In accordance with Sub H.B. No. 541 of the 132nd General Assembly, effective March 22, 2019, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) is issuing funding for the Kinship Caregiver Program to assist with providing reasonable and necessary relief of child caring functions so that kinship caregivers, as defined in section 5101.85 of the Revised Code, can provide and maintain a home for a child in place of a child's parents.

Methodology

ODJFS will allocate available funding to the County Department of Job and Family Services(CDJFS) as follows:

• ODJFS will allocate twelve per cent of the statewide amount divided equally among all counties;
• ODJFS will allocate forty-eight per cent of the statewide amount in the ratio that the number of residents of the county under the age of eighteen bears to the total number of such persons residing in this state; and
• ODJFS will allocate forty per cent of the statewide amount in the ratio that the number of residents of the county with incomes under the federal poverty guideline bears to the total number of such persons in this state.

The kinship caregiver program is a joint effort between the county public children services agency (PCSA) and the county department of job and family services (CDJFS).  The program will operate under each county CDJFS’ Prevention, Retention, and Contingency (PRC) plan. Funding will flow from the CDJFS to the PCSA. The CDJFS may draw funds at any time during the grant availability period.  Each PCSA shall use these funds to provide direct services for the Kinship Caregiver program.

In order to use the funding:

• The CDJFS shall include kinship caregiver services in the county prevention, retention, and contingency (PRC) plan. To assist county agencies, the PRC Reference Guide has been updated to include the Kinship Caregiver Program;
• The CDJFS can create its own application unique to the Kinship Caregiver program or utilize its existing PRC plan.
• When the county PCSA is in a combined agency, the PCSA shall provide services and receive reimbursement through a county transfer resolution.
• When the county PCSA is a stand-alone agency, the PCSA shall provide services and receive funding through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the CDJFS.  This includes determining the flow of funding and the role of both agencies in providing services to the kinship caregiver.

Allowable Activities

Direct Costs

Allowable activities include the cost of services provided to the kinship child caring functions such as but not limited to:

• Providing respite care for the kinship caregiver;
• Family support services and activities that enable kinship caregivers to provide and maintain a home for a child placed in their care;
• Costs and services related to employment, training, and job search and readiness focused around Child Care.
• Any other kinship child caring costs and services not mentioned above that is included in a county’s PRC plan.

Direct codes will be issued via Bureau of County Finance Technical Assistance (BCFTA) CFIS alert. 

Administrative Costs

Kinship Caregiver funding does not cover administrative or RMS costs.  If a CDJFS caseworker receives an RMS hit while working on a Kinship Caregiver Program case, they should use a PRC RMS code.  If a PCSA worker receives an RMS hit while working on the Kinship Caregiver program they should use the 760/777. 

The allocation consists of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) federal funds. The catalog of federal domestic assistance (CFDA) number for this allocation is 93.558.  Funding will be available March 22, 2019 to June 30, 2019 and will liquidate September 30, 2019.

For questions regarding eligibility, allowable activities and reporting requirements, please direct them to the TANF-FSTA mailbox or by calling 1-866-886-3537 (option 6). For fiscal questions please contact your ODJFS Fiscal Supervisor or the CFIS Helpdesk.