FISCAL
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Allowance Issues
Can the Community Based Care provider refuse to pay an allowance to a child in a group home and instead require the child to use his master trust funds as a personal allowance? ANSWER
Can you please direct me to the statute that addresses children in foster care allowance and incidentals? ANSWER
What is the current foster care board rate? ANSWER
Are children in Emergency Shelters and Group Homes supposed to get allowance? Does the facility pay the allowance out of the room and board that they receive? ANSWER
How much should a child in care receive for allowance? ANSWER
Who is responsible for paying an allowance to a child in foster care that is placed in a group home? ANSWER
Assessments
What happens if a Comprehensive Behavioral Health Assessment (CBHA) is started then a child returns home? ANSWER
What diagnosis should be used for a CBHA when a child is new to the system and does not have a “verified” diagnosis upon completion of the CBHA? ANSWER
If a child is enrolled in the plan but also has an outside insurer, will the child get their CBHA paid for? ANSWER
“Match” funds (PSSF)
CBCs are forwarding revised match reports to their DCF contract manager for ones previously submitted for this FY. Does Central Office need to see these revised reports? ANSWER
Can CBCs make agreements amongst themselves to share local match with each other in order to meet their PSSF match requirement? ANSWER
Is the value of donated Christmas gifts given specifically to the children under the supervision of the CBC Lead Agency and/or the Department allowed to be considered for PSSF match? ANSWER
Medicaid Issues
How does a child become eligible for the Medicaid Child Welfare Prepaid Mental Health Plan (CWPMHP)? ANSWER
How does a child get enrolled in this plan? ANSWER
How does a dependent child become Medicaid eligible? ANSWER
The child welfare offices are receiving the children’s Child Welfare Prepaid Mental Health Plan (CWPMHP) cards at the Community Based Care (CBC) office. Where do they go? ANSWER
Does psychological testing for children under CWPMHP require prior authorization? ANSWER
Is a child placed in a Behavioral Health Overlay Services (BHOS) or Specialized Inpatient Psychiatric Program (SIPP) eligible for the Child Welfare Prepaid Mental Health Plan (CWPMHP)? ANSWER
If a child under the CWPMHP is in need of a placement in specialized therapeutic foster care (STFC) or specialized therapeutic group care (STGC) who is responsible? ANSWER
If a child is placed in Florida with a non-relative from another state who then becomes a foster parent shortly after, is the child eligible to receive Medicaid? ANSWER
PSSF (Promoting Safe and Stable Families) Funds
Why is match for Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF) funds required by the Administration for Children and Families federal office? ANSWER
Can a CBC Lead Agency use the extra match of their subcontractor to help meet their PSSF match total? ANSWER
Should a CBC Lead Agency report extra match on the monthly PSSF report that is forwarded to the zone/district office? ANSWER
Does the PSSF report need to indicate extra/over-match? ANSWER
Targeted Case Management (TCM)
What is an “initial” 30 days of targeted case management (TCM)? ANSWER
How do you get authorization for an “initial” 30 days of Targeted Case Management (TCM)? ANSWER
Can a child receive Targeted Case Management services while in Specialized Therapeutic Foster Care (STFC)? ANSWER
Therapeutic Foster Care
Can Therapeutic Behavioral Onsite Services (TBOS) be authorized for a child in STFC? ANSWER
Is the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) process still required for Specialized Therapeutic Foster Care? ANSWER
Is Appendix E still required for Specialized Therapeutic Foster Care (STFC)? ANSWER
Who schedules and pays for suitability assessments to access Therapeutic Group Care (TGC) under the Child Welfare Prepaid Mental Health Plan (CWPMHP)? ANSWER
Is Appendix L still required for Therapeutic Group Care (TGC)? ANSWER
Title IV of the Social Security Act
What is the IV-E Foster Care Waiver? ANSWER
When did the IV-E Foster Care Waiver go into effect in Florida? ANSWER
What is simplified eligibility? ANSWER
How does the IV-E Waiver apply to me and what I do? ANSWER
Does the IV-E Foster Care Waiver impact a child’s Supplemental Security Income (SSI) eligibility? ANSWER
What does it mean to presume IV-E eligibility? ANSWER
Is it correct to say that this Waiver only affects children coming into care? ANSWER
If the child is currently in care (at re-determination), can the child be flipped to the IV-E waiver? ANSWER
In what situations would I presume eligibility and why? ANSWER
How does the IV-E Foster Care Waiver impact a child who enters out of home care in Florida and is subsequently placed out-of-state through ICPC in a licensed home? Is the child’s Medicaid coverage group IV-E or non IV-E?ANSWER
Title IV funds are tied to what compliance? ANSWER
Are laptop computers purchased for caseworkers allowable as a program cost under section 436(b)(4)(B) of the Social Security Act (the Act)? ANSWER
There is a requirement of IV-E eligibility related to making reasonable efforts to finalize a permanency plan every 12 months that a child is in care. In the waiver authority, Section 472 (a) is waived, however, this section does not seem to address permanency plans. Could you please provide guidance related to permanency plan and IV-E Foster Care eligibility under the waiver? ANSWER