Education Travel Reimbursement (ETR) for Foster Care Youths Only

PL 110-351 amended Title IV-E of the Social Security Act to require that the SW or PO include in their case plan a method for ensuring the educational stability of the child while in foster care. The cost of reasonable travel may be paid to allow a child to remain in the school in which the child is enrolled at the time of placement, when it is in the best interest of the child. This is referred to as the school of origin.

Educational Stability Plan

The SW/PO is responsible for the child’s educational stability plan and for notifying the FC EW when the plan requires reimbursements to the foster parents or changes to the reimbursements. The reimbursement cost may include public transportation. The SW/PO requires the foster parents to sign travel reimbursement agreements.

The SW will provide the FC EW with an “Education Travel Reimbursement” SCZ 414 Z which will include the following for mileage and public transportation:

Effective start date,
Effective end or change date (when appropriate),
The name, grade and address of the school,
The number of miles from home to the school,
The dollar amount of the mileage rate,
For Public Transportation, a copy of the printed page from the Agency’s website showing the cost, and
The required signatures on the Education Travel Reimbursement SCZ 414 Z.

ETR must be paid for court dependent foster care youths that include the following:

In kindergarten through 12th grade (including Non-Minor Dependents (NMD)) and
When they remain in their school of origin.
When they have a change of placement.
When they promote from elementary school to middle school and middle to high school, in accordance with the feeder pattern of the school districts (remaining in the same school district).

Note: SW/PO may choose schools other than the school of origin if it is in the best interest of the child.

Placement facilities that may receive ETR include the following:

Licensed FFH
Relatives
Small Family Homes
NREFM
Resource Families certified through FFA
NMDs and NMDs placed in SILP. This includes the payment to either a designated payee or the NMD. Note, the designated payee may include the youth’s landlord.

Foster Family Agencies (FFA)

FFAs will receive payment for ETR cost for eligible children. Payment is not paid directly to the certified home, it is paid to the FFA. The FFA is required to pay the entire ETR to the certified foster parent responsible for providing travel. When the FFA is providing transportation rather than the certified foster parent, the ETR may be retained by the FFA.

Wraparound

Children enrolled in Wraparound may be eligible for ETR depending on their placement and educational stability plan. The SW/PO will make the determination of who is eligible to receive the ETR and it must be paid through the companion foster care case.

Not Eligible for Education Travel Reimbursements

Non-dependent children placed with NRLG, AAP, Kin-GAP and youth receiving wraparound services that are not in a foster care placement are not eligible to receive ETR.

Foster Care children placed in GH or CTF and NMDs placed in THP-NMD are not eligible ETR, but may be eligible at a later time.

Travel Reimbursement Rates

Rates based on Mileage

The SW/PO is responsible for determining the travel distance between the child’s placement and their school of origin. Mileage is based on a one-way trip. The monthly rate takes into account four one-way trips per school day and all other educational-related transportation.

Rates based on Public Transportation Passes

ETR may be paid for children taking public transportation to their school of origin. Transportation passes are reimbursed at a flat rate. Public transportation may include taxi fees. When the cost of the monthly transportation passes is between two levels, reimbursement to the provider will always be the higher of the two levels. Youths issued bus passes will keep them where there is a change of placement. When two different passes are requested in the same month they are paid as one request.

When a public transportation replacement is necessary refer the provider to the SW/PO. EWs are not required to reimburse replacement public transportation passes.

When a youth requires a combination of mileage and public transportation a combination of both is permitted.

[Refer to Chart Book, “Educational Travel Reimbursement (ETR),”]

Payment Instructions

Counties are permitted to claim ETR staring January 1, 2010. Santa Clara County delayed implementation pending State and County clarification. ETR starts in Santa Clara County beginning April 1, 2012.

The ETR is part of the AFDC-FC maintenance payment. Provider receives reimbursements for each child having a case plan indicating it is in their best interest to return to their school of origin, this includes sibling groups. The rate will not be pro-rated for days child does not attend school, including summer, winter or spring breaks. Rates are based on mileage and will be pro-rated when child’s changes schools or changes placements. Pro-ration can only be done for mileage. Public transportation passes are not pro-rated and remain with the youth.

DFCS will complete the newly designed Education Travel Reimbursement Request (ACL 11-51) SCZ414Z for all ETR payments including county funded ETR. The SCZ414Z must be renewed every six months.

Overpayments

Providers are required to sign a travel reimbursement agreements before payments begin. An overpayment may occur for a provider who is no longer transporting a child to their school of origin, but continues to receive the ETR as part of the Foster Care maintenance payment. ETR are subject to the same overpayment determination as described in EAS 45-303 through EAS 45-306 and FC HB 30.2.