1. (a) Subject to appropriation, and unless another source of payment is available from or through the department for the child's care, the department will provide payment for a child committed to the custody of the state and

   1. (1) placed in a licensed foster home by the department under AS 47.14.100 - 47.14.130; or
   2. (2) placed in a tribe-licensed foster home bv the department as referenced in 7 AAC 67.010(4).

2. (b) The department will periodically review and establish foster care maintenance payment rates for foster care under this chapter. The department will set rates to cover the costs of caring for a foster child as set out in 7 AAC 53.030, 7 AAC 53.040, and 7 AAC 53.060 - 7 AAC 53.062. To the extent that the state does not otherwise cover those costs, foster care maintenance payment rates cover the cost of, and the cost of providing,

   1. (1) food;
   2. (2) clothing;
   3. (3) shelter;
   4. (4) daily supervision;
   5. (5) school supplies;
   6. (6) a child's personal incidentals;
   7. (7) reasonable travel to the child's home for visitation; and
   8. (8) reasonable travel for the child to remain in the school in which the child is enrolled at the time of placement.

3. (c) Daily payment rates are established for each child, as follows:

   1. (1) each child in foster care receives a base foster care payment rate;
   2. (2) a child who qualifies for a difficulty-of-care augmented rate under 7 AAC 53.060 or intensive augmented rate under 7 AAC 53.061 receives the total of the base rate and either the approved difficulty-of-care augmented rate or the approved intensive augmented rate for the daily payment rate.
4. (d) For a child placed in foster care by a tribal entity that has a tribal Title IV-E pass-through maintenance agreement approved by the department, inclusive of administrative costs, or a memorandum of agreement approved by the department for state placement in a tribe-licensed foster home approved by the department, the agreement governs the actual rates that are reimbursed to the tribal entity for the child's foster care.

(Eff. 11/23/78, Register 68; am 7/1/90, Register 114; am 11/16/94, Register 132; am 3/31/2005, Register 173; am 4/13/2011, Register 198; am 12/10/2011, Register 200; am 8/1/2015, Register 215; am 7/1/2022, Register 242)

Authority: AS 44.30.020, AS 47.14.010, AS 47.14.130, AS 47.06.010, AS 47.14.100, AS 47.32.030, AS 47.10.080, AS 47.14.120