Current through Reg. 50, No. 187; September 24, 2024
(1) A request for fee waiver or change in
personal allowance shall be for a specific sum and no longer than six months in
duration. A request shall be effective the month the request and all supporting
documentation is received by the Department. However, the effective date may be
retroactive to the month form CF 285D, Notice of Fee Assessment and Rights of
the Foster Child, is filed with the court in accordance with
65C-17.003(2)(h):
for the effective date to be retroactive, the application with supporting
documentation must be submitted to the Department within three months of the
date form CF 285D is filed with the court.
(2) The request must be client specific and
individualized based on the client's current or long-term needs.
(3) A decision to grant a fee waiver or
change in personal allowance must be made by utilizing the following criteria:
(a) Expressed preferences of the client. When
age and developmentally-appropriate, the committee shall consider the clients
preferences in relation to short-term and long-term goals.
(b) Needs of the client. The committee shall
consider the specific needs and abilities of a client when reviewing requests
for services, equipment, and items to be purchased and their potential to
improve the client's quality-of-life.
(c) Status of the case. The client's
permanency goal and goal date must be considered. If the goal is reunification,
the committee shall consider whether the funds are utilized to promote a
successful reunification while monitoring subaccount balances to avoid making
the client or family ineligible for benefits when the client returns home. When
Another Planned Permanent Living Arrangement (APPLA) is the permanency goal,
educational, vocational needs, and youth and young adult transition services
become the primary focus for utilization of funds.
(d) Amount and duration of request. The
committee shall consider the amount of money currently available in the current
needs account and other income or assets the client may have outside of the
account. If the client receives SSI benefits, the committee should consider if
the expenditure plan sufficiently reflects that the funds that would accumulate
upon approval will not exceed the maximum countable $2,000 resource
limit.
(e) Other resources
reasonably available to the client. The committee shall consider other
resources such as other family or community support that can be used to meet
the needs of the client. A fee waiver shall not be used to purchase goods or
services for which the client is eligible from community agencies or other
federal and state programs, unless such goods or services are shown to be
unavailable.
Rulemaking Authority 402.17(1)(a)9.,
402.33(2),
(7)(a) FS. Law Implemented
402.17,
402.17(2)(c),
402.33
FS.
New 4-6-99.
