foster care | kin-gap

ACL 06-19 – Final Court Order and Clarification Regarding Rosales (June 30, 2006)

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This letter supercedes the March ACL on the subject. The Deficit Reduction Act of 2006 “fixed” Rosales, by mandating that foster care income eligibility shall be based solely on the income of the family in the home from which the child was removed, and not the income of the relatives with whom the child is placed. After court clarification, the Rosales criteria (basing foster care on income eligibility of relative/placement home when no financial eligibility in home of removal, as described in MPP 45-202.332) can remain in use through June 9, 2006, and the county must pay any benefits due to such cases until the redetermination of eligibility. The federal court delayed the redetermine eligibility implementation date until June 9, 2006. Thus, Rosales cases can continue to be aided through the month of their next annual redetermination. [Download]

ACIN I-05-06 – Q & A re: “Dual Status Children” (May 12, 2006)

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Assembly Bill 129 allowed children to be both dependents and delinquents in foster care. Counties must implement a protocol on how/when to make a recommendation for concurrent (DSS and Probation) jurisdiction. This ACIN has Q & A’s, including programmatic issues, such as how the foster care time frames are affected when the child moves between foster care and juvenile detention (they stay the same), same visit requirements, and more. [Download]

ACIN I-05-06 – Q & A re: “Dual Status Children” (May 12, 2006)

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Assembly Bill 129 allowed children to be both dependents and delinquents in foster care. Counties must implement a protocol on how/when to make a recommendation for concurrent (DSS and Probation) jurisdiction. This ACIN has Q & A’s, including programmatic issues, such as how the foster care time frames are affected when the child moves between foster care and juvenile detention (they stay the same), same visit requirements, and more. [Download]

ACL 05-13E – Correction to ACL 05-13 – Relative & Nonrelative Extended Family Member (February 15, 2006)

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Like Mercedes, the E series is only better. This follows up on an earlier letter (ACL 05-13), informing counties they needed to make a determination and approval of fostercare placements within 30 days. Most of this letter is an unusually legalistic analysis of county determinations regarding assessing relatives prior to foster care placements, and other technical stuff for social workers. What you really want from this letter, as advocates, is the list explaining the 5th degree of relatedness. Great party skill, and useful for welfare applicants. Just remember, Kevin Bacon is the 6th degree. [Download]

ACL 05-38 – The Emergency Assistance Program (December 5, 2005)

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An overview of the Foster Care Emergency Assistance (EA) Program, complete with Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). Ready for the acronyms? EA is funded by TANF, and provides FFP (federal financial participation) for short term aid to children/families in emergency situations. It no longer includes services for probation, but does cover Emergency Shelter Care (ESC).

So, what are some of the FAQ’s? Relatives can qualify for Shelter Care for up to 30 days; it’s limited to once in 12 months/single episode, for up to 12 months (except not the emergency shelter care) to resolved the emergency. An EA application must be taken immediately or no later than 30 calendar days from the date the child is removed from the home or the date the child is determined to be at risk. (Refer to ACL No. 93-64 and ACL No. 94-90), but the beginning date of aid begins on the date the application is signed. A county can place the child in a relative’s home on an emergency basis prior to relative approval of that home and claim emergency shelter care, if the worker has completed an assessment on the home. The age requirements go up to the age of 21, with no requirement of school attendance. [Download]