Florida bill sets foster caregiver payments and internship support

The department would pay monthly room and board rates to eligible foster parents and caregivers. The monthly rates are $663.03 for children ages 0 to 5, $680.01 for ages 6 to 12, and $795.94 for ages 13 to 21. The rates cover foster parents, certain licensed relative and nonrelative caregivers, and participants in the Relative Caregiver Program who receive payments under the cited program. Eligible caregivers would also receive an annual cost-of-living increase. The listed rates would apply beginning July 1, 2026.

The Office of Continuing Care would run a workforce education and internship program and provide a monthly payment to participating former foster youth. The bill describes former foster youth as people ages 18 to under 26 who are or were placed in licensed care in Florida for at least 60 days, excluding Level I placements. A former foster youth must be at least 18 and younger than 26, have spent at least 60 days in licensed care in Florida, and meet the bill’s definition, which excludes Level I licensed placements. The participant must work 80 hours per month to qualify for the payment, which is subject to available funds. An internship could last up to 12 monthly payment periods, beginning on the intern’s start date.

The department would award grants to nonprofit faith-based organizations for services supporting foster, adoptive, and kinship families. The program would focus on community support for families caring for vulnerable children, including in rural and underserved communities. Grant funds would support training, resources, and local help, including mentoring and help with essential family needs. Recipients must report to the department at least annually in the format and at the intervals it sets. The bill states no start date for the grants.

The Agency for Health Care Administration would consider study recommendations when setting nursing home quality payments and delay payment method changes after a reset. These provisions concern Medicaid quality incentive payments to nursing homes. During the next reset of the Quality Incentive Program, the agency would consider recommendations from a 2025 study. The agency would wait one year after recalculations are complete and scores are public before changes take effect. The one-year delay would begin after recalculations are complete and scores are available to the public.