LAC 28:CLIII.1509. Funds Transfer and Management

A. The LDOE shall establish procedures to effectuate the ESA funds transfer process into accounts and from accounts to nonpublic schools and service providers. B. The program manager will facilitate the electronic transfer of funds to accounts and to nonpublic schools and service providers through procedures established by the program manager and the department. C. Tuition and fee payments will be transferred quarterly to participating nonpublic schools subject to submission of required student enrollment and attendance data for the quarter according to the procedures established by the LDOE. 1. If a participating school requires partial payment of tuition or fees prior to the start of the school year to reserve space for a student, the LDOE may transfer the partial payment prior to the start of the school year and deduct the amount from subsequent quarterly account deposits to ensure adequate funds remain available throughout the school year; however, if the parent decides not to use the school or service provider, the school or service provider shall return the partial reservation payment to the LDOE, which shall credit the amount to the account. D. Frequency of payments to service providers will be established according to procedures developed by LDOE and commonly used within marketplace settings. E. If a student begins participating in the LA GATOR Program for less than an entire school year, the ESA award amount transferred to the account shall be prorated for that school year. F. If the account holder is unable to administer a student’s account for any reason, the account holder may file a request to designate a secondary account holder at any time during the school year. The LDOE will approve a secondary account holder request if the proposed secondary account holder is deemed one of the following: 1. a biological or adoptive parent; 2. a legal guardian or custodian; 3. a person standing in loco parentis to a participating student; or 4. another person with legal authority to act on behalf of a participating student. G. The LDOE shall allow an applicant parent for multiple participating students to access all accounts through one portal, but with the individual accounts remaining separate and segregated at all times. H. Funds remaining in an account closed when a participating student becomes ineligible or withdraws from the LA GATOR Program during the fiscal year, will be transferred by the program manager to the department for use towards new accounts as feasible.