The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) plays a crucial role in supporting foster care within the state, primarily by providing financial assistance to resource parents. This financial aid is structured to help cover the essential needs of children and young adults in foster care, ensuring they receive proper care and support. This article breaks down the different categories of payments available under the Oregon Foster Care Program, offering a comprehensive overview for current and prospective resource parents.
Base Foster Care Rate
The base foster care rate is a fundamental payment designed to assist resource parents in meeting the daily needs of children in their care. This monthly payment is intended to cover a range of essential expenses, ensuring the child’s well-being. The base rate encompasses the following categories:
- Food: This includes all costs associated with feeding the child or young adult, taking into account any specific dietary requirements or nutritional needs they may have.
- Clothing: Covers the purchase of new clothing and replacement of worn-out items, ensuring children have appropriate attire.
- Housing: This portion assists with household expenses such as utilities, upkeep of furnishings, and essential household equipment that contributes to a stable living environment.
- Personal Incidentals: This broad category includes personal care products, entertainment avenues, reading materials, and other miscellaneous items that contribute to a child’s personal comfort and development.
- Transportation: Covers local transportation costs, including fuel, vehicle maintenance, and repairs related to transporting the child to extracurricular activities, childcare, recreational, and cultural events.
It’s important to note that the base rate payment is not provided to certified families who are already receiving shelter care or enhanced shelter care payments, preventing double compensation for the same period of care.
Current Base Rate Payments:
- Ages 0 – 5 years: $958 per month
- Ages 6 – 12 years: $963 per month
- Ages 13 – 20 years: $1,022 per month
Shelter Care Payment
Shelter care payment is designed as immediate, short-term financial support provided at the beginning of a foster care placement. Specifically, this payment is available to certified families during the initial 20 days of substitute care for a child or young adult who has come under the care or custody of ODHS. It is a one-time service per child’s entire duration in ODHS custody. This means shelter care payments are not re-initiated every time a child transitions to a new resource parent or relative caregiver.
Shelter Care Payment Rates:
- Ages 0 – 5 years: $39.38 per day
- Ages 6 – 12 years: $39.55 per day
- Ages 13 – 20 years: $41.49 per day
Enhanced Shelter Payments
Enhanced shelter payments offer a higher rate of short-term financial support in specific circumstances. A certified family may receive enhanced shelter care payments when they are providing care during the first 20 days of substitute care for a child or young adult who is placed with them immediately following a placement with a Behavior Rehabilitation Service (BRS) provider. This is applicable when there is no existing level of care payment determination in place for the child at the time of placement. This enhanced rate recognizes the potentially higher needs of children transitioning from a BRS setting.
Enhanced Shelter Payment Rates:
- Ages 0 – 5 years: $63.05 per day
- Ages 6 – 12 years: $63.21 per day
- Ages 13 – 20 years: $65.15 per day
Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) Level of Care
The CANS level of care payment is a needs-based financial support system within the Oregon Foster Care Program. It is available to approved or certified resource families, guardians, pre-adoptive families, and adoptive families. Eligibility for this payment is determined by the child or young adult’s need for enhanced supervision, which is assessed using the results of a CANS screening.
Enhanced supervision refers to the extra support, direction, monitoring, and guidance required to ensure the safety and well-being of a child or young adult who qualifies for a level of care payment due to identified needs. These payments are tiered based on the level of need identified through the CANS assessment.
CANS Level of Care Payment Rates:
- Level 1 (moderate needs): $240 per month
- Level 2 (intermediate needs): $468 per month
- Level 3 (advanced needs): $960 per month
Personal Care Services
Personal care services payments are allocated to support children and young adults with functional needs that require assistance with daily living activities. These services are crucial for maintaining the well-being of children who need extra help with fundamental tasks. Personal care services encompass assistance with:
- Mobility
- Transfers and Repositioning
- Basic Personal Hygiene
- Toileting and Bowel/Bladder Care
- Nutrition
- Medication Management
- Delegated Nursing Tasks
The level of personal care payment is directly linked to the intensity of services needed and is provided to a qualified caregiver who delivers these essential services. Detailed information regarding the specifics of personal care services can be found in the ODHS Personal Care Services policy, outlined in the Child Welfare Manual Ch. 5.
Personal Care Service Payment Rates:
- Level 1 (moderate care): $352 per month
- Level 2 (intermediate care): $705 per month
- Level 3 (advanced care): $1,057 per month
- Level 4 (intensive care): Individually determined by ODHS based on the specific intensity and frequency of required services.
Child Care Reimbursement
Recognizing the needs of working resource and relative resource parents, the Oregon Foster Care Program offers child care reimbursement. This support is specifically designed to help offset the costs of childcare, enabling resource parents to maintain employment while providing foster care.
Child Care Reimbursement Details:
- $375 per month, per child up to age 12. In situations where there is a demonstrated need for supervision, reimbursement may be available for children older than 12.
Further information about the child care reimbursement process and eligibility can be found in specific ODHS resources dedicated to child care stipends for resource parents.
Mileage Reimbursement
Mileage reimbursement is provided to certified families to offset transportation costs incurred in specific situations that support the child’s stability and well-being. Reimbursement is calculated at the current department mileage rate, which is consistent with rates paid to Child Welfare staff. Eligible transportation scenarios include:
- Maintaining School Enrollment: Transportation for a child or young adult to remain at their original school following placement into foster care, promoting educational continuity.
- Facilitating Family Visitation: Travel to and from visitation appointments when family visitation is a component of the child’s service plan, supporting family connections.
- In-State Air Travel: In-state air transportation for children may be approved under specific circumstances, particularly if air travel is more cost-effective than transportation by car. Prior approval is required to ensure airfare costs do not exceed the total expenses of car travel.
By offering these varied payment structures, the Oregon Foster Care Program aims to provide comprehensive financial support to resource parents, acknowledging the diverse needs of children and young adults in foster care and the dedication of those who care for them.
