The 2025-26 Budget: Child Welfare

Feb 13, 2025 - The 2024-25 spending plan amended and added substantial new statutory language establishing the permanent rate structure —referred to as the Tiered Rate Structure —and extending the duration of the interim rate period until permanent rates can be implemented (Chapter  46 of 2024 [AB  161, Committee on Budget]).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4962

The 2025-26 Budget: CWS-CARES

Mar 5, 2025 - Chapter 46 of 2024 (AB 161, Committee on Budget) established a permanent rate structure for foster care maintenance payments based on the assessed level of need of individual youth. To assess the level of need, permanent rates will use the Integrated Practice Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (IP-CANS) assessment tool, together with a classification model, to place youth into one of four tiers.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5006

The 2025-26 Budget: CWS-CARES [Publication Details]

Mar 5, 2025 - This post provides our analysis of the administration’s 2025-26 proposal for the Child Welfare Services-California Automated Response and Engagement System information technology project.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5006

The 2023-24 Budget: Department of Developmental Services

Feb 15, 2023 - Additional Questions About Underlying Rate Models. In addition to concerns about the quality incentive program being developed, we have heard several concerns about the underlying rate models. For example, we have heard that the inputs used in some rate models may be inappropriate.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4683

The 2024-25 Budget: Preliminary May Revision Analysis for Child Welfare

May 24, 2024 - The proposed tiered rates, along with the completely new strengths building and immediate needs rate components, represent a significant restructuring of foster care rates that warrants legislative input.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4909

The 2024-25 Budget: Child Welfare

Feb 26, 2024 - Overview of Administration ’s Proposal for Permanent CCR Rates Structure Background on CCR Rates. As part of implementing CCR, the state developed a new foster care maintenance payment rates structure to replace the previous age-based and group home rates structure.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4855

The 2026-27 Budget: Child Welfare

Mar 3, 2026 - The 2024-25 spending plan amended and added substantial new statutory language establishing the permanent rate structure —referred to as the Tiered Rate Structure —and extending the duration of the interim rate period until permanent rates can be implemented (Chapter  46 of 2024 [AB  161, Committee on Budget]).
https://lao.ca.gov/publications/report/5147

The 2026-27 Budget: County Administration and H.R. 1 Implementation

Mar 5, 2026 - What has been the state ’s recent record of compliance with the Medicaid payment error rate requirements? What steps is DHCS taking to reduce the Medi ‑Cal payment error rate in advance of H.R.  1 changes?
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5149

The 2026-27 Budget: In-Home Supportive Services

Mar 18, 2026 - Despite slower caseload growth between 2016 ‑17 and 2020 ‑21 (the caseload continued to grow during this period, just at a slower than usual rate). As seen in Figure  4, the IHSS caseload growth rate has since grown at historic rates —reaching a growth rate of 10.3  percent in 2024 ‑25.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5166

The 2026-27 Budget: Food Assistance Programs

Feb 18, 2026 - California ’s most recent payment error rate, for federal fiscal year 2023-24, is about 11  percent. (The comparable national error rate is similarly about 11  percent.) Payment error rates in California and nationally have risen in recent years, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5126