(a) The Commissioner of Children and Families may, after consultation with the Commissioner of Administrative Services, establish by regulation a payment system, which shall be adopted in accordance with chapter 54, for the direct payment of the reasonable expense of goods or services determined by said commissioner to be necessary for the care and maintenance of any child in the commissioner’s custody, or under the commissioner’s guardianship, whether or not the child has income or estate. Ninety per cent of a clean claim for payments shall be made no later than thirty days from receipt of the request for payment and ninety-nine per cent shall be made within ninety days of such receipt. Upon request of the Commissioner of Children and Families, the Comptroller shall draw an order on the Treasurer, from time to time, for such part of the appropriation for care of such children as may be needed in order to enable the commissioner to make such payments. The Department of Administrative Services may bill to and collect from the person in charge of the estate of any child in the custody of the Commissioner of Children and Families or under said commissioner’s guardianship, or the payee of such child’s income, the total amount expended for care of such child or such portion thereof as any such estate or payee is able to reimburse, provided the department shall not collect from such estate or payee any reimbursement for the cost of care or other expenditures made on behalf of such child from (1) the proceeds of any cause of action received by such child; (2) any lottery proceeds due to such child; (3) any inheritance due to such child; (4) any payment due to such child from a trust other than a trust created pursuant to 42 USC 1396p, as amended from time to time; or (5) the decedent estate of such child. For the purposes of this section “clean claim” means a claim which can be processed without obtaining additional substantiation from the applicant for payment or other person entitled to receive payment. A claim submitted by an applicant who is under investigation for fraud or abuse shall not be considered a clean claim.

(b) The Commissioner of Children and Families and the Commissioner of Education shall jointly develop a single cost accounting system, on forms developed jointly by the Department of Children and Families and the Department of Education, which may be the basis for the payment of reasonable expenses for room and board and education by purchase of service agreement to private residential treatment centers that provide on-campus educational services and are licensed pursuant to § 17a-145. The Commissioner of Children and Families, after consultation with the Commissioner of Education, shall adopt regulations in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 to administer the system, which may provide for the combining of procedures within the Department of Children and Families and the Department of Education for administering the system, including the holding of joint hearings and reviews. Annually, on or before a date established by the Commissioner of Children and Families, each residential treatment center shall submit to the Department of Children and Families, on forms provided by said department and the Department of Education, the audited costs of its approved programs for the preceding year as certified by a certified public accounting firm. On and after July 1, 1983, no additional services shall be included in the calculation of such reasonable expenses unless such services are approved by the Commissioner of Children and Families or the Commissioner of Education.

(c) During the two-year period commencing July 1, 1985, the Commissioner of Children and Families and the Commissioner of Education shall implement the cost accounting system developed pursuant to subsection (b) of this section. On and after July 1, 1987, said system shall be the basis for the payment of reasonable expenses for room and board and education, by purchase of service agreement, to private residential treatment centers, provided said system shall not be applicable to any treatment center which does not submit the audited costs of its approved programs for the preceding year in accordance with the provisions of said subsection (b).

(d) Any cost-of-living adjustment provided in section 4 of public act 98-250* shall be applicable only to the room and board rate and shall not be applicable to the education rate.

(e) The Commissioner of Children and Families may establish a performance-based payment system for child care facilities that serve children in the custody of the commissioner and are licensed pursuant to § 17a-145. Any payments made pursuant to this subsection shall be reinvested in the child care facility to provide program enhancements and salary increases for direct care staff. Such payments shall not be considered income to the child care facility for purposes of establishing payments under the single cost accounting system established pursuant to subsection (b) of this section.