Irregular Payments 623-05-25

(Revised 2/17/17 ML #3493)

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PI 19-18

PI 19-18 Attachment

 

 

Irregular payments are specific to a foster child and can only be authorized to a licensed or approved (Tribal Affidavit) foster care provider. Reimbursement is only allowed for expenditures incurred during the dates the child is placed with the licensed or approved (Tribal Affidavit) provider.

 

It is the responsibility of the foster care case manager to determine which expenditures are necessary and appropriate, and to budget the age appropriate expenditure limit so irregular payments can be available throughout the year to meet the child’s needs.

 

With appropriate approval, the eligibility worker will authorize individual irregular payment expenditures. Irregular payments must be approved by the custodial agency, with some categories requiring the approval of the Regional Supervisor. Irregular payments can be documented in the Child & Family Team meeting notes. Documentation of the approval for payments must be provided to the eligibility worker and maintained in the child’s eligibility file.

 

Irregular payments are separated into categories, and assigned various codes. Age limits are consistent with foster care payment age categories; however, expenditure limits may vary by category. Some categories are without limit. Expenditure limits will reset:

1. Every twelve months from the initial date of foster care entry
2. When a child has been discharged from foster care for more than 12 months.

 

The administrative county must review the receipts, if applicable, and approval to ensure the expenditure is in full compliance with state policy. The administrative county will authorize by “pinning” the irregular payment information in the payment system. Receipts must be retained in the child’s eligibility file for audit purposes.

 

Each eligibility file must track irregular payment totals to ensure the limit is not exceeded.

 

Eight categories of irregular payments include:

 

Category 10	Activities & Incidentals
Category 20	Clothing
Category 30	Emergency Placement
Category 40	Child Care for Foster Child
Category 50	Travel for Foster Child (Limited)
Category 60	Difficulty of Care/Excess Maintenance Payment (EMP)
Category 70	Parent/Infant Payment
Category 80	Extra Supervision

 

Within each category are various codes related to specific items.