(a) Notwithstanding any other law, the cost of providing 24-hour out-of-home nonmedical care and supervision in community care facilities licensed or approved pursuant to Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 1500) of Division 2 of the Health and Safety Code shall be funded by the Aid to Families with Dependent Children-Foster Care (AFDC-FC) program pursuant to Section 11464, for children who are both AFDC-FC recipients and regional center consumers.
(b) The cost of providing adoption assistance benefits shall be funded by the Adoption Assistance Program (AAP) under Section 16121, for children who are both AAP recipients and regional center consumers.
(c) (1) For regional center consumers who are recipients of AFDC-FC benefits, regional centers shall purchase or secure the services that are contained in the child’s Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) or Individual Program Plan (IPP) but that are not allowable under federal or state AFDC-FC provisions.
(2) For regional center consumers who are recipients of AAP benefits, regional centers shall purchase or secure the services that are contained in the child’s IFSP or IPP.
(3) For regional center consumers receiving services under paragraph (1) or (2), these services shall be separately purchased or secured by the regional center, pursuant to Sections 4646 to 4648, inclusive, Section 4685, and Sections 95018 and 95020 of the Government Code.
(4) Regional centers shall accept referrals for evaluations of AFDC-FC-eligible children and children receiving AAP benefits for the purpose of determining eligibility for regional center services, pursuant to Section 4642. Regional centers shall assist county welfare and probation departments in identifying appropriate placement resources for children who are recipients of AFDC-FC and who are eligible for regional center services.
(d) (1) For purposes of this section, children who are recipients of AFDC-FC and regional center services shall not be prohibited from receiving in-home respite services, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 4690.2, if they are residing with any of the following:
(A) A relative, as defined in paragraph (2) of subdivision (h) of Section 319, or, in the case of an Indian child, an extended family member, as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 224.1.
(B) A nonrelative extended family member, as defined in Section 362.7.
(C) A resource family, as defined in paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 16519.5.
(D) A tribally approved home, as defined in subdivision (r) of Section 224.1.
(E) A foster family home, as defined in paragraph (5) of subdivision (a) of Section 1502 of the Health and Safety Code, that is not vendored by the regional center as a residential facility.
(F) A small family home, as defined in paragraph (6) of subdivision (a) of Section 1502 of the Health and Safety Code, that is not vendored by the regional center as a residential facility. Regional centers shall assess a small family home for service need, including verification of the small family home’s staffing level, through the individual program plan (IPP) process pursuant to Sections 4646 and 4648 or the individualized family service plan (IFSP) process pursuant to Sections 95018 and 95020 of the Government Code, as applicable, prior to approving in-home respite services for children residing in a licensed small family home.
(2) AFDC-FC and AAP benefits shall be for care and supervision, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 11460, and the regional centers shall separately purchase or secure other services contained in the child’s IFSP or IPP pursuant to Section 4646 to 4648, inclusive, Section 4685, and Sections 95018 and 95020 of the Government Code. Notwithstanding any other law or regulation, the receipt of AFDC-FC or AAP benefits shall not be cause to deny any other services that a child or family for which the child or family is otherwise eligible pursuant to this division.
(e) This section shall apply to all recipients of AFDC-FC and AAP benefits, including those with rates established prior to the effective date of the act that adds this subdivision, pursuant to Sections 11464 and 16121.
(f) For purposes of this section, the terms “child” and “children” include a nonminor dependent, as defined in subdivision (v) of Section 11400. The Legislature finds and declares that this subdivision is declarative of, and clarifies, existing law.
(g) Regulations adopted by the department pursuant to this section shall be adopted as emergency regulations in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, and for the purposes of that chapter, including Section 11349.6 of the Government Code, the adoption of these regulations is an emergency and shall be considered by the Office of Administrative Law as necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety, and general welfare.
(Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 909, Sec. 1. (SB 1197) Effective January 1, 2025.)