Unlicensed relative providers may choose to apply for the Alaska Temporary Assistance Program (ATAP), or a Native Family Assistance Program (NFAP) (if living within an area served by a Native Family Assistance Program) for cash assistance. These payments can help with food, housing, clothing and school costs for a relative child in care.
Reimbursements are financial benefits to offset the costs associated with caring for a child so that the cost of care does not burden the foster family. The reimbursements are not intended to be a wage or salary to the foster family. Your family should have a stable income other than the reimbursement and not depend on reimbursements to pay rent or time-sensitive necessities.
Licensed foster care providers will receive monthly reimbursements for providing care to a child in state’s custody, based on the child’s assigned worker’s electronic verification of the number of days a child resided in your home.
DFCS determines the “base rate” for foster care based upon the Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG) for Alaska for a household unit of one divided by the number of days in the current year.
The base rate is adjusted depending on the age of the children in your care, January 1, 2016, base rate are:
For children birth to 5 years — $26.03.
For children age 6 through 11 years — $29.86.
For children aged 12 years to 20 years — $31.46.
A geographical cost of living differential is applied based on where you live, in order to establish your daily foster care rate. You can access current rate inform: https://dfcs.alaska.gov/ocs/Documents/FosterCare/fostercarerates.pdf
Foster care payments are issued on Friday in the first full week of the new month. Reimbursement rates are established by the Department of Health and Social Services.
Reimbursement rates include:
The foster care reimbursement is calculated on a daily basis for the time a child resides in your home. Reimbursement includes the day the child is placed with you in your home, but not the day the child leaves. This reimbursement is intended for services rendered which means you receive an established daily rate for the number of days a child has been placed in your home.
If the reimbursement is not received by the 15th of the month, contact your licensing worker or assigned worker.
Providers have the option of receiving their reimbursements via mail or electronically. The electronic payment agreements are listed at http://doa.alaska.gov/dof/forms/resource/EDI_agreement.pdf. With either reimbursement method, it is important to review the details of your payment to ensure its accuracy and prevent overpayment or underpayment for your services.
Standard rates for foster care include reimbursement for the following items for the child:
Note: The percentages listed above are estimates and vary from month to month.
Emergency shelter rates apply when a child is placed in a foster home with less than 24-hours notice. Emergency shelter rates are paid to a licensed foster family for a maximum of ten days for any one placement. If the child continues to stay in your home for more than ten days, the reimbursement rate then would revert to standard reimbursement level, after the ten days of emergency shelter care is completed.
Augmented rates may be paid for children placed by the Department if the level of care a child required has been assessed and determined by the Department to exceed the basic (standard) level of care. When the standard rate is augmented, additional funds are added to the daily foster care rate for a specified period of time. The assessment needed to document an augmented rate is completed by the Department.
A re-determination of the augmented rates must be made every six months or when the child changes placement. Augmented rates may be reduced if the six-month assessment indicates that the child is no longer eligible for the higher rate of care. Each request for augmented rates is assessed and reviewed on a case-by-case basis by OCS and based on available funding. Augmented rates for the following situations may be approved.
Basic Foster Care: Includes food, clothing replacement, shelter, daily supervision, personal and grooming items, school supplies, and regular school activities, age-appropriate games, toys, books, general recreation, an allowance, babysitting money, first aid supplies, and other items considered usual in the care and supervision of a child. Rate varies by child’s age and geographic location.
Level 1: Children who qualify for the Level 1 rate have identified special needs that require more intensive care and supervision from the foster parent. Services need to be identified to address special needs.
Level 2: Children who qualify for the Level 2 rate have identified severe problems that require specialized training by the care provider and a structured environment, and their needs are more than can be provided through basic or Level 1 rate, but residential care placements are not required to meet their needs. Services need to be identified to address structured specialized needs.
Level 3: Children who qualify for a Level 3 care rate have identified severe problems that require specialized training by the care provider and a structured environment, and their needs are more that can be provided through a basic, Level 1, or Level 2 care, but residential care placements are not required to meet their needs. Services need to be identified to address Level 3 special needs. Enrollment in wrap services/therapeutic services required, if a child 6 years or older application to Complex Behavior Collaborative required.
Teen Parent/Baby: If a teen parent, who is in custody, and baby, who is not in custody, is placed in the same foster home, an augmented rate may be paid for the teen parent. If the baby is subsequently taken into custody but placed in the same home, the standard foster care rate will replace the augmentation.
