Title
Receive and approve a recommendation from the Department of Social Services (DSS) to "Opt-In" to implement the approved Relative Caregiver Program (ARC).
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
Receive and approve a recommendation from the Department of Social Services (DSS) to "Opt-In" to implement the approved Relative Caregiver Program (ARC).
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
The Department of Social Services (DSS) received a Board Referral on January 13, 2015 from Supervisor Parker requesting a recommendation on whether or not to participate in the Approved Relative Caregiver Program (ARC) - an optional program for counties established pursuant to SB855, the Budget Act of 2014. Currently, under State and Federal law, relative caregivers for non-federally eligible foster children are paid a CalWORKs non-needy caretaker grant which is significantly less than the Foster Care rate. The CalWORKs non-needy caretaker rate is approximately $395/month while the Foster Care basic rate is approximately $764/month (there are variations to the basic Foster Care rate based on the age of the child.) Foster children are considered non-federally eligible when the resources of the home from which they were removed exceed eligibility standards for the old AFDC program as it existed in 1996.
The optional ARC program allows counties to addresses this disparity by providing a supplemental payment to approved relative caregivers when children are placed in their homes by DSS or Probation under the jurisdiction of the California juvenile court. When combined with the CalWORKs non-needy grant, this supplemental payment brings the assistance level to the same amount as the Foster Care basic rate. It should be noted that the ARC program only provides payment up to the foster care basic rate and does not include any further supplements for special needs or annual clothing allowances.
By electing to operate this county optional program,...
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