NYS Foster Boarding Home and
Adoption Subsidy Rate Information

Rate Compilation and Analysis by the NYS Citizens' Coalition for Children, Inc. Spring 2003

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Foster Care Rates

Foster care board rates differ significantly in the 58 social services districts in New York State because each local district is allowed to set its own rates. The state only determines the maximum amounts it will reimburse to the local districts; there is no minimum. NYS regulations require local districts to provide initial and replacement clothing allowances in addition to daily board rates, and permit reimbursement for day care, finder's fees and specialized expenses. Although New York is officially a state supervised, locally administered system, the NYS Office of Children & Family Services does not routinely collect or maintain rate information for individual districts. During the spring of 2003 NYSCCC conducted a statewide telephone survey and compiled detailed local rate information and a comparison analysis of New York's 58 local social services districts. Information provided below is current as of May 2003.

Updated rate information is available for 39 upstate counties from an informal email survey conducted by St. Lawrence County Department of Social Services during the fall of 2005. However, these rates have not been verified by NYSCCC staff and are presented for informational purposes only. We recommend you contact the local Department of Social Services directly to verify current rates. Rate information for specific NYS voluntary foster care agencies and group homes can be found on the NYS OCFS website at http://www.ocfs.state.ny.us/main/rates/FosterCare/Rates/ .

Adoption Subsidy Rates

Adoption subsidies are based on the foster care board rates in the child's district of origin. A child who is eligible for adoption subsidy in New York State can receive no less than 75% of the applicable foster care board rate in accordance with Title 18 NYCRR., Part 421, Section 421.24 (c)(1-13). For a child placed outside the district, the applicable board rate can be either the rate of the adoptive parent's county of residence or the the child's district of origin. For a child placed outside NYS the applicable rate is the rate of the child's district of origin. The income of the person(s) adopting a special needs child cannot be considered in determining whether or not to enter into a subsidy agreement. Income may only be considered for the purpose of determining the amount of the monthly payment. Local districts may elect to provide all subsidies at either 1) 100 percent of the local board rate regardless of income or 2) a lesser amount (not less than 75% of the applicable board rate) based on the prospective parent(s) annual income. The social services district must use the same option for all subsidized adoptions and determine the amount based on a percentage of the applicable state income standard. See below for NYS OCFS subsidy regulations and local rate information for each county's method of calculating adoption subsidy amounts.

NYSCCC Position Statement

The NYS Citizens' Coalition for Children advocates that the NYS Office of Children and Families Services (OCFS) establish consistent statewide minimum board rates for all social services districts, commensurate with actual costs. Currently OCFS sets only state maximum rates, resulting in great disparity between districts and exploitation of foster parents. Actual costs of care far exceed current board rates, and foster parents alone are forced to subsidize the cost of caring for foster children, who are the collective responsibility of the whole community.

For more information on establishing foster care reimbursement rate based on the real expenses of raising a child in foster care see the Children's Rights "Hitting the M.A.R.C." Policy Project that includes the first-ever nationwide, state-by-state calculation of the real cost of supporting children in foster care and reveals widespread deficiencies in reimbursement rates across the nation and major disparities among the states. NYSCCC offers the following information and analysis to assist NYS foster care advocates and families in advocating for local changes that achieve increased consistency and fairness in statewide rates.

NYS Citizens' Coalition for Children, Inc.
410 East Upland Road, Ithaca, NY 14850
607-272-0034, office@nysccc.org
02/22/2008