Payment to Foster Care Group Homes, Residential Child Care Facilities and Foster Care Residential Treatment Centers 623-05-20-40

(Revised 8/15/06 ML #3025)

PI-06-18

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Agencies have the right to set their own rates for care of children; the North Dakota Department of Human Services and county social service boards have the right to determine what services will be purchased. The foster care payment program is a resource to parents and county social service boards in meeting the cost, provided it has been determined by the county social service board and/or regional staff that a particular type of care is appropriate.

 

A group or residential care facility, as a free enterprise, may establish what rate it will charge for its services. The Department of Human Services, as a purchaser of services, may determine what rate it will pay.  Refer to NDAC 75-03-15, “Rate Setting for Providers of Services to Foster Children Group Home and Residential Child Care Facilities." Since 1967, the rules of HHS have offered some degree of federal financial participation for certain identified cost items of group/residential care facilities. From time to time, the specific items for which there is federal financial participation have changed but the general rule is that in establishing rates of payment for group care only those items considered as care in family foster homes will be included for federal financial participation.

 

The foster care maintenance rates at child care facilities include board, room, care, clothing, personal supplies, education, and recreation. Telephone costs are not to be charged to foster care payments. The cost of social services and psychological evaluations are not chargeable to the maintenance payment for foster care.

 

To open foster care payments for group, residential, residential treatment, or therapeutic family foster care, an approval by the regional supervisor is required. This is now completed electronically on the CCWIPS system. The entire approval process is documented on the CCWIPS system (permanency planning, foster care court order with requisite foster care language, etc.) and the regional supervisor approves or denies electronically on the CCWIPS system.

 

If you wish to have hard copies of the approval for the county eligibility file, you may screen print those. However, this is not a requirement. It is sufficient that you have checked CCWIPS to ensure that the approval has been granted. In terms of audit trail, this will be preserved on CCWIPS.

 

In any situation where a hard copy is needed, please screen print the approval.

 

Administrative costs to facilitate reunification are available for reimbursement to eligible families as an irregular payment on CCWIPS for facilities. Note that this section applies to costs for the child’s family, not the child. Examples of these costs are family expenses, meals, lodging, occasionally mileage, or commercial transportation to facilitate visitation or participation in family week with a child in foster care at a facility.

 

We will pay actual costs up to the amount of state per diem rates. Costs will be reimbursed based on North Dakota in-state rates, even if travel is to another state facility. Commercial transportation will be reimbursed at the actual rate. The facility and case manager are expected to seek the lowest possible rate when commercial transportation is required.  

 

For foster care billing purposes, these costs are considered as a Reunification costs and entered as an irregular payment on CCWIPS, Category 50, Code 52. Refer to CCWIPS User Manual for technical assistance related to entering irregular foster care payments on the CCWIPS system.

 

Verification of expenditures are required and must be retained for audit purposes.

 

 

Daily Maintenance Rates -- Group and Residential Child Care Facilities

 

     

 

EFF. DATE

DAILY RATE**

Centre Inc.

201 S 4th Street

Grand Forks, ND 58208

04-01-06

(F)  116.97

Charles Hall Youth Services

P.O. Box 1995

Bismarck, ND 58502-1995

07-01-06

(F) 132.87

Dakota Boys Ranch Assn.

(Residential Child Care

Facility)

Box 5007,

Minot, ND 58702-5007

(Fargo & Minot facilities)

(Does not include Dakota

Boys Ranch Assn. RTC)

(Does not include DBR Fargo

Safe Home)

01-01-06

(F)  172.81

Eckert Youth Homes

Box 2291

Williston, ND 58802

07-01-06

(F)  145.63

Harmony House

406 4th Avenue

Devils Lake, ND 58301

01-01-06

(F)  100.22

Home on the Range***

16351 I-94

Sentinel Butte, ND 58654-

9500

04-01-06

(F)  119.84

Prairie Learning Center

7785 St. Gertrude Avenue

Raleigh, ND 58564-4103

07-01-06

(F)  104.86

Lake Oahe Group Home of Standing Rock Nation*

P.O. Box 176

Fort Yates, ND 58538

04-01-06

(F)    94.69

 

Please note this is maintenance rate only.  Service rehab rate is additional and billed separately.  Effective July 1, 1997, the service rehab rate is billed directly to the Medical Services Division, North Dakota Department of Human Services.  

 

     

*

Approved facility for tribe.

 

**

Effective for care provided on or after September 1, 1999, foster care payments are based on a daily rate

D  Desk Rate

***

Red River Victory Ranch, Fargo, (part of Home on the Range). Closed 6/30/03

F  Final Rate

 

 

 

Daily Rates -- Residential Treatment Centers

 

         

 

 

 

 

Name

 of

 Center

 

 

 

 

No.

 of

 Beds

 

 

 

Effective

 Date of

RTC FC

Rate

Daily

 Rate

 

Room

 &

 Board

 (FC*)

 

 

 

Daily Rate

 

Rehabilitation

 Rate**

Ruth Meiers

RTC

c/o Northeast

HSC

1407 24th

Avenue S.

Grand Forks, ND

58201

12

01-01-2006

(F)  61.38

198.00

*

Amount of RTC rate charged to Foster Care, provided that child is foster care eligible, and all permanency planning and other requirements have been followed, and written approval received for RTC placement.

**

This may be paid through third party, Title XIX, or some other resource. It cannot be paid through foster care.