48.481 Grants for children's community programs. From the appropriation under s. 20.437 (1) (bc), the department shall distribute the following grants for children's community programs:

(1) Foster care placement continuation.

(a) The department shall distribute foster care continuation grants in each fiscal year to counties for the purpose of supplementing payments for the care of an individual who attains age 18 after 1986 and who resided in a home licensed under s. 48.62 for at least 2 years immediately prior to attaining age 18 and, for at least 2 years, received payments for exceptional circumstances in order to avoid institutionalization, as provided under rules promulgated by the department, so that the individual may live in a family home or other noninstitutional situation after attaining age 18. No county may use funds provided under this paragraph to replace funds previously used by the county for this purpose. Beginning in fiscal year 2013-14, a county is eligible to receive funding under this paragraph only if the county received such funding in fiscal year 2012-13.

(b) A county shall evaluate the proposed living arrangement of an individual under par. (a) to determine whether that living arrangement is cost-effective compared to other care reasonably available to the county including other community care as well as institutional care. If the proposed living arrangement is not cost-effective, the county may not use funds distributed under par. (a) for the care of that individual in the proposed living arrangement. A county shall evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the living arrangement of an individual for whom funds are provided under par. (a) at least once every 5 years.

(2) Transition to a successful adulthood. The department shall distribute at least $231,700 in each fiscal year for the purpose of assisting individuals who attain the age of 18 while residing in a foster home, group home, or residential care center for children and youth, in the home of a relative other than a parent, or in a supervised independent living arrangement to make the transition from out-of-home care to a successful adulthood. No county may use funds provided under this subsection to replace funds previously used by the county for this purpose.

History: 1999 a. 9, 149; 2003 a. 33; 2007 a. 20 ss. 1117 to 1121; Stats. 2007 s. 48.481; 2009 a. 28; 2013 a. 20, 334; 2015 a. 128; 2019 a. 9.