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The Child Care Assistance Program copayment schedules have been updated to reflect the state median income guidelines for federal fiscal year 2027. The new copayment schedule is effective October 12, 2026, and remains in effect until the new copayment schedule is published in October 2027.
New Resources
Access a complete list of supplemental CCAP resources here: CCAP Resources Summary.
Override Request Process Resources
Updated: Redetermination Resources
DCYF CCAP has updated the CCAP Redetermination Flow Chart available in SIR.
Policy Pointers
August 2026 – Multiple Providers – Provider Switches New!
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CCAP Policy Support Hour
Date: Monday October 12th, 2026, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
WebEx Link: https://minnesota.webex.com/minnesota/j.php?MTID=m022d1a2793a829219693f546981efeae
Meeting Number: 2494 452 4182
Meeting Password: CcDpqGBp395
Call for Region Representatives!
Minnesota Financial Workers and Case Aide Association (MFWCAA) is looking for region representatives. MFWCAA supports financial workers and case aides in all 87 Minnesota counties, coordinating training, advocating for policy improvements, and hosting an annual statewide conference that strengthens the human services community. MFWCAA has mixture of in-person and virtual monthly meetings. It is a great opportunity to network with representatives from all over Minnesota and state government.
MFWCAA open region spots:
- Region 1 (Kittson, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, Roseau)
- Region 3 (Aitkin, Bois Forte, Carlton, Cook, Fond du Lac, Grand Portage, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, St. Louis)
- Region 8 (Cottonwood, Jackson, Lincoln, Lower Sioux, Lyon, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Redwood, Rock)
- Region 9 (Blue Earth, Brown, Faribault, Le Sueur, Martin, MN Prairie Alliance – Waseca Offices, Nicollet, Sibley, Waseca, Watonwan)
- Region 10 (Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, MN Prairie Alliance-Mantorville/Owatonna Offices, Mower, Olmsted, Prairie Island, Rice, Steele, Wabasha, Winona)
If you are interested in this rewarding volunteer opportunity, contact MFWCAA President; Angella Blanshan. Email: angella.blanshan@dvhhs.org Phone number: 507-831-1255.
More information can be found on their website: www.mfwcaa.org
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Copay FAQs
Families receiving child care assistance may have to pay part of their child care cost. This portion of the cost is called a copayment or copay. The family’s copay amount is based on their family income and household size. Both you and the family will know the copay amount in advance. The Service Authorization and Billing Form show the copay amount that will be deducted from the payment.
Here are some of the common questions you might have about how to manage copayments:
Under what circumstances, if any, is a provider permitted to waive or reduce a client's copay?
- Providers can always waive a family’s copayment or set up a family on a payment plan. This does not impact a family’s eligibility for child care assistance and there are no specific parameters for when a provider can or cannot waive a copay. This is the up to the provider.
- Providers must record this on each billing from and keep proper documentation.
- A provider cannot bill CCAP a higher amount because they have waived a copay.
Is there a distinction between occasionally waiving a copay for a client experiencing financial hardship versus a routine or blanket waiver policy?
- No. There is no distinction between occasionally waiving a copay versus a blanket waiver policy.
- On each billing form, providers attest to whether they collected or waived the family’s copayment. This can be different on each bill, as long as the answer is accurate for that biweekly billing period and documented properly.
What documentation, if any, is required when a copay is waived or adjusted?
- The Minnesota Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) Child Care Provider Guide (DHS-5260) explains how to complete the billing form depending on whether a provider collected the copay, have the family on a payment plan (i.e., partially collected the copayment), or waived the copayment.
- Providers must always:
- Keep records of charges and payments for all children in care, including CCAP billing forms.
- Document proof of a family’s copay or child care costs made by a source other than the family (e.g., payments from Early Learning Scholarships or a nonprofit organization).
What specific conduct constitutes fraud in this context (e.g., is it the waiver itself, failure to report it, billing discrepancies, or something else)?
- Occasional mistakes and errors are not fraud, but these might still result in administrative actions like a correction order or an overpayment if there was a CCAP violation.
- Fraud requires that someone intentionally withholds, conceals, or misrepresents information for the purposes of obtaining CCAP (or helping someone else to receive CCAP). Fraud must be established through specific processes, such as criminal conviction or an administrative disqualification hearing.
Are there approved hardship or sliding-scale procedures providers should use instead of waiving copays outright?
- The decision to whether to waive copays or not is up to each individual provider.
Where can providers find written guidance or regulations that address this issue directly?
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The Minnesota Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) Child Care Provider Guide (DHS-5260) gives written guidance for providers on CCAP policies:
- Pages 22 – 23 and 42 – 43 contain information about what records providers need to keep related to billing and a family’s copay.
- Pages 47 and 48 have instructions for how to complete a billing form and indicate if a copay was waived or not.
- Pages 78 and 79 have additional, frequently asked questions and answers related to copays.
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