The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), administered by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), is authorized at Section 17 of the National School Lunch Act (42 USC 1766). The CACFP supports day care centers through reimbursements of costs for serving nutritious meals and snacks to eligible children and adults.
The Improper Payments Information Act (IPIA) of 2002 (PL 107-300) set annual requirements for federal programs, such as CACFP, to report estimates of improper payments in an effort to improve program integrity. Further guidance was provided in a 2009 Executive Order and by the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act (IPERA) of 2010 (PL 111-204) and the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Improvement Act (IPERIA) of 2012 (PL 112-248), which amended and expanded IPIA requirements.
In order to comply with reporting requirements concerning improper payments, FNS is conducting the Erroneous Payments in Child Care Centers Study (EPICCS). This study will focus on CACFP operations in participating child care centers and their sponsoring organizations. This study is necessary for FNS's annual compliance with IPERA in the child care center component of CACFP.