An Act to Ensure Timely Reimbursement for Providers of Child Care Services for Children in Foster Care

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132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 1191
S.P. 480 In Senate, March 20, 2025
An Act to Ensure Timely Reimbursement for Providers of Child
Care Services for Children in Foster Care
Reference to the Committee on Health and Human Services suggested and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator BALDACCI of Penobscot.

Page 1 - 132LR1417(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §8111 is enacted to read:
3§8111. Child care services provided to family foster homes
41. Reimbursement for child care services. The department shall reimburse a child
5 care provider for child care services rendered to a family foster home within 15 days of
6 receiving a complete and accurate invoice for the child care services if the invoice meets
7 all the required state procurement and payment requirements. For purposes of this section,
8 "child care" has the same meaning as in section 3731, subsection 1.
92. Reimbursement procedures and administration. The department shall establish
10 procedures to ensure the timely processing and reimbursement of an invoice from a child
11 care provider under subsection 1. The department shall provide guidance to a child care
12 provider on the requirements for submitting a complete and accurate invoice under
13 subsection 1 and any necessary state procurement and payment requirements.
143. Report. On or before January 1st of every year, the department shall issue a report
15 to the Governor and the Legislature on the department's compliance with this section. The
16 report must include data on the average time taken for reimbursement, the number of
17 delayed reimbursements and any corrective action taken to address a delayed
18 reimbursement.
19SUMMARY
20 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to pay the invoice of
21 a child care provider for child care services rendered to a family foster home within 15 days
22 of receiving the invoice. The bill requires the department to establish procedures to ensure
23 the timely processing of the reimbursement to the provider, to provide guidance to child
24 care providers on requirements for submitting invoices and to issue an annual report to the
25 Governor and the Legislature on the department's compliance with these provisions.
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