The Oklahoma House approved House Bill 2030 to increase the payments that foster families receive for children in their care. The last increase for foster families happened in 2018.
HB 2030 increases the monthly foster care maintenance payments by $5 a day. Under the measure, the current reimbursement rates would increase from $17.72 to $22.72 for children ages 0 to 5, $20.42 to $25.42 for 6 to 12-year-olds, and $22.62 to $27.62 for children 13 and older.
Representative Nick Archer is the measure’s author. He took up the cause after hearing firsthand accounts of people in his community who wanted to foster but couldn’t afford to properly care for the children.
“Oklahoma families want to help, but we’re making it too hard,” Archer said. “Our current foster care shortage is driven in part by inflation and stagnant reimbursement rates. There are Oklahomans who want to take these children in and care for them, but with our current reimbursement rate, they simply can’t afford to.”
The House vote of 90 to four sends HB 2030 to the Oklahoma Senate.
