Health Assessment and Dental Care Requirement

Q: I am a THP+FC provider. Are Non-Minor Dependents required to get a health check-up every year and if so, who is responsible for ensuring this occurs? What about dental care?

A: Yes, all children, youth and young adults in foster care are required to receive at least one health assessment annually up to age 21. Additionally, children, youth and NMDs in foster care up to age 21 must also receive one dental referral every six-months. This went into effect on July 1, 2016.

The county social worker is responsible for ensuring that children, youth and NMDs in foster care are up-to-date on their annual medical appointments, including dental care. This includes medical appointments where a youth or NMD may receive sexual or reproductive health services.

Sources:

Manual of Policies and Procedures section 31-405.24

All County Letter 17-22

A Guide for Case Managers: Assisting Foster Youth with Healthy Sexual Development and Pregnancy Prevention

Is there an amount required to be spent on clothing within a Resource Family’s foster care rate?

Q: Is any specific amount of a Resource Family’s monthly foster care rate required to be spent on the child’s clothing? And are the foster parents required to keep the receipts for their expenditures?

 A: The clothing allowance payment is solely at the discretion of the counties, so there is no designated clothing amount within the basic foster care monthly rate that the Resource Family receives. Foster parents are not required to keep receipts for clothing purchased.

 Citation: Guidance from California Department of Social Services, Foster Care Audits & Rates Branch

Chafee Application Now Available to Youth Up to Age 26

Q: I heard that the age eligibility for the Chafee grant has been increased so that older youth in college can receive a Chafee grant. When is this going to become available?

A: You are correct. Eligibility for the Chafee grant in California has been expanded so that youth can apply for Chafee if they have not reached their 26^th birthday as of July 1^st of the award year, and are otherwise Chafee-eligible.*

Funding for the eligibility expansion was included in the 2018-19 State Budget. While the changes to eligibility were included in a budget trailer bill (AB 1811), taking immediate effect on July 1, 2018, students meeting the expanded eligibility requirements were not able to apply for Chafee until October 2018. The updated application is now available at:   https://www.chafee.csac.ca.gov/StudentApplication.aspx.

*To qualify for a Chafee grant, you must meet the following criteria:

• Be a current or former foster youth who was a ward of the court, living in foster care, for at least one day between the ages of 16 and 18.
• If you are/were in Kin-GAP, a non-related legal guardianship, or were adopted, you are eligible only if you were a dependent or ward of the court, living in foster care, for at least one day between the ages of 16 and 18.
• Have not reached your 26^th birthday as of July 1^st of the award year.
• Have not participated in the program for more than 5 years (whether or not consecutive).

Pursuant to Assembly Bill 2506, starting with the 2017-18 award year, you can only receive your Chafee Grant if you attend a school that is either of the following:

• A qualifying institution that is eligible for participation in the Cal Grant Program.
• An institution that is not located in California with a three-year cohort default rate that is less than 15.5 percent and a graduation rate greater than 30 percent.

Citation:

• California Student Aid Commission. https://www.chafee.csac.ca.gov/
• Assembly Bill 1811 (Committee on Budget, Human Services Omnibus, 2018) http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB1811&search_keywords=chafee

 

CalFresh Student Eligibility: Approved Programs to Increase Employability

Q: I understand that participation in certain foster youth campus support programs can exempt youth from the CalFresh eligibility restrictions placed on college students. What if a former foster youth enrolled in college is participating in a campus support program that is not named in ACL 15-70, ACL 17-05 or the state’s additional list of exempting programs to increase employability, but essentially provides the same services as Guardian Scholars-type programs?

A: A program not currently on the California Department of Social Services’ (CDSS) list of eligible programs may submit a request to add their program by completing the form provided by CDSS, “Request for Approval of Local Educational Programs that Increase Employability.” This form can be found by visiting: http://www.cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/CalFresh-Resource-Center / “Policy Guidance” / “More Guidance.” For CDSS’ list of eligible programs, go to http://www.cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/CalFresh-Resource-Center and click on “CalFresh Student Eligibility: Approved Programs to Increase Employability.”

To be defined as a program to increase employability, the program must assist in gaining the skills, training, work, or experience that will increase the student’s ability to obtain regular employment, such as job retention, job search, job search training, work experience, workfare, vocational training, self-employment training, on-the-job training and education.

This question and answer are included in JBAY’s newly updated Frequently Asked Questions: Non-Minor Dependents & CalFresh document. Download the FAQ HERE.

Citation:

California Department of Social Services. All County Letter 15-70 (September 17, 2015). http://www.cdss.ca.gov/lettersnotices/EntRes/getinfo/acl/2015/15-70.pdf.

California Department of Social Services. All County Letter 17-05 (February 14, 2017). http://www.cdss.ca.gov/Portals/9/ACL/2017/17-05.pdf?ver=2017-02-15-111331-970.