Authority: Title 63.2, Chapters 3, 10, 10.1, 10.2, 11.1, 11.2, 12.1, and 18, Code of Virginia; P.L. 100-294, P.L. 101-126, P.L. 101-226, P.L. 105-89, as amended, Federal Code.
A. Out of this appropriation, $500,000 the first year and $500,000 the second year from the general fund shall be provided for the purchase of services for victims child abuse and neglect prevention activities as stated in § 63.2-1502, Code of Virginia, in accordance with regulations promulgated by the Board of Social Services.
B. Expenditures meeting the criteria of Title IV-E of the Social Security Act shall be fully reimbursed except that expenditures otherwise subject to a standard local matching share under applicable state policy, including local staffing, shall continue to require local match. The Commissioner shall ensure that local social service boards obtain reimbursement for all children eligible for Title IV-E coverage.
C. This appropriation includes $180,200 from the general fund and $99,800 from nongeneral funds the first year and $180,200 from the general fund and $99,800 from nongeneral funds the second year to continue respite care for foster parents.
D. The Commissioner, in cooperation with the Department of Planning and Budget, shall establish a reasonable, automatic adjustment for inflation each year to be applied to the room and board maximum rates paid to foster parents. However, this provision shall apply only in fiscal years following a fiscal year in which salary increases are provided for state employees.
E. Out of this appropriation shall be provided $100,000 the first year from nongeneral funds and $100,000 the second year from nongeneral funds for Volunteer Emergency Families for Children to expand its shelter care network for abused, neglected, runaway, homeless, and at-risk children throughout Virginia.
F. The Department of Social Services shall develop additional performance measures for the adoption subsidy program to measure, over a fiscal year, the percentage of foster care children with a goal of adoption who are placed in adoptive homes and, of those, the average number of months since the termination of parental rights and the average number of months since the goal of adoption was established.
G. The Department of Social Services shall develop and maintain a Memorandum of Understanding with the Comprehensive Health Investment Project (CHIP) of Virginia to pilot the use of foster care prevention funding in Southwest Virginia. Additional funding which may be available through this effort to Southwest Virginia CHIP projects cannot be used to supplant existing resources for those projects.
H. Out of this appropriation, $1,332,959 from the general fund and $4,139,820 from the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) grant the first year and $1,332,959 from the general fund and $4,139,820 from the TANF grant the second year shall be provided to Healthy Families Virginia. These funds shall be used at the discretion of local sites for obtaining matching Title IV-E nongeneral funds when available. The Department of Social Services shall continue to allocate funds from this item to the statewide office of Prevent Child Abuse Virginia for providing the coordination, technical support, quality assurance, training and evaluation of the Healthy Families Virginia program.
I. Out of this appropriation, $100,000 the first year and $100,000 the second year from nongeneral funds is provided for the Child Abuse Prevention Play administered by Theatre IV of Richmond.
J. From the federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families block grant, $50,000 each year shall be transferred to the Bristol-Washington County Children's Advocacy Center for services to TANF-eligible populations.
K. From the federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families block grant, $50,000 each year shall be transferred to the Lenowisco Planning District Children's Advocacy Center for services to TANF-eligible populations.
L. The Commissioner of Social Services shall work with the Virginia Baptist Home for Children to serve children and youth in need of services, to assist the Commonwealth in meeting state and federal child welfare services to foster care children, and to explore opportunities to restructure their child placing facility.
M.1. The Commissioner of Social Services, in consultation with the Virginia League of Social Services Executives and local departments of social services, shall develop a plan to implement and finance federally required foster care services improvements in localities through a Child and Family Services Review Performance Improvement Plan.
2. The initial plan and subsequent status reports on its implementation shall be reported to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees by January 1 of each year.
N. Out of this appropriation, $3,604,908 from the general fund and $1,046,341 from nongeneral funds the first year and $3,604,908 from the general fund and $1,046,341 from nongeneral funds the second year shall be used to enhance the provision of child welfare services pursuant to the federal Performance Improvement Plan. Funds appropriated under this item shall be provided to local departments of social services for the direct provision of child and family services. Local departments of social services may use funds appropriated under this item for the purchase of child and family services. The allocation of this appropriation under this item shall be jointly determined by the Department of Social Services and the Virginia League of Social Services Executives.
O.1. The Department of Social Services, in collaboration with the Virginia League of Social Services Executives and the executive director of the Office of Comprehensive Services shall perform a comprehensive study of the policies and procedures related to the management of the special needs adoptions subsidy program and make recommendations. The study shall examine the relationship of the special needs adoption program to the federal Child and Family Services review Performance Improvement Plan requirements. The study's focus will be to examine the causes of recent expenditure growth and make recommendations on changes to moderate expenditure growth while continuing to meet the needs of the affected children.
2. In making its recommendations, the Department shall also examine the services provided under the adoption program and whether the appropriate levels of ancillary adoptive services and funding options are available to local departments of social services in developing a service plan for an adopted child and the adoptive family. The study shall make recommendations on (i) the establishment of a list of allowable ancillary adoption services for reimbursement and (ii) policy guidance on the use of alternative funding sources for providing adoption services.
3. Measures to be studied shall include, but not be limited to, setting income guidelines for prospective adoptive parents, utilizing available federal sources such as Medicaid, and setting rates for children's residential facilities.
4. Neither the Commissioner nor the State Board of Social Services shall make programmatic changes related to adoption services without approval of the General Assembly and shall administer such program within the provisions of existing law, regulations and budget constraints.
5. The Department shall provide a report to the Governor, Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees, and the Department of Planning and Budget on or before June 1, 2007.
P.1. The Commissioner shall continue reviewing the Commonwealth's current policies on adoptions and foster care and recommend mechanisms to expedite the adoption of children from foster care as well as children not in the state's care. The Commissioner shall recruit a national expert on the adoption of children to co-chair the task force. The task force shall include the Commissioner, a national expert, local department of social services staff, adoptive parents, and other interested stakeholders. The task force shall report its findings and policy recommendations to the Commission on Youth and the Chairmen of the Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committees no later than June 30, 2007.
2. Unexpended general fund appropriations in Item 354 of Chapter 2, 2006 Special Session I Acts of Assembly for this purpose shall be reappropriated for expenditure in this item for task force activities during the 2006-08 biennium.