HB 26-1374

HB 26-1374, known as Kinship Care Funding Provisions, changes how Colorado supports families caring for relatives' children without formal foster care certification. The bill stops financial assistance and reimbursements to counties for non-certified kinship care homes but keeps some federal requirements in place. It also requires the state to notify current non-certified kinship care providers about ending these payments by June 15, 2026. This affects families who are currently receiving support for caring for relatives' children without formal certification. Since the bill has been signed, these changes will take effect as planned.

Official Summary

Joint Budget Committee. The bill eliminates financial assistance and supports to county departments of human or social services (county departments) for non-certified kinship care homes. The bill also eliminates reimbursement to county departments for non-certified kinship care homes , except as required by the federal 'Social Security Act' and by Colorado's out-of-home placement required services and temporary custody provisions. and The bill removes the exemption for the kinship foster care and the non-certified kinship care rates from the state fiscal year close-out process.     The bill makes reimbursement to county departments for certified kinship foster care subject to available appropriations and specifies that counties are not required to provide financial assistance and supports for non-certified kinship care homes.      Existing law requires the state department of human services to annually report to the joint budget committee on the implementation of non-certified kinship care homes. The bill changes the report's focus to certified kinship care homes. The bill removes consideration of maintaining financial support for a non-certified kinship care home from the reasons that may not be used to delay youth placement permanency planning.      The bill requires the state department of human services to create a standardized notice for non-certified kinship care providers regarding the discontinuation of non-certified kinship care financial assistance. The bill requires county departments to provide the notice by June 15, 2026, to non-certified kinship foster care homes currently receiving monthly payments.(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

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