Many of us get reimbursement checks from agencies that don’t include any itemization on our pay stub. They don’t show us details such as what families and hours we’re being paid for or what rates we’re being paid.
“My check was just one lump sum. I knew it wasn’t correct, but I had no way to verify it,” said Norma Mendoza, a provider in South Gate. “How can I verify my pay if my check isn’t itemized?”
This is especially a problem when agencies change a family’s allowable child care hours but neglect to let us know about these changes. Some providers have noticed a difference of as much as $100 per family from one month to the next, but there’s no way to see how agencies arrive at these reimbursements. One agency actually admitted that if they accidentally overpaid a provider one month, then they’d “borrow” it back the next. Again, all without any itemization that allows us to verify our reimbursements. There’s also no process in place for challenging our reimbursement amounts if we suspect we’ve been underpaid.
If you believe that you are not being fully reimbursed for the child care you provide, please take the following steps:
- Call (213) 220-6523 or contact your SEIU Local 99 Steward or Organizer today.
- Write a letter to the agency in question requesting a detailed voucher report. Here’s a sample letter that you may use, or write your own.
- Send your letter to the agency and to the California Department of Education (your Steward or Organizer will help with this) on the same day.
- Once you receive a response from the agency (or if you don’t receive a response), let your Steward or Organizer know the outcome!
SEIU Local 99 child care providers across Southern California are submitting these formal requests for better, clearer documentation on our paycheck stubs. Join us as we continue our efforts to fix this mess by showing agencies the strength of our numbers. All Local 99 providers who do not receive clear, itemized pay stubs are encouraged to submit a copy of the letter to all agencies you work with and to the California Department of Education.
