Faculty and Staff
Backup Care Program Policies & Procedures
Employee Eligibility
Regular full-time and part-time staff and faculty are eligible for the Sick, Emergency & Back-up Care Program. Temporary, limited and casual employees and students are not eligible.
Each registered employee can receive up to 10 placements per year of university-subsidized sick, emergency or back-up care for their dependents. Each time you request that a provider be placed in your home is considered a placement. The minimum time for one placement is four hours and the maximum for one placement is 12 hours. More than one placement can be used in a 24 hour period but would count as two placements. Use of the subsidy program is limited to care needed to fulfill work responsibilities, however, care may be purchased for non-work related needs(see Procedure #10).
Dependent Eligibility
"Dependents" are defined as anyone for whom you provided more than 50% of the financial support for the year, as defined in Section 152 of the Internal Revenue Code, and who resides in your home a minimum of eight hours per day. Expenses for the following dependents are eligible for reimbursement:
- children under age 13
- any dependent (including your spouse or parent) who is physically or mentally incapable of caring for himself or herself
In addition, care can be provided for other adults who are not legal dependents, such as your parents and your spouse/partner’s parents, your spouse/partner, grandparents, aunts, and uncles, your adult children, or yourself.
Cost
The University pays annual program and placement fees to subsidize the cost of sick, emergency and back-up care for any employee using the program. Employees receive an additional subsidy to cover the cost of care as shown in the chart below. The maximum number of placements an employee may use per year is 10.
Employee Income | Employee Portion | University Portion |
|---|---|---|
$39,999 and below | $6.00 per hour | $8.00 per hour |
$40,000 to $75,000 | $8.00 per hour | $6.00 per hour |
Over $75,000 | $10.00 per hour | $4.00 per hour |
Eligibility Verification & Reimbursement
Income is verified using payroll data. Parents in a Pinch sends WORKlife Programs a monthly notification of the number of days of care and hours used by employees. When that statement is received and approved, Parents in a Pinch will send a reimbursement check to the employee using the service.
Maximum Dependent Care Benefit
The maximum dependent care benefit from the university is $5,000. If an employee receives a DBCC Scholarship, Johns Hopkins Family Center Scholarship or Dependent Care Voucher, enrolls in a Dependent Care Reimbursement Account, and uses the Sick, Emergency and Back-up Care Program, the combined total for all programs cannot exceed $5,000. Employees who have enrolled for the maximum in their Dependent Care Account are not subsidy eligible but can utilize the sick Emergency and Back-up Care Program.
Procedures
Complete the application form. Forms are available on the web for Child Care Services or Elder/Adult Care Services. Forms may also be picked up at WORKlife Programs, Suite C100, 1101 E. 33rd Street (Johns Hopkins at Eastern).
Submit completed Application to WORKlife Programs. When an individual is approved, WORKlife Programs calls or email Parents in a Pinch to give them the name. The individual may receive either a letter or an email informing them of the approval from WORKlife Programs.
WORKlife Programs checks to see whether you are enrolled in a Dependent Care Reimbursement Account or the Dependent Care Voucher Program to verify that you will not exceed $5,000 in dependent care benefits. If you have reached the $5,000 limit you are still eligible for the Sick Emergency and Backup Care Program, but cannot receive the subsidy.After being approved, you need to call Parents in a Pinch at 1-800-688-4697 to give them dependent information. Parents in a Pinch must have dependent information prior to placement.
When care is needed, you call Parents in a Pinch directly. Their office hours are: 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Fridays, and 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. on Sundays. At all other times, employees can relay a message to voice mail or directly to their answering service. Their number is 1-800-688-4697.
A provider usually will be booked within 24 hours. Parents in a Pinch or their community partner will contact you with the provider's name and provide references, if requested.The provider will call you to introduce him/herself, confirm the date and time and confirm directions to your home.
When the provider arrives, she/he will have you sign an authorization to provide care for the child/elder, and an authorization for dispensing medication (if applicable). These authorizations are part of a time sheet that also provides documentation of the hours used and contains an employee receipt.
On the day of service, you pay the provider $14 per hour for child care (this rate may change for newborn care or special needs children). For in-home eldercare the rate range is $14 to $20 an hour depending on the services needed.
You are reimbursed at your pre-approved rate by the university for each hour of care provided by the Parents in a Pinch provider. Hours of care will be verified by Parents in a Pinch.
You also pay the provider a daily transportation charge of $.50 per mile if provider uses her own car to transport the child(ren). For child care providers without transportation, a ride or taxi fare is required after 12:00 a.m.
Your may purchase additional, unsubsidized child care beyond the 10 placement limit directly from Parents in a Pinch for $14 per hour plus an additional $50 per day placement fee.