BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 1882
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 7, 2014

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                  Mike Gatto, Chair

                    AB 1882 (Cooley) - As Amended:  April 1, 2014 

          Policy Committee:                              Human  
          ServicesVote:7 - 0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          Yes    Reimbursable:              Yes

           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires county child welfare agencies (CWA) to  
          determine whether relative foster care givers are eligible for  
          assistance under the California Work Opportunity and  
          Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program or through the  
          Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, and makes  
          correlating changes to permit eligible children in foster care  
          to receive additional supportive services funding. Specifically,  
          this bill: 

          1)Requires a CWA, immediately following the placement of a child  
            who has been removed from his or her home into the home of a  
            relative or nonrelative extended family member (NREFM) to  
            determine whether the relative or NREFM qualifies for CalWORKs  
            or SSI. 

          2)If a relative or NREFM does not qualify for AFDC-FC benefits,  
            requires the CWA to explain the ineligibility determination  
            and immediately screen the child for eligibility under SSI.

          3)Requires the social worker to provide the relative or NREFM a  
            summary of the eligibility requirements to qualify for AFDC-FC  
            and specialized care increment assistance benefits and to  
            explain in person the steps the relative or NREFM would need  
            to take to qualify.  

          4)Provides that a child who is placed into foster care with a  
            relative who qualifies for AFDC-FC payments shall also be  
            eligible to receive the following supportive benefits,  
            including reimbursement for reasonable school travel expenses,  
            a specialized care increment for children with a developmental  








                                                                  AB 1882
                                                                  Page  2

            or physical disability. a clothing allowance, and an infant  
            supplement for infants of dependent children.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          One-time costs in 2014-15 of approximately $19 million (TANF/GF)  
          and on-going costs of up to $37 million for additional  
          screenings and supportive services.  This assumes approximately  
          5,200 eligible cases receiving an additional $590 per month in  
          services.


           COMMENTS  

           1)Purpose  . Over 38% of California's foster youth are placed with  
            relatives. The sponsor of the bill, the Children's Law Center  
            of California notes that relatives in our state who care for  
            children that are not eligible for federal foster care  
            assistance are eligible for CalWORKs benefits instead of  
            foster care payments.  However these CalWORKs benefits can be  
            difficult to access for many relative caregivers. However,  
            even those caregivers that do successfully access CalWORKs  
            benefits are denied a range of additional supports provided to  
            children receiving foster care benefits, including  
            reimbursement for transportation expenses to ensure that the  
            youth can remain in their school of origin, clothing  
            allowances, the infant supplement provided to foster youth who  
            are parenting, and specialized care increments provided to  
            youth with special needs.  

            AB 1882 seeks to ensure that relatives caring for a foster  
            child are given information on the financial support and  
            services for which the child may qualify. The bill also makes  
            those children eligible for CalWORKs funding, and other  
            financial and educational support programs.

           2)Disparities in support for foster child caregivers  .  Relative  
            caregivers are sought out by the state's Child Welfare  
            Services because they are considered the ideal placement for a  
            child who has been removed from the custody of his or her  
            parent(s). Yet there is an imbalance in child welfare policy  
            in which relative placement is prioritized, but those  
            placements do not receive the same level of financial support  
            as placements with licensed or certified caregivers. Further,  
            relative caregivers who care for a non-federally eligible  








                                                                 AB 1882
                                                                  Page  3

            child in foster care do not receive foster care benefits,  
            whereas a non-relative foster parent does. This requires the  
            relative to balance the need to provide an immediate and safe  
            environment for a related child against the limitation of  
            receiving financial assistance to help support the child. This  
            can be especially problematic if the relative caregiver is  
            low-income or lives on a fixed income. 


           Analysis Prepared by  :    Jennifer Swenson / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081