Not every county will begin putting cases into the FAMIS Child Care System immediately.  However, there are issues that all counties must take into account when dealing with Child Care, even if not yet implemented in FAMIS.  For example:

The entire state will not be using FAMIS Child Care until mid-April of this year.  Therefore, some child care providers will probably give care to children from counties implemented in FAMIS, even though the providers themselves are not in FAMIS-implemented counties.  Because FAMIS produces invoices separately from the current Child Care system, these children will not be listed on the same invoice along with children authorized in the current legacy) system.  The providers may ask their own county offices why this is so.

Child Care cases may transfer between counties implemented in FAMIS and counties not yet implemented.  In such cases, special procedures must be used.  See later in this memorandum for more about those procedures.

Providers throughout the state will be notified of the implementation schedule.  Some providers may have business offices in counties not yet implemented.  Therefore, counties not yet implemented, even those at some distance from any implemented counties, may receive questions regarding the implementation of the FAMIS Child Care System.

In IM-#147, dated October 6, 1999, you will find the announcement of the pilot implementation of FAMIS Child Care. Information in that memo applies to the statewide implementation of the FAMIS Child Care System.  To avoid repeating lengthy portions, please refer to that memorandum for details of particular points discussed below.

The current Child Care system will be referred to in the rest of this memorandum as the legacy system, to distinguish it from the FAMIS Child Care System.  References to both FAMIS and to the legacy system refer only to IM Child Care.  Protective Services Child Care (PS) is not included in FAMIS and will remain a separate system, with its own authorizations, invoices, and payments.

An overview of the implementation phase

As noted above, nine counties have already been implemented as FAMIS counties; this occurred during October, November, and December of 1999.  Beginning January 4, 2000, staff from other areas of the state will have begun training in the FAMIS Child Care System. The first non-pilot counties will be implemented January 18, 2000.  The entire state is expected to be implemented by mid-April.

Within each area, the implementation will be phased in, so that only a few counties are implemented at any one time in any one area, at about two week intervals.  The precise implementation sequence of counties within each area is described on the attachment to this memorandum.

Providers may provide care to children outside their own counties and because the counties implemented at any one time are spread around the state, there will be statewide notices to the providers about FAMIS child care.  The notices primarily address the changes that will be apparent to providers and give the providers the schedule of implementation. A copy of the provider notice is attached with this memorandum.  In addition to the providers, the resource and referral agencies for Child Care will receive copies of the notice and implementation schedule.

Every county has been asked to identify persons as Child Care Ambassadors.  Their role is to act as liaisons between the county offices and the providers.  Be certain that everyone in each county office knows who the Child Care Ambassadors are, so that questions from providers about the implementation may be handled by them.  Each county's implementation plan addresses how questions should be handled within the office and how they should be forwarded if the answer is not known.

Each county will continue to use the legacy system for IM Child Care cases until it reaches its implementation date.  Within each county, as it becomes implemented in FAMIS, the legacy system will be gradually phased out.  No active Child Care case will be converted from the legacy system to the FAMIS system.  All cases currently authorized for Child Care in the legacy system will continue to be handled in the legacy system until the case's current eligibility period in the legacy system expires. 

On the date that a county begins using the FAMIS system, the county will no longer be able to enter new Child Care requests in legacy.  Counties using FAMIS will be able to maintain legacy cases to track interim changes.  On or after the date when a county is implemented in FAMIS, it will enter all Child Care requests (applications) in the FAMIS system.  All subsequent actions on cases entered in FAMIS will occur within FAMIS. (Exception: Some cases may transfer from an implemented county to a non-implemented county. See "Transfers," below.)

The phased-in approach eliminates the need to convert active Child Care cases from one system to the other.  As the eligibility in the legacy system expires and the Child Care claimant re-applies, the applications will be taken in FAMIS. Because eligibilities expire after no more than a year, counties can expect to have some cases in legacy for up to about a year after the time they first become implemented in FAMIS.  Do not close cases prematurely in legacy for the sole purpose of moving them to FAMIS.  This will cause the legacy system to produce invalid notices. After all legacy cases have expired and all legacy invoices have been paid, the legacy system will be shut down, except for inquiry.

The FAMIS and legacy systems each track their own invoices and payments.  That is, payment for services authorized and invoiced by the legacy system must be made through the legacy system.  Payment for services authorized and invoiced by the FAMIS system must be made through the FAMIS system.  Do not use the legacy system (CS-65, for example) to pay for services authorized in FAMIS. 

Differences between FAMIS and legacy Child Care

There are significant differences between the FAMIS and legacy child care systems in a number of respects.  Notices, invoices, how authorized units are calculated and shown, and payroll schedules are all different.  Please see IM-#147, 1999, for details of how these differ between the two systems.

Another key difference between the two systems is that FAMIS tracks more data by begin and end dates than does legacy.  To a large extent, once data is in FAMIS, it is not deleted, but end-dated.  Furthermore, FAMIS establishes many links between data, many of which are not apparent by looking at what is displayed on the screens.  There is a very important consequence to this difference between the systems.  In the legacy system, it has been common practice to "try" different entries to get a case to work.  In FAMIS, "trying" different data can lead to many undesirable outcomes, including having data in the system that can not be deleted but which will remain and may actually prevent entry of the correct data which the system needs to correctly handle a case.  Therefore, if you have problems with the system, call the FAMIS Support Desk, 1-800-MO-FAMIS, before changing the data.  It will be much easier to sort out the problem and arrive at a solution without data in the way which is unnecessary and possibly harmful.

