Foster Care Update 26-01: Eligibility Expansion For The Dually Served
Foster Care Handbook
| Date | References | Clerical | Implementation |
| 1/6/26 | ACL 25-51 | No | Immediately |
Background
Children who are eligible to receive Regional Center (RC) services and are recipients of AFDC-Foster Care (FC), Adoption Assistance Program (AAP), or Kinship-Guardianship Assistance Payment (Kin-GAP) Program are referred to as Dual Agency Children (DAC).
Changes
With this Update, the following changes have been made to the Dual Agency Children (DAC) topic in chapter 26, “Aid Payments and State Administered Rates,” of the Foster Care Handbook:
- The “Dual Agency Children (DAC)” topic has been renamed to "Dually Served Children and NMDs .”
- Clarification has been added that children and Non-Minor Dependents (NMDs) who are consumers of RC services and are recipients of AFDC-FC, including children/NMDs living with Non-Related Legal Guardians (NRLG), or Approved Relative Caregiver (ARC) benefits, AAP, and Kin-GAP are now referred to as children and NMDs who are dually served.
- A provisionally eligible child must be reassessed by the RC at least 90 days before turning five years of age.
- Links have been added to the Foster Care Chart Book.
- Clarification has been added stating that if the required RC eligibility determination reassessment is not completed before the child’s fifth birthday, the child should continue to be provisionally eligible for RC services, the dual agency rate (DAR), and the supplement, if applicable, until the reassessment process is complete.
- A new section titled “Provisional Eligibility” has been added.
- A new section titled “Appeal of a Regional Center Eligibility Determination” has been added.
- A new section titled “Rate Following Regional Center Eligibility Determination Reassessment” has been added.
Department of Employment & Benefits Services
Contact Person(s): Michelle Rojas and Maria Torres, SSA BPIS, (408) 755-7540.