Medically — Fragile Children: Augmented rates may be approved for children who have been placed on a Division of Senior and Disability Services (DSDS) waiver wait list. Medically fragile augmented care may only include reimbursement to the foster parent for the additional intensive care, supervision, and management skills that they provide in maintaining a medically fragile child in a home environment. Requests for augmented rates for medically fragile children are exceptional and are based on the child’s specific medical needs and supervision. Augmented rates for medically fragile children are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Contact the child’s assigned worker for any additional information regarding augmented rates.
Resource families should review the child’s initial clothing needs with the child’s assigned worker and the child, if old enough, to determine an adequate basic wardrobe that is clean and fits well. If the amount and quality of the child’s clothing does not meet a minimum standard, a one-time clothing allowance may be approved. The clothing allowance does not apply when the child moves from foster home to another foster home.
A clothing allowance is used only when the child comes into custody and does not have basic items such as pants, shirts, shoes, snowsuit or boots. Make sure to complete a clothing inventory when the child comes into your home. When listing a child’s clothes on the inventory, list only clothing that is wearable and fits the child. After placement, the monthly reimbursement is to be used for the costs of maintaining and routine replacement of items as the need arises. As with your own children, foster children should be encouraged to be proud of themselves and the way they dress.
Involve the child in selecting clothes that the child will like and feel-good wearing. Any clothing purchased for the child is to go with the child at the time of a placement change. It is expected that the child will leave your home with sufficient, clean clothes in good condition.
To request approval, consult with the assigned worker.
The FosterWear program is available to help Alaska Foster youth obtain quality clothing. Under the program’s plan, licensed foster families will receive a Foster Wear card from their Community Care Licensing Specialist. That card can be presented at participating local stores to receive a discount on clothing. Participating business can be found at https://dfcs.alaska.gov/ocs/Pages/fosterwear/default.aspx. If you need a Foster Wear card please reach out to your Community Care Licensing Specialist. If you have any questions about the program, you can call the OCS Special Needs Hotline at 1-855-60-FUNDS (1-855-603 8637) or email fcs.ocs.special.needs.hotline@alaska.gov.
In some pre-approved situations, a child in foster care may be placed in licensed childcare for a regular part of the day. Childcare may be partially paid for by OCS to ensure the continuity of care due to the employment of the resource parent(s). Approval for assistance with childcare payments is reviewed by your caseworker and their supervisor on a case-by-case basis. Contact your caseworker for the process for obtaining approval for potential OCS payment for child care, or the OCS Child Care Unit at 1-844-465-5648 or ocschildcare@alaska.gov.
Here are some things to keep in mind if you will be requesting assistance with child care.
Costs related to modest damages and losses are normal in the care of children and are included in the standard rate. Under certain circumstances, a foster family may be reimbursed up to $6,000 for damages and loss. These may include financial losses resulting from physical injury inflicted by a foster child to a member of the foster family household or to property of the household not covered by other insurance policies. These losses must be documented by the foster family (including filing a report with law enforcement agency if necessary and corroborated by OCS or DJJ). The following circumstances must exist (Per 7 AAC 53.110 and CPS Policy 6.2.2.7):
When submitting a Damage and Loss claim, resource families must submit the following documentation to the Service Array unit at fcs.ocs.special.needs.hotline@alaska.gov within 72 hours of loss or injury.
A resource family home is expected to own basic home insurance if they own their home. Renters may be able to purchase renter’s insurance. The $6000 is intended to cover the deductible in case of fire or other major damage if all the above conditions are met.
Once received, a member of the Special Needs Hotline team will contact the resource family regarding the request. This team member will gather any additional details and compile submitted information into a report to be presented to the OCS Damage and Loss committee. The committee will review the facts of the case and issue a pre-approval determination based on the evidence. Once this occurs, the Special Needs Hotline team member will contact the resource parent with the determination and instructions on how to proceed with reimbursement process. Questions regarding the Damage and Loss process may be sent to the Service Array team, who can be reached using the contact information below:
OCS Special Needs Hotline Contact Informaiton:
Phone: 1-800-603-8637
Email: fcs.ocs.special.needs.hotline@alaska.gov
Fax: (907) 465-3656
Mailing Address:
Office of Children's Services
Attn: Service Array Unit
P.O. Box 110630
Juneau, AK 99811
Medical expenses are typically covered through the Medicaid program or through the parent’s medical insurance for the child. Non-emergency medical services must be pre-approved through the child’s assigned worker. Note: If services are not pre-approved through the child’s assigned worker, the expense may not be covered. See Chapter 17, Health and Medical Care — Medicaid Eligibility.
