|
State
|
Subsidy?
|
Medicaid
|
Eligibility
|
| Alabama |
NO |
NO |
N/A |
| Alaska |
NO |
NO |
N/A |
| Arizona |
YES
AMG 2* = $12.95 per day
AMG 3 = $15.73 per day
AMG 4= $22.06 per day
AMG 5(DDD)= $17.77 per day
AMG 6(DDD)= $24.03 per day
*AMG=adoption maintenance for guardianship |
YES |
Specific eligibility factors are:
1) permanent guardianship finalized through Juvenile Division of Arizona
Superior Court in accordance with state statute A.R.S. §8-872;
2) child is in the custody of Child Protective Services; and 3) guardian
must apply for other state and federal program benefits on behalf of the
child. |
| Arkansas |
NO |
NO |
N/A |
| California |
YES
Some counties |
YES
Some counties |
Unknown |
| Colorado |
NO |
NO |
N/A |
| Connecticut |
YES |
YES |
1) are in the care of custody of
the Department;
2) have been in foster care for
at least 18 months (the 18 months do not have to be continuous, but
may be a cumulative total of time in which a child has been in foster
care);
3) are living with the relative
caregiver who is requesting the subsidy;
4) have been living with such relative
caregiver for at least 12 months (the 12 months do not have to be continuous,
but may be a cumulative total of time in which a child has lived
with the relative caregiver).
There are three types of subsidies
available under this program:
1.A monthly subsidy;
2.A medical subsidy;
3.An exceptional expense subsidy. |
| Delaware
Pat Pierson 302-633-2662 |
YES |
YES |
Yes. The program is for children
approved for permanency who cannot be adopted. The payment rate is the
same for adoption subsidy. All children in state care are eligible. For
more information, contact Pat Pierson at 302-633-2662. |
| Florida |
NO |
NO |
N/A |
| Georgia |
NO |
NO |
N/A |
| Hawaii
Susan King 808-587-3168 |
|
YES |
Relatives and non-relatives may
receive the same amount as foster parents. Contact Susan King (808-587-3168)
for more information. |
| Idaho |
NO |
NO |
N/A |
| Illinois |
YES |
YES |
Subsidized guardianship is available
upon the recommendation of the child’s caseworker for those children who
meet the following criteria:
The child must have been in the
legal custody of the state for two years or more immediately prior to establishing
subsidized guardianship;
The child must have resided with
the prospective private guardian (relative caregiver or licensed foster
parent) for at least one year immediately prior to establishing the subsidized
guardianship. However, the one year placement requirement may be waived
for sibling groups when at least one sibling meets all subsidized guardianship
requirements;
Reunification of the child with his or her parents and adoption must
have been ruled out as permanency goals despite reasonable efforts having
been made to reunite the family or seek adoption of the child;
A child living in the home of an
unrelated foster parent must be at least 12 years of age. Younger
children may qualify for subsidized guardianship with a non-relative if
they are a sibling of a child 12 years or older who meets all subsidized
guardianship requirements or if the worker determines that private
guardianship is in the best interest of the child due to the length
of time in the home, the age of the child, the characteristics, responsibilities,
and limitations of the caregiver including their health and
mobility, or the special needs of the child;
The prospective guardian must have
no record of felony convictions;
A child 14 years of age of older
must consent to the subsidized guardianship living arrangement. |
| Indiana |
YES
The monthly payment is $513 for
those who qualify |
YES |
The program is primarily for children
age 13 and over who are placed into relative homes under a guardianship
order. |
| Iowa |
NO |
NO |
N/A |
| Kansas |
Unknown |
? |
Unknown |
| Kentucky |
YES |
YES |
Kentucky runs a Kinship Care program
that provides monthly payments to relatives. |
| Louisiana
Martha Walton at 225-342-4069. |
YES |
YES |
kinship care subsidy program (effective
3/1/2000) to provide cash assistance for eligible children who reside
with qualified relatives other than biological parents. For more information,
contact Martha Walton at 225-342-4069. |
| Maine |
NO |
NO |
N/A |
| Maryland
Gale B. Fulton. She can be reached
at:
Department of Human Resources
311 W. Saratoga Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21201-3521
410-767-7534
410-333-0127 (fax) |
YES |
YES |
To participate in the program,
the following criteria must be met:
1.Child is randomly selected through
an automated computer
system;
2.Child must have lived with the
potential relative for a minimum of six months;
3.Child must be in the custody
of the state and in a stable, nurturing, safe out-of-home placement;
4.Reunification with birth parent
and adoption are not permanency planning options;
5.Potential guardian must have
some means of financial support independent of the subsidy.
