May has been a busy month for MSA-CAP, with payments for the submitted 2023-24 claims going out, and preparations for the 2024-25 season underway.
We were pleasantly surprised when NYSED began the invoicing process for payments earlier in May than in previous years. NYSED is required by law to pay all submitted claims by 5/31, but in past years, this usually meant that a payment notification would go out at the end of May with the actual payments taking place in June. This year, though, the process began earlier, and at this point, most schools already have the funds in their accounts. If you have not yet received any communication regarding your payment, please reach out to our team for assistance.
As you are likely aware, payments were issued at 94% of the submitted amount, statewide. The total applications exceeded the budgeted amount for claims by approximately 6%, resulting in this percentage of the claim totals not being paid out to schools. According to the law, NYSED is obligated to pay the remaining 6% balance of the submitted 2023-24 claims as well as the 5% owed to all schools who submitted claims for 2022-23. Teach NYS and other coalition partners are working on advocacy routes to get these remaining balances paid out. We understand everyone’s frustration with not receiving full payment, but it should be noted that the combined 2025 and 2026 fiscal years included $50 million in MSA-CAP increases to make up for old claims and fund current claims more fully. Clearly, the Governor and State Legislature have shown that they support the growth of MSA-CAP, and we’re confident that there will be some movement along this front soon. We will keep you informed as we have additional information regarding the payments.
An important point to keep in mind is that paid claims have not necessarily been approved. While many schools are auto-approved instantly upon submission, many are not and are placed in “hold” status. Upon payment of the claim, the “hold” status changes to “Post-review”, meaning the claim will be reviewed after it was paid. When your claim is in either “hold” or “Post-review” status, it is your responsibility to respond to data requests and other inquiries from the Office of Religious and Independent School Support (ORISS) staff in a timely manner to allow the Department to approve your claim.
Please note, if your claim was prepared by Teach NYS, any document requests were posted on the portal, and our staff have already uploaded whatever was necessary. As NYSED reviewers move through the claims and review the uploaded documents, they typically reach out with further requests and questions which need to be addressed. It’s crucial to focus on these messages and respond appropriately, as failure to get your claim approved can affect your school’s ability to file a claim in the following school year.
If Teach NYS works on your claim, we urge you to forward all correspondence to us when you receive it. If you are a Teach member school and need assistance with claim review questions and the resolution of holds, please reach out to us.