(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the cost of providing 24-hour out-of-home nonmedical care and supervision in community care facilities licensed or approved pursuant to Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 1500) of Division 2 of the Health and Safety Code shall be funded by the Aid to Families with Dependent Children-Foster Care (AFDC-FC) program pursuant to Section 11464, for children who are both AFDC-FC recipients and regional center consumers.
(b) The cost of providing adoption assistance benefits, shall be funded by the Adoption Assistance Program (AAP) under Section 16121, for children who are both AAP recipients and regional center consumers.
(c) (1) For regional center consumers who are recipients of AFDC-FC benefits, regional centers shall purchase or secure the services that are contained in the child’s Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) or Individual Program Plan (IPP), but which are not allowable under federal or state AFDC-FC provisions.
(2) For regional center consumers who are recipients of AAP benefits, regional centers shall purchase or secure the services that are contained in the child’s IFSP or IPP.
(3) For regional center consumers receiving services under paragraph (1) or (2), these services shall be separately purchased or secured by the regional center, pursuant to Sections 4646 to 4648, inclusive, and Section 4685, and pursuant to Sections 95018 and 95020 of the Government Code. AFDC-FC and AAP benefits shall not be counted toward the gross income calculated for the purposes of the Family Cost Participation Program pursuant to Section 4783. Recipients of AFDC-FC benefits shall not be subject to the Family Cost Participation Program requirements.
(4) Regional centers shall accept referrals for evaluations of AFDC-FC-eligible children and children receiving AAP benefits for the purpose of determining eligibility for regional center services, pursuant to Section 4642. Regional centers shall assist county welfare and probation departments in identifying appropriate placement resources for children who are recipients of AFDC-FC and who are eligible for regional center services.
(d) (1) For purposes of this section, children who are recipients of AFDC-FC and regional center services who are residing with a relative or nonrelative extended family member pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (f) of Section 319 or Section 362.7, or a facility defined in paragraph (5) or (6) of subdivision (a) of Section 1502 of the Health and Safety Code that is not vendored by the regional center as a residential facility, shall not be prohibited from receiving services defined in paragraph (38) of subdivision (a) of Section 54302 of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations.
(2) AFDC-FC and AAP benefits shall be for care and supervision, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 11460, and the regional centers shall separately purchase or secure other services contained in the child’s IFSP or IPP pursuant to Section 4646 to 4648, inclusive, Section 4685, and Sections 95018 and 95020 of the Government Code. Notwithstanding any other provision of law or regulation, the receipt of AFDC-FC or AAP benefits shall not be cause to deny any other services that a child or family for which the child or family is otherwise eligible pursuant to this division.
(e) This section shall apply to all recipients of AFDC-FC and AAP benefits, including those with rates established prior to the effective date of the act that adds this subdivision, pursuant to Sections 11464 and 16121.
(f) Regulations adopted by the department pursuant to this section shall be adopted as emergency regulations in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, and for the purposes of that chapter, including Section 11349.6 of the Government Code, the adoption of these regulations is an emergency and shall be considered by the Office of Administrative Law as necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety, and general welfare.
(Amended by Stats. 2007, Ch. 177, Sec. 15.5. Effective August 24, 2007.)