The contact person is Gale B. Fulton.
She can be reached at:
Department of Human Resources
311 W. Saratoga Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21201-3521
410-767-7534
410-333-0127 (fax) |
| Massachusetts
HHS/Department of Social Services
(DSS)
24 Farnsworth Street
Boston, MA 02210
Phone: 617-748-2244 / 800-835-0838
Fax: 617-748-2311 |
YES |
YES |
Massachusetts provides a subsidy
for children who had been in the custody of the Department and who were
placed in a DSS sponsored guardianship. The program was created in the
early 1980s and is entirely state funded. The program is administered through
the Adoption Subsidy Unit. The child must be under the age of 18, continue
to reside with the guardian sponsored by the Department, and return evaluation
forms annually.
The amount of the subsidy is based
on the needs of the child and cannot be more than the child would have
received in family-based foster care. Health insurance is provided
through the MassHealth program for children residing in Massachusetts.
There are no provisions for health insurance should the family move
out of state.
Guardians must apply for the subsidy
prior to the legalization of the guardianship. Application is made through
the child’s social worker. The Department will not provide a subsidy
for any guardianship that was not sponsored by the Department of Social
Services. |
| Michigan |
NO |
NO |
N/A |
| Minnesota
Contact Laurie Ruhl
651-297-3636 for more information. |
YES |
YES |
relative custody program. Contact
Laurie Ruhl at
651-297-3636 for more information. |
| Mississippi |
NO |
NO |
N/A |
| Missouri
Julie Nance 573-751-3171 |
YES |
YES |
Missouri has subsidized guardianship
for grandparents, aunts, uncles
and adult siblings. Children who
qualify for this program will receive the
same resources as those offered
through the adoption subsidy program.
The contact person is Julie Nance
(573-751-3171). |
| Montana
Betsy Stimatz at 406-444-1675 |
YES |
YES |
UNKNOWN |
| Nebraska
Mary Dyer,
402-471-9331 |
YES |
YES |
A child is eligible for the subsidized
guardianship program if she/he is a ward of the Department and meets
the criteria for subsidized guardianship as follows:
1.Documented behavioral, emotional,
physical or mental disability
2.Membership in a sibling group
of three or more to be places together;
3.The child has a strong attachment
to the potential guardian; or
4.The child is age 12 or older or,
if under 12, is part of a sibling
group or is attached to the proposed
guardian and cannot be freed for adoption; and
A child’s eligibility ends upon
the child’s 19th birthday, when the child becomes self-supporting
or when the guardianship order is terminated.
Payments to the guardian may include
maintenance costs, medical and surgical expenses, and other costs
incidental to the care of the child. The child under guardianship
shall be a child for whom the guardianship would not be possible without
the financial aid provided.
The subsidized guardianship program
was created in the mid-1980s. For more information, contact Mary
Dyer, adoption specialist, at 402-471-9331 or mary.dyer@hhss.state.ne.us. |
| Nevada |
NO |
NO |
N/A |
| New Hampshire |
NO |
NO |
N/A |
| New Jersey |
NO |
NO |
N/A |
| New York |
Unknown |
? |
Unknown |
| North Carolina
Sandra Sink
Children’s Services Section
NC Divisions of Social Services
Mail Services Center #2408
Raleigh, NC 27699-2408
919-733-5125 |
YES |
YES |
North Carolina is a IV-E Child
Welfare Waiver state, and has subsidized guardianship as a component of
that project. Ten of the 100 counties in North Carolina participate in
the waiver, which began in July 1997 and will be completed in June
2002. The Terms and Conditions allow the use of IV-E maintenance
funds for subsidized guardianship.
Children who can be considered must
have been in agency custody for 12 months, must have resided with
the caregiver who will become the guardian for six months and must
have reunification and adoption ruled out as that child’s plan. A
comprehensive assessment of the relationship between the caregiver
and the child must be completed before the subsidy is considered,
to determine if the relationship is nurturing and stable enough to
last throughout the child’s minority. When the subsidy component began,
the payment was $250 per month per child. Effective September 2000, the
payment will be the same as that for adoption assistance in
North Carolina. For children ages 0-5, the subsidy is $315 per child
per month, for a child age 6-12, the subsidy is $365, and for children
over age 12, it is $415.
North Carolina passed legislation
effective October 1, 2000, to strengthen the guardian’s role and provide
that the guardian cannot be removed unless found unfit. Reunification
with the parent is ruled out before subsidized guardianship is considered.
