Last week, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed a motion co-authored by supervisors Sheila Kuehl, 3rd District, and Don Knabe, 4th District, instructing the director of the California Child and Family Services (DCFS) to opt into the Approved Relative Caregiver (ARC) program, which makes state funds available to counties that want to better support foster children in placement with relatives.

Authorized by California Senate Bill 855, the ARC program was established to address the disparity of rates paid to relative caregivers for children ineligible for the federal Aid to Families with Dependent Children-Foster Care (AFDC-FC) and those who are eligible.

State law now provides counties with the option to participate in the ARC program, providing non-federally eligible relatives with supplemental ARC payments. According to the latest guidance from the California Department of Social Services, counties have until June 30 to opt-in to the ARC program. However, for certain payments to be eligible retroactive to Jan. 1, counties must opt-in before or during May and implement by June 1.

County participation in the program will commence at the earliest possible time, officials said, and no later than June 1, to ensure retroactivity for eligible program participants.