yet been approved. Providers will be paid for these dates.
- Will providers’ payment schedules change?
Providers will continue to be paid every two (2) weeks with the new payment vendor.
- Will providers still be able to see past payment information in EPPIC?
The new enrollment-based model will include a transition to a new provider portal, and past payments will not be available in the new system. The EPPIC Provider Portal (https://www.hoosierchildcare.com/eccpw/) will remain online in a read-only mode until the beginning of November 2024 to allow providers to see past payment data. Providers are encouraged to print or screenshot any information they may need prior to the portal being shut down on November 3, 2024. This info will not be available after that time.
- How long will the EPPIC portal remain live?
The EPPIC Provider Portal (https://www.hoosierchildcare.com/eccpw/) will remain online in a read-only mode until early November and will be shut down on November 3, 2024.
- What should providers do with POS machine(s)?
Providers are not required to return their POS machine(s) to Conduent. Providers have two (2) options 1) Dispose/Recycle your POS machine at an approved electronic disposal or recycling site. You can find more information as well as a list of drop off sites by county at https://www.in.gov/idem/recycle/electronic-waste/how-do-i-get-rid-of-electronic-waste/ 2) Contact Conduent before August 15, 2024, and request a return label and box. Providers can contact Conduent at 800-422-0850
Payments
- Will Conduent still process provider payments?
When OECOSL changes to enrollment-based voucher payments, Conduent will no longer be the payment vendor. The new payment vendor is Rapid Financial Solutions (RFS). Providers’ last payment from Conduent will be deposited on July 31, 2024.
- Once the new system is in place, who should a provider call if they do not receive a payment?
Providers must first register with Rapid Financial Solutions (RFS), which includes adding bank information, online. If registration is complete and bank information has been added two (2) business days prior to the payment date and a provider still has not received payment, they should contact Rapid Financial Solutions at (844) 959-7997.
- Will bank account information automatically move to the new management system vendor?
Provider account information will not be transferred. Providers will need to register with Rapid Financial Solutions (RFS) and set up their banking information online – paper forms will no longer be used. Providers will not be paid until these steps have been completed.
- Will providers still be able to see past payment information in EPPIC?
The new enrollment-based model will include a transition to a new portal, and past payment information will not be available in the new portal. The EPPIC Provider Portal (https://www.hoosierchildcare.com/eccpw/) will remain online in a read-only mode until early November to allow providers to access past payment data. Providers are encouraged to print or screenshot any information they may need prior to the portal being shut down on November 3, 2024. This info will not be available after that time.
- How does this change impact providers’ year-end 1099?
For the 2024 payment year, providers will receive two (2) separate 1099 statements for taxes. One will be from Conduent for the first half of the year and the other will be from Rapid Financial Solutions for the second half of the year. These will be mailed to providers.
- Who should providers contact with questions about the amounts reflected on their 1099s? How can they obtain a report of the payments included in these 1099s?
Providers are strongly encouraged to download or save payment records from the Conduent provider portal before it goes offline. Providers should contact their Policy Consultant with any questions about the 1099 issued from Conduent. Your Policy Consultant’s contact information can be found by clicking here.
- Who should a provider contact about a wrong payment?
Please email OECOSL at PaymentQuestions@fssa.IN.gov or reach out to your Policy Consultant. Your Policy Consultant’s contact information can be found by clicking here.
- How will providers know which children/vouchers are included in their payments?
A breakdown of payment information can be found in the transaction details on the Rapid Financial Solutions (RFS) portal.
- How are provider payments calculated?
You will be paid full-time for all children enrolled until a child accumulates 45 absences in an enrollment year. If a child attends any part of the day, they should be marked Present. There is no minimum number of days or hours required, but the importance of regular attendance should be encouraged.
Weeks that have any days marked Present will be paid in full (including weeks that have any combinations of Present, Absent, Off Days, Paid or Unpaid Closures days). Single holiday days that you are closed (Memorial Day, Fourth of July, etc.) can be marked as Unpaid if you are operating the rest of the week, and you will still get paid.
Absences should be marked (for planned or unplanned days) that a child normally attends, but did not attend (vacations, sick time, emergencies, etc.) These will count against the child’s 45-day absence total, and you will still get paid.
Off Days should only be marked when a child is not regularly scheduled to attend (for example, a child who only attends four (4) days a week), or you are not scheduled to be open and operating (for example, you operate Monday-Friday). Off days should not be used for planned or unplanned days that a child normally attends. These will not count against the child’s 45-day absence total, and you will still get paid.
Weeks with no attendance, and only Paid Closures, will still be paid in full. You will receive 11 Paid Closure Days per calendar year for vacations, sick time, in-service days, inclement weather, emergencies, etc. If you are closed for the whole week, you need to record five (5) Paid Closure Days for that week.
