Section 5-527 - Out-of-home placement and foster care - Rates.

§ 5-527. Out-of-home placement and foster care - Rates.
 

(a)  Department to establish guidelines.- The Department shall adopt rules and regulations that establish eligibility guidelines for payment for foster care for 1 or more classes of children, including children who are in need of special care. 

(b)  Single family home - Regular rate.-  

(1) For a child who does not need special care, the Department shall pay for foster care in a single family home at a monthly rate that is not less than 55% of the monthly rate provided in subsection (c) of this section for a child who requires the most demanding special care in a single family home. 

(2) The monthly rate shall include increments based on the age of the child. 

(c)  Single family home - Rate for most demanding special care.- The Department shall pay for foster care for a child who needs the most demanding special care in a single family home at a monthly rate that is not less than the higher of: 

(1) the rate that the Department paid in fiscal year 1975; and 

(2) the rate that the Department of Juvenile Services pays for the current fiscal year. 
 

[An. Code 1957, art. 88A, § 60; 1984, ch. 296, § 2; 1987, ch. 290, § 1; 1989, ch. 539, § 7; 1995, ch. 8, § 4; 2003, ch. 53, § 6.]