However, parental rights do not have to be terminated. The
guardian may be a relative or other kin-like adult who
has a nurturing, stable relationship with the child.
For more information, contact:
Sandra Sink
Children’s Services Section
NC Divisions of Social Services
Mail Services Center #2408
Raleigh, NC 27699-2408
919-733-5125 |
| North Dakota
Deb Petry
Children and Family Services
North Dakota Department of Human
Services
600 E. Boulevard Avenue
Bismark, ND 58505
701-328-3581 |
YES
A monthly grant of $490 (less amounts
received by the child from other sources) is available. Assistance can
also be obtained for one-time legal expenses. |
YES |
The subsidized guardianship program
became effective in North Dakota on 3/1/00.
A guardianship subsidy is available
for youth age 12-18 who have been in foster care for a minimum of
six months and for whom the state has responsibility for foster care
maintenance payments. Guardians do not have to be relatives. An assessment
is required as well as a state, local and FBI (unless exempted by
state law) criminal history record investigation.
For more information, contact:
Deb Petry
Children and Family Services
North Dakota Department of Human
Services
600 E. Boulevard Avenue
Bismark, ND 58505
701-328-3581 |
| Ohio |
NO |
NO |
N/A |
| Oklahoma |
NO |
NO |
N/A |
| Oregon |
YES |
YES |
The department operates a subsidized
guardianship program through its federal IV-E waiver demonstration project.
The program istime-limited and scheduled to end in June 2002. Detailed
information can be found in Oregon’s client services manual I, number I-E.3.6.2,
entitled: guardianship assistance. |
| Pennsylvania |
YES |
YES |
As of July 2000, Pennsylvania will
provide a subsidy for children who are in the custody of a public children
and youth agency and who leave the child welfare system with a court-approved
permanent legal custodian |
Rhode Island
Richard Barry at 401-254-7020 |
YES |
YES |
Unknown |
| South Carolina |
NO |
NO |
N/A |
| South Dakota |
YES |
YES |
The program was created in 1984.
A subsidy is available whenever it appears that a family is available
for a child in custody but financial constraints would prohibit guardianship.
Family income is considered.
The following are excluded from
consideration of subsidized guardianship:
1.Medical subsidies
2.Children under 12 years of age
3.Children who have not been in
foster care for at least six months
For more information contact Duane
Jenner, program specialist at 605-773-3227. |
| Tennessee |
NO |
NO |
N/A |
| Texas |
NO |
NO |
N/A |
| Utah
For more information, contact Joelle
Horel at 801-538-4398 |
YES
The rate varies from basic foster
care $390 to specialized $503 |
YES |
Families receive a medical card
and a guardianship subsidy. . The program is funded entirely with state
funds. Some regions are currently not funding guardianship subsidies because
of budget shortfalls.
For more information, contact Joelle
Horel at 801-538-4398. |
| Vermont |
NO |
NO |
N/A |
| Virginia |
NO |
NO |
N/A |
| Washington State |
YES |
YES |
Dependency guardianships with a
licensed caretaker (relative or
non-relative) may receive
regular foster care rates. Unlicensed relatives
who are guardians may receive non-needy
public assistance. |
| Washington DC |
YES |
YES |
UNKNOWN |
| West Virginia |
YES |
YES |
The Legal Guardianship program
was established in July of 1999. It is a program to establish permanency
for children who are in the temporary or permanent custody of the department,
who are 11 years old or older, for whom adoption in not the best choice,
and who have formed a significant attachment with their caretaker. The
basic guidelines are similar to adoption assistance. The maintenance payment
is equivalent to the foster care maintenance payment. The parental rights
do not have to be terminated. The amount of nonrecurring assistance cannot
exceed $1,000. |
| Wisconsin |
NO |
NO |
N/A |
| Wyoming
Department of Family Services (DFS)
300 Capital Avenue
Hathaway Bldg. 366
Cheyenne, WY 82002
Phone: 307-777-3570
Fax: 307-777-3693 |
YES
This subsidy is to be for no more
than $340 per month for each child. |
YES |
In circumstances where the child
or children are not available for adoption, or adoption is not an
option for other reasons, guardianship may be the best available
choice. If family financial concerns are the only barrier to processing
legal guardianship, DFS may negotiate a subsidy with the family.
This subsidy is to be for no more than $340 per month for each child.
The amount of the subsidy will be negotiated between the family and the
local field office staff, similar to an adoption subsidy. The subsidy may
be initiated once the guardianship is ordered |