Weeks with no attendance, and only Unpaid Closures marked, will not be paid.
On My Way Pre-K programs that do not offer full-day care will be paid at a pro-rated rate. Children can still receive a full-time CCDF voucher for the remainer of the day, if applicable.
Provider Portal
- How can providers access the new portal?
Provider administrators can access the new portal by logging in through I-LEAD and selecting “Attendance and Voucher Info.”
- What can providers do in the new portal?
The new portal allows providers to manage absences and off days. Providers will also use the portal to enter and manage paid and non-paid closures, and view voucher and past absence data for the children on their rosters. The portal is also how providers will connect to Rapid Financial Solutions (RFS), OECOSL’s new payment system. Finally, providers will be able to set up how they would like to submit attendance and absence data (Data Entry Setup) - by using the online portal or using one of the state-preferred CCMS vendors. By default, all providers will be set to enter attendance through the portal.
- Who has access to the new provider portal?
Provider administrators have access to the new portal.
- Will providers who manage multiple sites have a separate account for each?
No, providers will have a single account through I-LEAD that offers access to all sites. Providers can select the drop-down arrow on each screen to select the site they want to work on.
- How do providers change between sites when navigating in the portal?
- Can providers submit attendance for all sites at the same time, or will they have to submit each site separately?
Providers will need to select and submit each site separately. There is no option to submit all sites at once.
- Can a provider administrator designate other staff to enter absences or manage payment information?
No, only provider administrators will have access to the provider portal to enter absences or manage banking or payment information.
- What should providers do if there is a child on their roster who no longer attends their program or withdraws?
Providers should contact their local eligibility office to update their roster, which should always reflect only the children that are still enrolled and attending the program.
- What do all the codes (P, AB, PC, OD, NP) mean on the grid/child roster?
- P is Present. This is the default setting for Monday-Friday. If any child is not present, providers will need to update this to reflect actual attendance before submitting their attendance record.
- AB is Absent. Providers will still get paid for a child’s occasional absence days until that child reaches their 45th absence in an enrollment year. Vouchers will automatically terminate after the child’s 45th absence.
- PC is Paid Closure. This is listed as one of the providers’ 11 paid closure days for the calendar year.
- NP is a Non-Paid Closure. This is listed as any closure over 11 paid closure days per calendar year.
- OD is Off Day. This is for days the provider does not regularly operate or a child is not regularly scheduled to attend. These would not count toward the child’s absence total. Weekends will default to “OD.” If a provider is open on weekends and the child attended, they will need to change this default to a “P.” If a child was expected to attend on a weekend but did not attend, they will need to change the value to “AB” to record an absence for this child.
- Do providers need to enter an attendance code for every date and child?
The data entry process has been simplified by defaulting values to what is most common for providers. This means Monday-Friday will default to “P” for present, and Saturday and Sunday will default to “OD” for off day. If these values are incorrect for any given child on any given day, providers will have to manually change the values to the correct attendance code.
- When entering attendance into the grid on a day that says ‘PC’ or ‘NP,’ the values cannot be changed. Why?
PC and NP are listed as closure days for providers, so attendance cannot be added. If these closure days need to be changed, they must be changed prior to submitting attendance for that pay period. To remove a closure, log in to the provider portal through I-LEAD. On the home page of the provider portal, select the “Closure Days” tile to view, edit or delete closures.
- Can a provider submit attendance early?
No, attendance can only be submitted after the pay period has ended. Pay periods always end on Saturdays.
- If a provider misses a submission, will they still get paid?
If a provider misses one (1) submission, they will still get paid. All future payments will be held until the missed submission has been completed. Providers must submit payment weeks in order from oldest to newest.
- How many absences are children allowed?
Children are allowed a total of 45 absences per enrollment year across all providers.
- How will a provider know how many absences a child had?
Providers and families will receive notices at 10, 20, 30, and 40 days before the vouchers are terminated after 45 days.
- Why might a provider receive a notice that a child has excessive absences when they have regularly attended?
Providers will receive notices if the child is missing attendance at any provider. The provider should have the family contact the eligibility office to discuss.
- How can a provider enter closures (paid and non-paid)?
All closure dates must be entered in the provider portal before the pay period is submitted.
- Can a provider enter closures in the past?
Providers can enter closures until the pay period has been submitted. They cannot enter or correct closures once the pay period is submitted.
- Can a provider enter closures in the future?
Yes, providers can enter up to 11 paid closure days for the calendar year. Additional closures can be added but will not be paid.
- How can a provider view their paid and non-paid closures?
Log in to the provider portal through I-LEAD. On the home page of the provider portal, select the “Closure Days” tile to view, edit or delete closures.
- Can a provider cancel a closure?