The Department may reimburse the costs of transportation that exceed 50 miles a week per child to frequent, scheduled home visits, or medical or therapeutic appointments such as physical therapy or psychiatric counseling. Mileage reimbursement must be pre-approved by the child’s assigned worker. This rate is the same as for a state employee reimbursement for transportation at: https://doa.alaska.gov/dof/travel/202101-Issue.html.
One-time items are goods or services that are not included in the reimbursement because they are one-time or short-term costs that exceed $100. Necessary one-time or on-going direct costs may be authorized if those costs are in addition to those covered by the monthly foster care reimbursement.
You may request one-time funds for a foster child when there are no other resources for payment. Make a request in writing to the child’s assigned worker. You should receive written approval of reimbursement for the expenditure prior to purchasing the goods or service. For one-time costs, you need to go through the assigned worker who will evaluate the request and if in agreement, submit a Request for Funds form through the appropriate channels.
Examples of one-time costs that may be approved include:
If a child is away from your home due to an unapproved absence, such as running away, foster care payments may be authorized to continue for a maximum of five nights if authorized by the assigned worker. The five-day payment may be made only if the foster family immediately notifies the assigned worker of the unapproved absence of 10 hours or more. If the child does not return within the five-day period, that space becomes available on the sixth day unless other arrangements are made with the assigned worker.
If the assigned worker determines within the first five days that the child will not be returned to your home, payment will continue through the date of the determination, not the full five days.
If the child’s absence from a foster home extends beyond five nights, payment will resume when the child returns to the foster home and the assigned worker authorizes payment.
Payment to the provider may continue for up to 14 nights for home visits. In cases of hospitalization for medical or psychiatric care, or if the child is placed in a detention facility, payment may also continue for 14 nights if the child is expected to return to your home or if a determination has not been made. If it is determined the child will not return to your home, payment will be made only through the date of the determination, not the full 14 nights.
Independent Living Funds are available to youth in state foster care and to young people no longer in custody who reach or have reached the age of 16 or older while in state or Tribal foster care and have not yet reached the age of 21.
Independent Living Funds can be used to help youth gain the skills, experience, and materials they will need to become self-sufficient adults.
The Independent Living program provides financial assistance for youth to attend a state university or college. Youth may access funds up to age 23 if they started their post-secondary education by age 21 and have been continuously enrolled.
For more information, see the Independent Living Program website at https://dfcs.alaska.gov/ocs/Pages/independentliving/default.aspx or contact the youth’s independent living specialist.
Although every effort is made to ensure your monthly foster care reimbursement is accurate, human error does happen. It is important to review your monthly reimbursements and report any discrepancies to the child’s assigned worker or the Provider Payment Unit. Alaska law allows reimbursement only for the days a child is in your home or as described above. Any overpayments made in error must be recovered.
The payment you receive for providing foster care is considered reimbursement for expenses incurred in providing care for the children in your home. As such, reimbursements are not considered taxable income by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or a certified public accountant for more information on what care you provide may be deductible. Refer to IRS Publication 17, chapter 3, “Dependents” for more information.
Adoptive parents may be potentially eligible for a federal tax credit under section 23 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. To learn more about the adoption tax credit, what qualifies as an adoption expense, and what defines an eligible child please see the IRS website at: https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc607.html.
The OCS assigned worker is responsible for applying for the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) check for every year the child is in care. The money will be held in trust by OCS until the child reaches his or her 18th birthday; at which time, the PFD is then released directly to the child. Funds may also be released from the trust pursuant an Alaska state court order.
For additional information, contact the assigned worker or call the OCS PFD section at 907-465-3797.
When a child comes into care of the state, whether through relative care that is funded through the Division of Public Assistance or through licensed, foster care funding, the State placement agency is required to contact the State of Alaska Child Support Services Division (CSSD). CSSD will open a file and contact the parents, or the legal guardian to provide child support for the care of a child while the child is in care. If child support is paid by the parents of a child in care, the money goes to the state to help cover the costs during the time the child is in out-of-home care.
When a child enters into a legal guardianship, and the biological parents’ rights have not been terminated, CSSD may continue to charge and collect support payments. Relinquishments of Parental Rights, Guardianships, Consents to Adopt, and negative paternity results do not terminate the support obligation for the biological parent. The only document that stops the support obligation is the signed Termination of Parental Rights order. However, the parent may have accumulated arrearages, which they are still obligated to pay.
The legal guardian may contact CSSD to apply for services as long as they are not receiving a subsidy. A third party, non-parent application for services can be found on our website: http://www.childsupport.alaska.gov/.
If the guardian is receiving a subsidy, then CSSD will continue to charge the monthly support amount to the bio- parents and any funds received are directed to OCS.