Child Care Reporting--Family Identification

Family Identification/Case Number (FICN)

The Family Identification/Case Number (FICN) information field indicates a specific family receiving subsidized child care services through an agency’s contract with the Early Education Division (EED). This is the unique identification or case number that an agency assigns to a family receiving subsidized child care services through an agency’s contract with the EED.

Agencies are encouraged to use these numbers in the CDD-801A to help locate cases sampled in the CDD-801B.

Where to Find It

On the Confidential Application for Child Development Services and Certification of Eligibility form (ELCD-9600), the FICN is located in a box in the upper right-hand corner of the first page.

Rules and Guidelines

• This information field is required.

• The same FICN cannot be used for more than one family.

• The FICN cannot contain the Head-of-Household (HoH) Social Security Number (SSN) or the child SSN.

• The FICN cannot contain the first and/or last name of the child or HoH.

• The maximum length of this field is 15 characters.

• The only allowable characters in this field are the letters A – Z (upper and lower case are acceptable) and the numbers 0 – 9.

Error Messages and Solutions

• The Family Identification/Case Number is required. [801A Electronic File Transfer], [801A Input/Edit], [801B]
  
  Problem: The FICN field for this family is blank. This field must have information.
  
  Solution: Enter an FICN.

• A duplicate Family Identification/Case Number (FICN) already exists for this report month/year in another sub-agency. [801A Electronic File Transfer], [801A Input/Edit]
  
  Problem: A family with this FICN has already been reported by the agency in a different sub-agency.
  
  Solution: Confirm that the FICN is entered correctly for the family, and that the family is not reported in another sub-agency. If an agency discovers the family has already been reported in another sub-agency, remove the family from one of the sub-agencies; a family may only be reported once during a report period. If the same FICN has been assigned to more than one family, an agency must assign a new FICN to one of the families.

• A duplicate Family Identification/Case Number (FICN) already exists for this report month/year. [801A Electronic File Transfer], [801A Input/Edit], [801B]
  
  Problem:
  801A File Transfer: Two or more families in the electronic file have the same FICN.
  801A Web Input or 801B: A family with the same FICN already exists in the report period.
  
  Solution:
  CDD-801A Electronic File Transfer: Check the families listed on the electronic file status report to determine the problem. Fix incorrectly reported FICNs in the file. If the error message is listed for multiple rows of the same family, this means that the family’s information in each row of the electronic file is not identical. Ensure every piece of information listed for the family is the same in each row.
  C DD-801A Input/Edit or CDD-801B Input/Edit: Confirm that the FICN is entered correctly. If documentation indicates the FICN has been assigned to different families, talk to the person responsible for generating the agency’s FICNs so that a new FICN can be assigned to one of the families.
  
  
• The FICN can only contain letters and numbers. [801A Electronic File Transfer], [801A Input/Edit], [801B]
  
  Problem: The FICN contains other than the letters A – Z (upper and lower case acceptable) and the numbers 0 – 9.
  
  Solution: Confirm that the FICN contains only allowable characters. Remove invalid characters from the FICN.

• The FICN cannot contain the first or last name of the child or head-of-household. [801A Electronic File Transfer], [801A Input/Edit], [801B]
  
  Problem: The FICN contains the first and/or last name of the child or HoH.
  
  Solution: Confirm that the FICN does not contain the child’s or HoH’s first and/or last name. If any names are contained in the FICN, an agency must assign this family a FICN that does not contain the child’s or HoH’s first and/or last name.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is a Family Identification/Case Number (FICN)? Our agency hasn’t been using this. What numbers or letters should we use?
  
  The FICN is generated by an agency to uniquely identify each family receiving subsidized child care services through an agency’s contract with the EED. The FICN should make it easier for an agency to locate the family file when it is sampled for the CDD-801B. An agency may use numbers or letters or a combination of both to identify families. The FICN can be as simple as assigning numbers to a family beginning with the number one (1) and assigning the next available number as new families are enrolled. How the FICN is created is up to each agency; however, agencies are limited to the allowable characters as stated in the FICN Rules and Guidelines section.

• Does my agency have to report a FICN for each family?
  
  Yes.

• We have a family that was previously enrolled, had a break in service, and then returned. We cannot locate the old FICN assigned to this family. Can we issue a new FICN?
  
  It is preferable to use the same FICN that the family had before, but if an agency does not have a record of that information, a new FICN may be created.

• One of our families has two children receiving services in different sub-agencies. When we try to report the family under the other sub-agency, we get the error “A duplicate FICN already exists for this report month/year in another sub-agency. How do we report this family correctly?
  
  A family may only be reported once in a report period regardless of the types of programs that provide the subsidized child care services to the children in that family. Even though an agency has created separate sub-agencies for reporting subsidized child care services under the different programs, the CDMIS does not limit or restrict who is reported under those sub-agencies. Where an agency reports families receiving different subsidized child care services through an agency’s contract with the EED is up to the agency. Select the sub-agency in which a family will be reported, then ensure all children receiving subsidized child care services in this family are listed.

Return to Appendix A: Data Definitions