Wisconsin Shares for Agency Workers

If families have child(ren) aged 0-3 receiving Wisconsin Shares subsidy, they will receive a temporary 21 percent increase in funding starting March 1, 2021. This temporary increase is effective until June 30, 2021. Read through the below FAQs to learn more.

Where can I find information for parents and providers about the temporary 21% increase in Wisconsin Shares subsidies?

See the list of frequently asked questions on the Parents webpage and the Providers webpage.

If a parent receives a second authorization during the month, will the additional 21% be automatically issued for the new authorization?

Yes, the additional funds will be added overnight when the authorization processes for any new authorization for the month.

When completing a PLBC for a retraction request, the additional 21% of funds issued is not included in the calculation. How do I create an adjustment to retract the funds?

Since the additional funds are not included in the PLBC, BCCSA Staff will complete an additional adhoc adjustment when the request is submitted. Complete the standard PLBC for the month, include the additional funds in the retraction request email, and BCCSA staff will remove the funds and create the additional adjustment.

I needed to use PLBC to add additional hours to the existing authorization for the current month. Is the 21% automatically added to the card or do I need to do a manual adjustment to add the funds?

CSAW will not automatically add the additional funds for the month when you use PLBC, and you should not complete a manual adjustment to add an additional 21%. Only authorizations created in regular CSAW will have the additional 21% applied.

I needed to use PLBC to complete a negative adjustment to remove hours from the authorization. Does the system include the additional 21% when the PLBC is completed?

No, PLBC will not include the additional funds loaded, and you should not complete a manual adjustment to remove those additional funds as long as the child attended the provider at least once during the month.

How can I view the 21% adjustment?

The additional amount will be shown as an ad hoc adjustment on the EBT CSAW Benefit Summary page, the EBT CSAW Case Transactions page, and the Ad Hoc Case Adjustments page for the month for which the funds are issued. The adjustment will display separately from the original monthly amount.

If I complete a retraction or a VPA for a month additional funds were issued, should I include the funds in the retraction or VPA request?

If the child attended at least once during the month, there is no need to complete a retraction or VPA for the month as the provider is eligible to receive all funds issued for the month.

If the child did not attend for any days during the month, the additional funds should be included in any retraction or VPA request.

Can parents use these funds to pay their out-of-pocket costs or past due balances?

Yes, parents can use these funds to pay out-of-pocket costs or past due balances. Providers must first apply the parent’s subsidy to the parent’s current bill, including any out-of-pocket costs, and then to any past due balances that the parent has. The provider can then use any funds remaining after applying the subsidy to the parent’s bills without any other stipulations.

Will the department be transferring any funds directly to the provider?

Yes, if the parent has any balance remaining at the end of the month, and the parent has already made at least one payment for the month, the department will remove these funds from the parent’s card and pay them directly to the provider. This will only occur for the current month’s subsidy and will not include funds remaining from past months. This will display in CSAW the same way other funds removed by the department display after the transfer has been completed and will display in the Provider Portal when the additional funds have been transferred.

The Wisconsin Shares Handbook contains the policies and process instructions of the Wisconsin Shares program.

The Bureau of Child Care Subsidy Administration (BCCSA) oversees the implementation of the Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy program across the state. Bureau staff are available to offer technical assistance in a variety of ways to assist local agencies with the implementation of the Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy program More information on technical assistance contacts can be found on the Wisconsin Shares SharePoint site

Operations Memos from the Division of Early Care and Education are used to communicate with local agencies who accept Wisconsin Shares about changes in policy and automated systems. These memos are located on the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) website. Users can also sign up to receive notifications of new memos by clicking the Join Our Email Lists link on the upper right corner of the DHS webpage.

Administrator Memos from the Division of Early Care and Education are used to communicate with local agencies who accept Wisconsin Shares about changes made to the county/tribal child care contracts and other administrative procedures. These memos are located on the DECE Administrator's Memo webpage.

Chapter 49 of the Wisconsin Statutes includes current laws that affect the Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy program. See Wis. Stat. s. 49.141 - 49.161, and specifically 49.155

Wisconsin Administrative Rules affecting the Wisconsin Shares program included DCF 101 and DCF 201.

This searchable page contains a combined repository of all forms and publications used by local agencies, programs, and DCF staff.

The Department of Children and Families (DCF) uses this listserv to communicate:

• General child care information updates
• YoungStar and child care quality improvement information
• Wisconsin Shares and MyWIChildCare program updates
• Child care professional development opportunities
• Child care certification and licensing memos or updates
• DCF Child Care Provider Newsletter
• Child care listserv archive
• Other child care topics

These communications will come via email and will ensure that you receive current information and resources. To sign up for the Child Care Listserv, please visit the Child Care Email Sign Up page. If you would like to unsubscribe from the Child Care listserv, click the unsubscribe link in the email that you receive or use the Unsubscribe form on the listserv signup web page.