Ky.gov
Effective: 4/22/2025

C9.29 Other Expenses

Legal Authority

Introduction

​​​​

Practice Guidance

Procedure

​The Billing Specialist authorizes: 

  1. A reimbursement amount not to exceed six hundred fifty dollars ($650), without prior approval, for graduation expenses, including senior class ring, cap and gown rental, senior pictures, yearbook, prom ticket, graduation invitations, and name cards; 1
  2. Reimbursement to a foster/adoptive home parent sixty dollar ($60) for Christmas gifts for a child;   
  3. Reimbursement to a foster/adoptive home parent twenty-five dollars ($25) for birthday gifts for a child; 3​
  4. A reimbursement amount of up to seventy dollars ($70) for Lifebook expenses for the initial six (6) month placement period per child and startup costs; and
  5. An additional reimbursement of up to twenty-five dollars ($25) per child every six (6) months for maintenance of the Lifebook, after the initial startup costs.​4   

The Recruitment and Certification (R&C) Worker:

  1. And/or the SSW require the foster/adoptive home parents to submit receipts for reimbursement of expenses over ten dollars ($10); 
  2. Submits​ the Child Care Exception form to the service region administrator (SRA) for a child in the care of non-working foster or adoptive parents if Early Head Start, Head Start, or public preschool will not meet the child’s needs and a qualified professional has documented one of the following:
    1. ​​The child has behavioral or therapeutic needs that would be met by enrollment in a high-quality child care setting;
    2. The child has developmental or educational needs that would be met by enrollment in a high-quality child care setting; or
    3. The foster parent has a short-term need for child care due to medical or other reasons that would cause a disruption in placement if child care is not provided; that includes documentation from a qualified professional of the therapeutic need for the service for non-working foster/adoptive home parents;
  3. ​Upon approval of the SRA, forwards the completed Child Care Exception form and any supporting documentation to CHFSDCBSDAFMSpecialExpenses@ky.gov; 
  4. Authorizes reimbursement, to the extent funds are available, to foster home parents for mileage, babysitting of the foster child to assist the foster/adoptive home parents with meeting ongoing training requirements; 
  5. Authorizes reimbursement for foster/adoptive home parents' mileage and babysitting of foster children, to facilitate their attendance in local and in-state foster care association meetings, training, or pre-service panel participation;5 and
  6. Authorizes reimbursement to foster/adoptive home parents for tutoring not to exceed twenty-five dollars ($25) per hour for no more than two (2) hours per week; provided by personnel other than immediate family, for which qualifications are verified by a social worker; for a child; 
    1. Who has an individual education plan (IEP);
    2. Who is two (2) or more grade level years behind chronological age; and
    3. Who has a need, and services are unavailable, as documented by the child’s school.
The SSW: 

  1. Facilitates Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) payment of child care services for working foster/adoptive home parents or for foster/adoptive parents pursuing higher education; ​6 and 
  2. Prepares a special expense request and submits to the FSOS for expenses not specifically addressed, or those that are above and beyond what is allowed by standard of practice (SOP), that support the child's goal towards permanency. 

The FSOS:

  1. Approves requests for child care expenses for working foster/adoptive home parents; 7
  2. Requests to the director of the Division of Administration and Financial Management (DAFM), or designee, approval for special expenses not specified in SOP and only those that support the child's goal towards permanency; and
  3. Submits the request for approval to the director of DAFM, or designee.

The SRA: 

  1. Provides prior approval for all requests for reimbursement to a foster/adoptive home for tuition/fees incurred for non-Cabinet for Health and Family Services (Cabinet/CHFS) sponsored training before payment may be authorized;
  2. Considers the following when approving or disapproving requests for reimbursement for non-cabinet sponsored training:
    1. If the requested training is not otherwise included or provided in any Cabinet sponsored training; and
    2. If the training is specifically related to a medical or behavioral condition of a child placed in the foster/adoptive home.  Tuition or fees may be approved up to the amount of:
      1. One hundred dollars ($100) per family per year; or
      2. Two hundred dollars ($200) per year for a medically complex, specialized medically complex, or care plus home.



​Footnotes

  1. The one-hundred-dollar ($100) school clothing allowance, if uns​pent, may be applied to the graduation reimbursement, bringing the total graduation allowance to seven hundred fifty dollars ($750).
  2. Receipts are not required.
  3. Receipts are not required.
  4. The Lifebook follows the child throughout their time in OOHC. Receipts are required prior to reimbursement being made in this SOP.
  5. Pre-approval by the R&C worker is required for reimbursement.
  6. These requests for child care services are reviewed every six (6) months.
  7. Approved child care per diem rates cannot exceed the per diem rates established by the Division of Child Care.



Documents

Revisions

​4/22/2025

  1. Submits a request for child care to the service region administrator (SRA) for a child in the care of non-working foster or adoptive parents if Early Head Start, Head Start, or public preschool will not meet the child’s needs and a qualified professional has documented one of the following:
    1. ​​The child has behavioral or therapeutic needs that would be met by enrollment in a high-quality child care setting;
    2. The child has developmental or educational needs that would be met by enrollment in a high-quality child care setting; or
    3. The foster parent has a short-term need for child care due to medical or other reasons that would cause a disruption in placement if child care is not provided; that includes documentation from a qualified professional of the therapeutic need for the service for non-working foster/adoptive home parents;

2.  Submits​ the Child Care Exception form a request for child care to the service region administrator (SRA) for a child in the care of non-working foster or adoptive parents if Early Head Start, Head Start, or public preschool will not meet the child’s needs and a qualified professional has documented one of the following:
​
3.  ​Upon approval of the SRA, forwards the completed Child Care Exception form and any supporting documentation to CHFSDCBSDAFMSpecialExpenses@ky.gov​; ​