The Division has revised the Uniform Foster Care Rate (UFCR) policy and it should be used effective immediately in establishing foster care rates. The revisions, for the most part, update the policy to reflect current federal and state laws and regulations. In addition, the following changes are made to the policy: Basic Rate Payment Changes Under the old policy, changes to the basic maintenance rate occurred on the first day of the month during which a child turned 5, 12 and 15 years of age. Under the revised policy, the change is effective on the child’s birthday, so the rate is prorated for the part of the month prior to and on the day of and after the child’s birthday. This payment adjustment has been built into WiSACWIS. Schedule of Difficulty of Care Levels This part of the policy, which was a repetition of the descriptors in the foster home licensing rule (Ch. HFS 56), has been removed from the policy. A reference to the licensing rule has been inserted in place of the entire list. Receipt of Supplemental and Exceptional Payments The revised policy clarifies that, while it would be unusual, there is nothing to prevent an Exceptional payment even though there is no Supplemental payment. The policy should now be easier to understand since it is now compliant with laws and regulations and the revisions we have made relative to Title IV-E eligibility and reimbursability determinations. Thank you for your assistance in implementing the revisions to this policy. Attachment:
|