Child Care Payment Integrity and Fraud Accountability Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Representative Messmer
In Committee
Summary
Requires states to submit annual, standardized reports that quantify improper child care payments. Reports must break down the dollar and percentage amounts into categories set by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, explicitly separating suspected and verified fraudulent payments from non-fraud overpayments, underpayments, and technically improper payments.
Show full summary
- States: State child care agencies must file an annual report to the HHS Secretary showing dollar and percentage amounts of improper payments by the required categories.
- Secretary of Health and Human Services: The Secretary sets the standardized payment categories that states must use for reporting.
- Program oversight: By naming fraud as a distinct category and separating error types, the reporting requirement creates a statewide accountability tool to quantify and compare payment problems across the Child Care and Development Block Grant program.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
New child care fraud reporting rules
If enacted, states that receive child care block grants would have to treat fraudulent payments as overpayments when reporting improper payments. States would also send the federal Secretary a yearly report showing the dollar amounts and percentages of improper payments. Reports would break out suspected and verified fraud, non-fraudulent overpayments, underpayments, and technical errors (like system mistakes). This requirement would start upon enactment and could lead to more oversight, recovery actions, and added state reporting costs.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Messmer
IN • R
Cosponsors
Rep. Wilson, Joe [R-SC-2]
SC • R
Sponsored 3/3/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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