Support Services
Maintenance Payments
Foster parents receive a monthly foster care reimbursement which helps cover the cost related to caring for the children in their home. Typically, the costs are for the child’s food, clothing, and personal needs. Foster care reimbursement amounts vary depending on the age and identified needs of the child.
For more information see the Oklahoma MasterCard Debit Card program FAQ.
Medical Services
Medical and Dental insurance is provided to children in the state’s custody. When a child in care needs counseling or therapeutic services, the state also provides for those services through a Medicaid provider. We will assist you in identifying a provider.
WIC for Foster Families
WIC is here for Foster Families too! To qualify the foster child must be less than 5 years old, receive SoonerCare, be an Oklahoma resident, and the foster family must provide placement papers. Apply for WIC today at Oklahoma Women, Infants, and Children Enrollment Request.
WIC is here for Foster Families too! (PDF)
Daycare
A child care subsidy is provided to foster families who meet the guidelines in policy 340:75-7-65 Child Care and Supportive Services for the Resource home.
Therapeutic child care services are paid by DHS when recommended by a mental health professional and supporting documentation is provided per policy OAC 340-75-8-8(13).
These requests must include:
- therapeutic justification in the child’s treatment plan of daily child care outside of the child’s TFC placement home;
- justification for the TFC parent’s need for child care outside of the child’s TFC placement home;
- ability of child care staff or the child care provider to meet the child’s emotional and behavioral needs and all problems;
- availability of the TFC parent and TFC contractor staff to respond to behavioral needs and all problems at the child care environment;
- verification of the child care center’s licensing status, star ratings, and adult-to child ratio, per OAC 340:75-7-65(a)(4)(A);
- proposed weekly schedule for child care utilization; and
- planned length of use of child care as a service component of the child’s treatment plan
Oklahoma Foster Care Voucher Program
The Oklahoma Foster Care Voucher Program is a support available to kinship and traditional resource families approved through DHS or a tribe. The vouchers are used to reimburse an individual identified by the resource parent who provides care for the foster children in order to give the resource parents a break from caregiving. Resource parents may request vouchers by requesting and submitting a completed application to their resource specialist. The application only requests authorization for the resource parent to use the voucher program; it does not guarantee that vouchers are available or will be issued.
- The resource specialist provides the resource parent with an Oklahoma Foster Care Voucher Program application.
- The resource parent completes the application and submits the application to their resource specialist. The application should be submitted at least 2-3 weeks before the resource parent intends to use the vouchers.
- The application is submitted under the name of the oldest foster child currently placed in the home. Each time the child on the voucher moves, a new application must be submitted.
- Once approved and if funds are available, vouchers are issued directly to the resource parent. Resource parents will receive a set of vouchers for a 3 month period of time, not to exceed $200.
- The resource parent identifies an individual, 18 years or older, who will provide care for the foster child(ren). The individual must have a Social Security card and cannot reside in the same home as the resource parent and the child receiving care. Additionally, the individual selected to provide care and receive funds through a voucher cannot be an approved resource parent.
- Funds are paid after the care is provided so the selected individual must be willing to wait to receive reimbursement.
- The resource parent negotiates a reimbursement rate with the identified provider based on the specific period of time and specific children involved. Below are some examples:
- The resource parent agrees to pay the provider $10 an hour for the care of 2 children for a date night. If the resource parents are out for 3 hours, the amount of funds used would be $30.
- The resource parent agrees to pay the provider $50 a day for the care of 4 children while they are out of town for the weekend (2 days). The amount of funds used would be $100.
- Per DHS policy, the resource parent notifies both the resource specialist and the child’s permanency planning specialist when care will be provided by another individual.
- After the care has been provided, the resource parent completes the voucher with the identified provider. Both the resource parent and provider sign the voucher.
- The identified provider mails/emails the completed voucher, along with a copy of their social security card, to the address listed on the voucher.
- Once approved, reimbursement is sent directly to the identified provider.
- At the end of the vouchers 3 month time period, any unused vouchers are returned to the resource specialist or to the address listed on the voucher.
