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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, First Regular Session
REVISED
kinship foster care stipend; increase
Purpose
Requires, beginning January 1, 2026, the Department of Child Safety (DCS) to provide a kinship foster care parent with a stipend of $400 per month for each child placed with the parent, increasing by $100 each year until January 1, 2028.
Background
DCS is responsible for investigating reports of abuse and neglect relating to children and coordinating services to maintain permanency on behalf of the child, strengthening the family and providing prevention, intervention and treatment services (A.R.S. § 8-451).
The placement of a child who is in DCS custody is determined by the best interests of the child, and DCS must establish kinship foster care services for a child who has been removed from the child's home. A kinship foster care parent may be eligible to receive the following financial services for the child: 1) full foster care benefits, including payment if the kinship foster care parent becomes a licensed foster care home; and 2) Temporary Assistance for Needy Families cash assistance payments. DCS provides maintenance payments to licensed foster families for the care of children in out-of-home care. DCS sets foster care rates and determines eligibility for special rates (A.R.S. § 8-514.03).
There is a basic daily foster home rate paid on behalf of each foster child placed in a licensed foster home. The basic rate is between $19.68 per day per child and $27.15 per day per child, depending upon the age of the child. The basic daily kinship foster home rate paid on behalf of each foster child placed in an unlicensed foster care bed is $9.86 per day per child with no changes depending on the child's age. There are no differences with the daily clothing allowance or daily personal allowance between foster or kinship fore care homes (DCS).
An unlicensed kinship foster care parent will receive monthly reimbursement from DCS. At the end of each month, the parent will confirm the number of days the child was in their home. The reimbursement includes a diaper allowance, if applicable, the personal and clothing allowances and the kinship stipend (DCS).
Laws 2022, Chapter 329 appropriated monies from the state General Fund (state GF) in FY 2023 to DCS to provide a kinship foster care parent with a stipend of $300 per month for each child placed with the foster care parent. The Legislature intended that the one-time appropriation be considered ongoing funding in future years. The stipend increase has since been added to the Baseline budget as an ongoing expenditure (JLBC).
The Joint Legislative Budget Committee estimates that S.B. 1490 will generate a state General Fund cost of $2.2 million in FY 2026, $6.5 million in FY 2027 and $10.8 million in FY 2028, with the full phase-in amount of $12.9 million realized in FY 2029 (JLBC fiscal note).
Provisions
1. Requires DCS to provide a kinship foster care parent with a monthly stipend for each child placed with the parent in the following amounts:
a) $400, effective January 1, 2026;
b) $500, effective January 1, 2027; and
c) $600, effective January 1, 2028.
2. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Revisions
· Updates the fiscal impact statement.
Prepared by Senate Research
March 17, 2025
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