DHS outlines emergency rule and first payments to provisional foster caregivers

Michelle Martin, director of the Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS), presented an emergency rule that went into effect Aug. 1, 2022, permitting provisional foster parents—relatives or 'fictive kin' who provide a child's first placement—to receive a support payment while they have up to six months to become fully licensed.

Martin said the support payment is about half of a full board payment and that the division distributed the first support payments recently; she said payments were made for caregivers of 660 children. When asked how much the support payment is, Martin replied it is $240 per child. Martin explained that board payments are prorated based on the child's keyed-in date in the state's CRIS system and that payments run on the 15th of the month for the prior month (for example, a September payment paid on the 15th would cover August). She said the division created a foster-parent portal that provides a direct feed from CRIS so foster parents can verify when children are keyed into their homes and help reduce recoupments when records were keyed incorrectly.

Martin told the committee the division expects a fiscal impact increase (she cited figures on the proposed rule), noting a projected rise from $1,600,000 to $3,700,000 in the next fiscal year if the law is changed to allow full board payments at placement; she said the division intends to request a law change in the next legislative session to pay full board payments at placement for up to six months.

Senators and representatives asked technical questions. Senator Bledsoe requested the exact support-payment amount and whether the full board payment is per child; Martin confirmed the support payment is per child. Senator Hammer asked whether payments are prorated and whether payments are paid in arrears; Martin said board payments are prorated, paid on the 15th for the prior month, and acknowledged that recoupments can occur when keying is incorrect though that is not common.

After discussion, the chair stated 'without objection this rule has been reviewed,' and the committee recorded its review. Members asked DCFS to return at the next committee meeting to answer follow-up questions about specific cases and payment mechanics.

What happens next: DCFS will continue to administer support payments and will follow up with the committee on case-specific interpreter-access questions and with technical reports on payment recoupment frequency if requested.