Louisiana lawmakers heard from frustrated foster parents upset they are receiving less money from the state to provide care for kids in state custody. Starting July first, DCFS raised the foster care board rate payments from $600 to 900 a month but stopped reimbursing families for incidental expenses. Danielle Eley from Franklin Parish says it was packaged as a raise for foster parents, but in reality, that’s not the case.
“It’s actually been a consolidation, or just a reallocation. Nothing is really going to go up,” Eley said.
Eley cares for three children, and she says the reimbursements help pay for a lot of incidental expenses.
“School supplies, school uniforms; kids outgrow clothing; if they’ve outgrown their car seats, summer camps; my kids are really looking forward to summer camps. They do dance, they do theater,” Eley noted.
Eley testified before the Senate Select Committee on Women and Children. Covington Senator Patrick McMath is a member of that panel and says based on the testimony, it’s harder to be a foster parent in Louisiana and urged DCFS Secretary Rebecca Harris to bring back the reimbursement policy.
“I would just strongly, strongly encourage you to not only rethink this policy change, but to perhaps delay its implementation for at least this fiscal year,” McMath urged.
Harris agreed and reimbursements will return for the remainder of this fiscal year, which will end on June 30, 2027.