Closures can be deleted as long as they do not occur during a pay period that has already been submitted. Once a period has been submitted, the closure date can no longer be deleted or changed.
- How many paid closures is a provider allowed?
The number of paid closures (holidays, vacations, sick days, in-service days, inclement weather days) that a provider is able to claim is changing with the new system. A provider will now have 11 paid closure days per calendar year.
- What will a provider need to do if they submitted attendance, see an error and can’t change the entry?
Attendance should be carefully checked prior to submission. Once a pay/payment period has been submitted, it cannot be unlocked. If a provider notices an error after submitting, they should contact their policy consultant to have the data manually updated in the state’s system.
- Why would a provider’s roster show a week grayed out for a specific child?
It is possible for a child’s benefits to end on any given Saturday or start on any given Sunday even though the pay periods are two weeks in length. If a child’s benefits start or end in the middle of a pay period, providers will not be able to enter attendance for a week when benefits did not exist.
- Can providers export or print bi-weekly attendance data?
Yes. Attendance data can be printed or exported from the ‘absences’ screen in the provider portal.
- What is the difference between an Off Day (OD) and an Absence (AB)?
You should enter an Off Day (OD) for any day the child was not expected to attend or you are not regularly scheduled to be open (i.e., weekends). For example, if the child’s normal schedule is Tuesday-Friday, you would enter “OD” for Monday. You should enter an Absence (AB) for any day the child is expected to attend but did not attend. This includes families taking vacation, sick days, no-shows, etc. You will be paid for both Off Days and Absences. As a reminder, the attendance grid will default to Off Day (OD) for Saturdays and Sundays, so if you are normally open on weekends, you should change these values. Off Days (OD) do not count against the excessive absence policy, which allows 45 absences per enrollment year. Absences (AB) count toward the 45 days.
- What happens if a provider misses a submission?
If you miss one (1) submission, you will still be paid. All future payments will be held until the missed submission has been completed. You must submit payment weeks in order from oldest to newest. The system will begin sending email reminders five (5) days before a submission is due and will continue sending emails every day until the due date passes or attendance has been submitted.
CCMS use with Pay by Enrollment
- Can a provider submit attendance through their Child Care Management System (CCMS)?
Providers who use one of the state’s preferred CCMS vendors to track attendance will not need to duplicate their entries in the new provider portal. These include Alliance CORE powered by Early Learning Ventures, brightwheel and Playground. Providers can capture attendance in the CCMS and transmit that same data to the state for voucher children, saving time and increasing accuracy.
- Can providers use both the provider portal and their CCMS to submit attendance?
No. If a provider opts in to submit attendance through a state-preferred CCMS, their provider portal ‘absence’ screen will become read-only. If a provider decides to change their attendance submission back to the provider portal from a CCMS, they can make the changes by choosing the ‘Data Entry Setup’ tile in the provider portal.
- Does a provider have to be using the state paid CCMS subscription to be able to submit attendance using a CCMS?
No. Providers who use one of the state preferred CCMS vendors (Alliance CORE powered by Early Learning Ventures, brightwheel, or Playground) can use their CCMS to submit attendance even if they do not opt in to the state paid subscription offer. At this time, the state does not have a data bridge with other CCMS vendors and if a provider is using another CCMS they will still need to enter attendance in the provider portal.
- Where can a provider select which submission method they would like to use to submit attendance?
The default option for all providers will be set to submit attendance through the portal. If providers would like to use one of the state-preferred CCMS vendors to submit their attendance, their submission method can be changed by selecting the ‘Data Entry Setup’ tile within the portal.
- If a provider decides to use a CCMS for attendance and later decides to switch back to the portal, how can they make that change?
Submission methods can be changed by selecting the ‘Data Entry Setup’ tile within the portal.
- What data will be shared with the State?
Support
- Where can providers find support?
You can reach out to the SPARK Help Desk at 800-299-1627 or https://indianaspark.com/spark-help-desk/ to access their live chat options.
- How do providers contact their policy consultant for assistance?
Policy consultants' contact information can be found by clicking here.
- How do providers contact Rapid Financial Solutions for assistance?
Providers can reach out to Rapid Financial Solutions (RFS) at 844-959-7997.
- How do providers know which support option to contact?
For general questions about the new enrollment-based system or registering and using the system, please contact SPARK. You can reach out the SPARK Help Desk at 800-299-1627 or https://indianaspark.com/spark-help-desk/ to access their live chat options.
For questions about payment or vouchers, please email OECOSL at PaymentQuestions@fssa.IN.gov or reach out to your Policy Consultant. Policy Consultants’ contact information can be found by clicking here.
For questions about updating banking information, please contact Rapid Financial Solutions (RFS) at (844) 959-7997.