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STATE OF WASHINGTON

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL AND HEALTH SERVICES

Aging and Long-Term Support Administration

Home and Community Services Division

PO Box 45600, Olympia, WA 98504-5600

H20-020 – Procedure

March 24, 2020

Amended May 21 2020

Superseded H19-023 – during the COVID-19 Outbreak

|TO: |Home and Community Services (HCS) Division Regional Administrators |

| |Area Agency on Aging (AAA) Directors |

|FROM: |Bea Rector, Director, Home and Community Services Division |

|SUBJECT: |Revised Policies for the Kinship Caregivers Support Program |

|Purpose: |To notify staff that policies for the Kinship Caregivers Support Program (KCSP) have been revised. And |

| |Temporary policy changes due to COVID-19. |

|Background: |The policies for the Kinship Caregivers Support Program had its last revision in 2016. Policies were updated |

| |in May 2019. On February 29th, 2020, Governor Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency in response to the |

| |COVID-19 outbreak, directing state agencies to use all resources necessary to prepare for and respond to the |

| |outbreak. |

| | |

|What’s new, changed, or |The new COVID-19 temporary policy and procedure changes are: |

|Clarified |Increase the frequency that a kinship caregiver may request and/or receive services in a year from once to up |

| |to two times a year. |

| |Increase the dollar ceiling on services without needing an ETP. |

| |Computer/tablets may be purchased for kinship caregivers when necessary for tele-medicine, mental/behavioral |

| |health appointments and online support groups for child and/or caregivers when all other resources have been |

| |exhausted. ($800 cap) |

| |Eviction or shut off notice not required to consider rent or utility assistance. Other documentation will |

| |suffice. |

| | |

| |Previous COVID-19 temporary policy and procedure changes: |

| |Allow for electronic verification of relationship documents |

| |Telephonic or Video Conferencing Screening and consent |

| |Verbal Service Agreement process |

| | |

| |The KCSP policies have been revised in various areas, including: |

| | |

| |Requirement for the AAAs’ KCSP subcontractors to include information about KCSP on their website and/or |

| |programs/services brochure. |

| |Elimination of language prohibiting kinship caregivers who receive Adoption Support from requesting KCSP |

| |support. |

| |Adding language that caregivers raising a youth who is older than 18, who attends high school and has related |

| |documentation, may be eligible for the KCSP. |

| |Changing requirement for having a notarized parental consent agreement to a recommendation. |

| |Requesting current verification (produced within the last 12 months) of the kinship caregiver’s relationship |

| |with the child(ren) they are raising from a reliable source. |

| |Adding an official letter from the kinship caregiver’s Tribal Council or social service office as examples of |

| |verification paperwork. |

| |Criteria of having an “open case” in the child welfare system is replaced with language about a relative who |

| |is an unlicensed caregiver with an assigned Department of Children Youth and Families (DCYF) case worker for |

| |the child(ren) in their care.  |

| |Clarification that children/youth’s clothing may include adult sizes. |

| |Addition under school related supplies and fees of computers/tablets when unavailable from other sources and |

| |required for academic use. |

| |Clarification that although the KCSP policies do not restrict what types of foods/beverages can be purchased |

| |with KCSP funds, ALTSA encourages kinship providers to encourage healthy food/beverage purchases. Policies can|

| |be developed at the AAA level to restrict certain food and/or beverage purchases. |

| |If the AAA operates a separate Kinship Navigator Program (KNP), KCSP recipients must be offered a referral to |

| |the local Kinship Navigator to discuss their other needs. |

| |Clarification that AAAs can choose to pass on their allocation for program administration to their |

| |subcontractor. |

| |Update to the service delivery lid from 10% to 15%. |

| |KCSP reporting section has been revised to require the AAAs/KCSP subcontractors to utilize the Community |

| |Living Connections (CLC) reporting system (GetCare) to enroll caregivers, record KCSP caregiver services and |

| |complete the Kinship Intake for each participating kinship caregiver family. |

| |Allow for electronic verification of relationship documents |

| |Telephonic or Video Conferencing Screening and consent |

| |Verbal Service Agreement process |

| | |

| | |

| |These revised polices will supersede H19-023. |

|ACTION: |Beginning March 23, 2020 until further notice, follow the attached, amended KCSP Policies and Procedures due |

| |to the COVID-19 Emergency. |

| | |

| |Begin using the revised KCSP policies as soon as possible, but with a target date of July 1, 2019. |

| | |

|ATTACHMENT(S): |2019 Revised Kinship Caregivers Support Program (KCSP) Policies: |

| | |

| |[pic] with edits shown: [pic] |

| | |

| |Revised COVID temporary version: |

| |[pic] |

| | |

| | |

| |Geené Delaplane, Kinship and Lifespan Respite Program Manager |

| |(360) 725-3544 |

| |Geene.delaplane@dshs. |

| | |

| | |

| |Hilarie Hauptman, Kinship and Lifespan Respite Program Manager |

|CONTACT(S): |Retired 6/30/19 |

| | |

| | |

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HCS MANAGEMENT BULLETIN

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