Section 254.420  Payment of Reimbursement to Eligible Recipients

a)         Eligible recipients approved for formula reimbursement of vocational education programs will normally receive forward funding payments in the second and succeeding years of program operation in anticipation of reimbursement claims to be submitted by such agencies during the fiscal year for which funding is projected.  Forward funding payments to such eligible recipients will normally be made three times each fiscal year.  Forward funding payments may not be made in a particular fiscal year for such reasons as the late receipt or release of federal and/or state funds, or large audit exceptions pertaining to a particular educational agency, or because of nonparticipation of an individual in funded programs in a particular fiscal year.

b)         Eligible recipients requesting funding for the first time will be eligible for forward funding after an estimated claim has been received and approved.

c)         Audit exceptions which decrease or which increase the amount of funds an eligible recipient is eligible to receive will be applied to the first payment after the exception has been determined.  For an eligible recipient which shall have received more funds in the three forward funding payments than are generated by the total claims of such recipient for the particular fiscal year, subsequent reimbursement payments will be reduced in total until the amount of such overpayment is recovered if such recipient maintains ongoing reimbursable programs.  Eligible recipient which shall have received such overpayment, and which do not maintain ongoing reimbursable programs from which such overpayment may be recovered, must submit a refund of such overpayment by check payable to the State Board of Education at the earliest possible date following notification of overpayment.  No adjustment will be made by the State Board of Education or required of an eligible recipient for audit exceptions in the amount of $50.00 or less.

d)         Payment of funds for reimbursement of eligible recipients will be made by warrants drawn by the Comptroller on the treasury of the State of Illinois.  Such payments will be made directly to the eligible recipient if such eligible recipient is a state university, a state agency, or a regional superintendent of schools.  Such payments for reimbursement of regional vocational systems will be processed through the appropriate regional superintendent of schools.

e)         The State Board of Education will not authorize final payment of reimbursement to an eligible recipient for a particular fiscal year until receipt of any and all fiscal and statistical reports required of the eligible recipient.

(Source:  Amended at 12 Ill. Reg. 2282, effective January 15, 1988)