§4062. Payments

1.  Payments by department.  The department shall provide payments to facilities caring for children to meet the costs of clothing, board and care, within the limits of available funds. The department may establish, by rule, different categories of facilities, levels of need and care and flat-rate or reimbursement methods to distribute these funds. The department may provide child care and travel expense payments to foster and adoptive parents and trainers participating in foster and adoptive parent training programs and volunteers participating in the administrative case review program.

Notwithstanding section 4061, subsection 3, any federally recognized Indian tribe in this State or any Indian foster family home is eligible for benefits and reimbursement under any state or federally funded program administered by the State for the benefit of Maine children, including, but not limited to, children within the jurisdiction of the Passamaquoddy Tribe or Penobscot Indian Nation under the Indian Child Welfare Act, 25 United States Code, Section 1901, et seq.

[PL 1999, c. 392, §1 (AMD).]

2.  Unexpended balance.  An unexpended balance of funds for these purposes shall not be transferred to another account and shall not lapse.

[PL 1979, c. 733, §18 (NEW).]

3.  Priority of payments.  The department shall ensure that payments for foster care made under this subchapter have the same priority as payments for temporary assistance for needy families pursuant to section 3769, subsection 1.

[PL 1997, c. 530, Pt. A, §31 (AMD).]

4.  Kinship and sibling preferences.  In the residential placement of a child, the department shall comply with section 4005-G.

[PL 2017, c. 411, §13 (AMD).]

SECTION HISTORY

PL 1979, c. 733, §18 (NEW). PL 1985, c. 521 (AMD). PL 1991, c. 747, §4 (AMD). PL 1997, c. 530, §A31 (AMD). PL 1999, c. 382, §1 (AMD). PL 1999, c. 392, §1 (AMD). PL 2017, c. 411, §13 (AMD).