0900-520.20 | Revision Date: 07/26/18
Overview
This policy guide provides information on reimbursement for educational travel for children/youth/nonminor dependents (NMDs) in placement that remain in their school-of-origin, including information on the Education Travel Rates (ETRs) for car mileage and resources for public transportation.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Educational Travel Reimbursement
Foster Family Agencies (FFAs)/Certified Foster Parents
Prorating/Cost Sharing/Overpayments
School-of-Origin Travel Plan and Reimbursement
ER/ERCP/Case-Carrying CSW Responsibilities
Public Transportation to/from School-of-Origin
ER/ERCP/Case-Carrying CSW Responsibilities
Caregiver/NMD Requests Retroactive Reimbursement
Case-Carrying CSW Responsibilities
Version Summary
This policy guide was updated from the 07/01/14 version to include the definition for school-of-origin and indicate what must apply in order for Education Travel Reimbursement (ETR) paymetns to take place once the school-of-origin has been established.
The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has a statewide rate and methodology for reimbursing costs related to transporting a child in grades K-12 to his/her school-of-origin. The Educational Travel Reimbursement Rate (Educational Travel Rate - ETR) may be utilized for children/youth/NMDs who are placed in out-of-home care, whose case plan/Educational Stability Plan indicates that the child/youth/NMD will remain in their school-of-origin.
Children/youth/NMDs residing in the following circumstances are eligible:
The School-of-Origin is defined as:
For newly-detained children/youth/NMDs:
For replaced children/youth/NMDs:
Once it is established that the child/youth/NMD is attending the school-of-origin the following must apply to qualify for the ETR payment:
Once the ETR payment is established it is expected to be used for other education-related transportation (for example: after-school activities, extra-curricular activities, parent-teacher conferences, school dances, and to travel to or from school to pick-up a child for appointments or illnesses.)
DCFS is not required to provide the ETR for children who are temporarily absent from foster care (e.g. runaways, children who are hospitalized, etc.)
Education Travel Reimbursement is retroactive to either January 1, 2010 or the first date of placement, whichever is most recent.
Foster Family Agencies (FFAs) receive payment for educational travel costs as part of the foster care payment for each child whose Case Plan indicates that the child will remain in their school-of-origin. ETR payments are not processed as separate reimbursements. FFAs are required to pay the entire amount of the ETR to the Certified Foster Parent, except in cases where the FFA is providing the transportation rather than the Certified Foster Parent. Certified Foster Parents and FFAs must immediately report any changes that affect the ETR part of the foster payment to DCFS.
When a NMD who is placed in a Supervised Independent Living Placement (SILP), is attending high school at his/her school-of-origin, and all other Extended Foster Care (EFC) requirements have been satisfied, he/she is entitled to directly receive the ETR or public transportation. ETR rates are the same for NMDs.
The Educational Travel Rates (ETR) breakdown as follows, and are based on the foster parent or other designee’s driving four (4) one-way trips per day (one round trip from home to the school in the morning and one round trip from home to the school in the afternoon), fifteen school days per month, 180 school days per year (divided by twelve (12) months).
|
Travel Distance from Foster Care Placement to School-of-Origin (in miles) – ONE WAY |
Educational Travel Rate (ETR) per Month per Child |
|
Up to 3 miles |
$0 |
|
4-8 miles |
$58 |
|
9-13 miles |
$154 |
|
14-18 miles |
$250 |
|
19-23 miles |
$347 |
|
24 or more miles |
$443 |
*A partial mile should be rounded up if it is 0.5 and above, and rounded down if less than 0.5.
DCFS can also provide funding for school-of-origin public transportation, including bus passes/TAP Cards/EZ Pass TAP Cards/tokens/coupons to the youth or caregiver under the following circumstances:
The same eligibility requirements apply to public transportation.
The following procedures apply to children who are initially detained and placed in out-of-home care who will remain in his/her school-of-origin, children already in an ongoing out-of-home care placement who are attending his/her school-of-origin, and nonminor dependents (NMDs) in a Supervised Independent Living Program (SILP) who are attending his/her high school-of-origin.
ER/ERCP/Case-Carrying CSW Responsibilities
ER/ERCP/Case-Carrying CSW Responsibilities
They are not permitted to receive both.
Case-Carrying CSW Responsibilities
DCFS 63B, School-of-Origin Travel Plan
DCFS 63E, School-of-Origin Public Transportation Request & Receipt
DCFS 63F, Education Travel Caregiver Affidavit for Retroactive Reimbursement
DCFS 280, Technical Assistance Action Request
DCFS 1399, Notification to School of Pupil’s Foster Care Status
0100-510.61, Placement Responsibilities
0100-535.25, Extended Foster Care (EFC) Program
0900-520.10, Requesting Public Transportation for Clients: Eligibility and Ordering/TAP Cards, EZ Pass TAP Cards/Tokens/Coupons: Eligibility & Ordering
All County Letter (ACL) 13-03, dated 03/28/13 and ACL 11-51, dated 09/23/11 – States that the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-351), lays out terms of the Educational Transportation Reimbursement, including eligibility and rates for NMDs.
All County Letter (ACL) 10-12, dated 03/15/10 – States that the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-351), lays out terms of Case Plan Assurances and Educational Transportation Reimbursement.
Education Code Section 48850(a)(1) – States that educational and school placements must be made in the best interest of the child and should consider educational stability and the opportunity to be educated in the least restrictive educational setting necessary to achieve academic progress.
Education Code Section 48853.5 – Requires a local educational agency to allow a foster child to continue at their school-of-origin at the child’s initial detention, placement, or any subsequent change in placement for the duration of the jurisdiction of the court, and for the duration of the school year if the court’s jurisdiction is terminated prior to the end of the academic year.
Education Code Section 48853.5(e) – Defines “school-of-origin.”
Public Law 110-351 – Amended Title IV-E of the Social Security Act to require that a case plan ensure an Educational Stability Plan for a child in foster care. It also provides for the cost of reasonable travel for a child to remain in their school-of-origin.
Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) Section 16001.9(a)(13) – States that all foster youth have the right to attend school and participate in extracurricular, cultural, and person enrichment activities.
WIC Section 16010(a) – States that the Case Plan must include assurances that the child’s placement in foster care takes into account proximity to the school in which the child is enrolled at the time of placement, and the number of school transfers the child has already experienced.
WIC Section 16501.1(c)(1) – States in part that if an out-of-home placement is used to attain case plan goals, the decision regarding choice of placement must be based, in part upon selection of a setting that is in close proximity to the child’s school.