Bright Horizons® Crisis Care Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT IS CRISIS CARE?

Crisis Care is an option to find your own caregiver and receive a $100 reimbursement per day of care. Crisis Care is activated by Bright Horizons® during extreme circumstances, such as hurricanes, wildfires, and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Submitting Your Reservation

The Back-Up Care website’s reservation ability appears different at this time. How do I reserve care or submit reimbursement requests?

Crisis Care reimbursement requests can now be completed directly from the homepage. Reservations for center-based and in-home care are unchanged. This update provides a faster, more convenient approach for Crisis Care requests. You can request Crisis Care on the Reservations page by clicking the yellow Request Reimbursement button.

How many days of Crisis Care can I reserve at once?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, you can submit up to 5 days of care per reservation. If additional days are needed, you may submit them as a separate reservation.

How many days of Crisis Care are available to me?

Crisis Care is one of several care types available through your Bright Horizons Back-Up Care benefit. The days reimbursed through Crisis Care count towards your annual use allocation, just as any other back-up care usage would.

How long will Crisis Care be available?

Crisis Care is activated during extreme circumstances, such as weather emergencies and COVID-19. The activation period varies depending on need. To see the latest information on Crisis Care availability, click the yellow Request Reimbursement button from the homepage or Reservations page. If you do not see Crisis Care mentioned in the homepage banner, or in a pop-up message on the mobile app (where available), then Crisis Care is not active at that time, and you should follow the process of completing a conventional back-up care reservation.

How far in advance can I reserve Crisis Care?

You can reserve Crisis Care as far out as your employer’s reservation window allows for back-up care, provided Crisis Care is activated for those dates.

How will I know my reservation has been successfully submitted?

There are three means of confirming that your reservation was successfully submitted:

  1. You see a pop-up window after you click ‘submit’ that includes a reservation number
  2. You will receive an email notification that also includes that reservation number (you can also access this message from Notifications in the top menu of the back-up care site)
  3. The reservation status will show as “Reimbursement Submitted” when listed on your back-up care homepage or Reservations page

How do I modify or cancel my Crisis Care request?

You can cancel all or part of an upcoming Crisis Care reservation prior to the last date of care. Log in to the back-up care site, select the reservation you wish to change from the homepage or Reservations page, click the Cancel Dates button. Select the dates you wish to remove, and then click Cancel Selected to finalize your choices.You can also cancel upcoming dates of Crisis Care from the back-up care mobile app, if your organization offers the apps as part of your back-up care plan.

Can I request reimbursement for care that already occurred?

In most cases, only reservations for future dates are supported. The system will allow you to select dates in the past if your employer has temporarily permitted retroactive Crisis Care reservations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Receiving Your Reimbursement

What is the status of my reimbursement request?

You can check the status of your reimbursement requests from the Reservations tab. A status of “Action Needed” means you need to provide additional information for Bright Horizons to process your reimbursement. Click “View Reservation”, enter your name, the care provider’s name, today’s date, and submit the form to finalize the request.  “Reimbursement Submitted” means your reservation includes all of the necessary information, and your reimbursement will process after the last day of care in that reservation has passed. After the dates of care have passed, the reservation status will update to “Completed”.

Please allow up to two weeks to receive the email with instructions for accepting your reimbursement.

How does the reimbursement process work?

Reimbursements process after the last day of care in each reimbursement request has passed, provided Bright Horizons has all of the required information. (Read: “What is the status of my reimbursement request?” for additional detail.)

How quickly will I receive reimbursement?

Once the final day of care has passed, you will receive an email within two weeks with instructions for receiving your reimbursement. The email will come from Chase Payments (donotreplyChasePayments@jpmorgan.com), and the subject line will read, “BRIGHT HORIZONS has sent you a payment.” Please check your email spam or junk folder if you have not received it within that time. Follow the instructions in the email to have your reimbursement transferred directly to your bank account within 1-2 business days. If you are unable to complete this step within 14 days, or choose not to, a check will be sent to the primary address on file in your back-up care profile. For faster processing, double-check that your back-up care profile has your correct work/primary email address and home mailing address.

I want to request Crisis Care, but I do not see it in "Care Options" when I try to make a reservation.

Crisis Care reservations are now available from the Bright Horizons Back-Up Care homepage, for faster and more convenient reimbursement requests. You will no longer see Crisis Care as an option when following the steps to “Make a New Reservation.” You can also submit Crisis Care reimbursement requests from the back-up care mobile app, if your organization offers the mobile app as part of your back-up care plan.

I would like to use Crisis Care, but my back-up care profile shows that I do not have any remaining back-up care available.

Any use of Crisis Care counts toward your annual use allocation as any other back-up care usage does. You can see any past or future requests for Crisis Care reflected in the usage count in your back-up care profile. If you do not have any available use, or have exhausted your allotted back-up care uses for your benefit program year, you will not be eligible for additional care days.

I have received emails from "Chase Payments" titled "Your Bright Horizons Payment is About to Expire." It states that a payment has been sent to me and I need to accept by a certain date or it will no longer be valid. What should I do?

For prompt payment, click the “Accept Money” link in the email and follow the instructions for electronic payment. If you are unable to complete this step within 14 days, or choose not to, a check will be sent to the primary address on file in your back-up care profile.

Do I need to have a Chase bank account to receive my reimbursement?

No, you do not need to have a Chase bank account in order to receive your reimbursement.

Crisis Care on the Mobile App

If your organization includes the Bright Horizons Back-Up Care mobile app as part of your solution, you can now submit Crisis Care reimbursement requests on the go. For more information about your back-up care plan, please visit your employer’s benefits information page.

How do I download the mobile app?

The back-up care mobile app is available for Android and Apple devices. Visit the Google Play or Apple App stores and follow the prompts to download and install onto your smartphone or tablet. If this is your first time using Bright Horizons Back-Up Care, you will be asked to verify your Bright Horizons-supplied company information before entering a personal username and password.

Can I submit Crisis Care reservations from the mobile app?

Yes, if you are using the latest release of the mobile app, you can complete your reimbursement request directly from your smartphone or tablet. From the home screen, tap Request Crisis Care Reimbursement and follow the steps to enter the care details and submit your request. You will receive an email from Chase Payments within two weeks after the last date of care with instructions on receiving your reimbursement.