Duplicate Authorizations

Because there will be two systems handling IM Child Care, there must be edits and reports between the systems to check for duplicate authorizations.  IM-#147, 1999, details several issues with duplicate authorizations.

One thing not addressed in that memorandum has already been noted above, but bears re-stating.  Do not, under any circumstances, use CS-65 or other legacy system methods to pay for services authorized and invoiced through FAMIS.  Doing this results in unpaid invoices outstanding in FAMIS, and payments made without corresponding invoices in legacy.

Transfers

A county which has not yet implemented FAMIS cannot work on FAMIS Child Care cases.  Therefore, special consideration must be given to transfers of child care cases between counties.  They must be handled differently depending on the implementation status of the counties and the cases involved. The procedures given below are identical to those given in IM-#147, but are repeated here and slightly expanded.
The following four possibilities apply only until all counties throughout the state are implemented in FAMIS.

1. Both the originating county and the receiving county are still in legacy:

Handle as under current transfer procedure, closing the case in the originating county, transferring the record, and taking a new application in the receiving county.

The case should be closed in legacy by the originating county. The receiving county should take a new application in FAMIS.

Handle as under current transfer procedure, closing the case in the originating county, transferring the record, and taking a new application in the receiving county.

Determine when the receiving county is scheduled to be implemented as a FAMIS county.

If the implementation will occur within 30 days of the date the need for a transfer is identified, leave the case in FAMIS and arrange for the originating county to assist with any new authorizations needed, and with handling invoices and attendance in the interim.  Once the receiving county has implemented FAMIS, transfer the case to the receiving county.

If the implementation will occur later than 30 days after the date the need for a transfer is identified, close the case in FAMIS.  Transfer the case to the receiving county.  The receiving county takes a new application in legacy.  The receiving county must work with the originating county to assure that there is no overlap in authorization dates or payments between the two systems. 

The following possibilities are in effect now and will continue to apply after all counties have been implemented in FAMIS.

The case is closed in the originating county and transferred to the receiving county. The receiving county takes a new application in FAMIS.

Note that #5 will no longer apply once all legacy cases throughout the state have expired.

The case remains in FAMIS and the case is transferred. However, the authorizations will remain open, so the case is not closed in the originating county before the transfer.

Note that #6 will apply even after all legacy cases throughout the state have expired.

FAMIS handles access to its data in a much different way than the legacy system.  Each user in FAMIS must be granted access by a local security coordinator.  Until a county has been trained in FAMIS, it will not have a local security coordinator.  Therefore, staff in non-implemented counties will not be able to inquire into most FAMIS data. (Exception: Through special arrangements, some persons in each county office can update Resource Directory information, and some persons can update or inquire into provider information.  Nearly all staff can inquire into the Resource Directory.)

When clearing DCN's, any screen showing participation codes (such as SPAR) may show a FAMIS participation code of "0" (zero).  Currently, only participation in FAMIS Child Care will cause this participation code to show.  However, a user in a non-implemented county will not be able to see the FAMIS data to gain more information.  This means that until all counties are implemented in FAMIS, it becomes especially important for staff in non-
implemented counties to ask each applicant for Child Care about previous Child Care eligibility and in which county it was received.  This will help avoid authorizing cases in legacy which have already been authorized in FAMIS. (See "Duplicate Authorizations," above.)

The effect of FAMIS on system updates and inquiries

FAMIS runs certain batch programs every weekday evening.  All access to FAMIS data (both inquiry and update) is unavailable from 6:00 PM to 6:15 PM.  Any attempt to access FAMIS data results in an abend during that time.  After 6:15 PM, inquiries can be made for FAMIS data. However, updates cannot be done until about 7:30 PM.  These inquiry and update restrictions apply only to FAMIS data.

Training

Training requirements are not the same for every person involved in Child Care. Counties completed implementation plans which address the types of training needed.  In general, most persons will be trained sometime in the two weeks immediately preceding the implementation date for their counties.  Because of the complexity of fitting the specific needs of each county into the strictly limited training slots, there are exceptions to the timing of some persons' training. The limited slots also limit flexibility in re-scheduling.  Because nearly half the training slots available at any one time are at the St. Louis training site, a greater proportion of trainees than usual will be scheduled for that site.  Detailed training schedules are being handled separately from this memorandum.

• Be sure all staff in the county know who the Child Care Ambassadors are. Refer questions from providers about the implementation to them.

 
• When transferring Child Care cases, refer to this memorandum for guidance for the correct procedure.

 
• Be prepared to answer questions from counties implemented in FAMIS about duplicate authorizations.  Refer to IM-#147, 1999, if necessary.

 
• If in a non-implemented county, be prepared to investigate further if a FAMIS participation code is found when clearing for a client's DCN.

 
• Call the FAMIS Support Desk, 1-800-MO-FAMIS, when there are problems with the way the system is handling a case.

 
• Take care to enter attendance for legacy-authorized cases only in the legacy system and for FAMIS-authorized cases only in FAMIS.

 
• Keep in mind the times when FAMIS data is unavailable when scheduling work.