Section 704.1 - Payments to counties for services to children(a) The department shall reimburse county institution districts or their successors for expenditures incurred by them in the performance of their obligation pursuant to this act and the act of December 6, 1972 (P.L. 1464, No. 333), known as the "Juvenile Act," in the following percentages: (1) Eighty percent of the cost of an adoption subsidy paid pursuant to subdivision (e) of Article VII of this act. (2) No less than seventy-five percent and no more than ninety percent of the reasonable cost including staff costs of child welfare services, informal adjustment services provided pursuant to section 8 of the act of December 6, 1972 (P.L. 1464, No. 333), known as the "Juvenile Act," and such services approved by the department, including but not limited to, foster home care, group home care, shelter care, community residential care, youth service bureaus, day treatment centers and service to children in their own home and any other alternative treatment programs approved by the department.(3) Sixty percent of the reasonable administrative costs approved by the department except for those staff costs included in clause (2) of this section as necessary for the provision of child welfare services.(4) Fifty percent of the actual cost of care and support of a child placed by a county child welfare agency or a child committed by a court pursuant to the act of December 6, 1972 (P.L. 1464, No. 333), known as the "Juvenile Act," to the legal custody of a public or private agency approved or operated by the department other than those services described in clause (2). The Auditor General shall ascertain the actual expense for fiscal year 1974-1975 and each year thereafter by the Department of Public Welfare for each of the several counties and each city of the first class whose children resident within the county or city of the first class directly received the benefit of the Commonwealth's expenditure. The Auditor General shall also ascertain for each Commonwealth institution or facility rendering services to delinquent or deprived children the actual average daily cost of providing said services. The Auditor General shall certify to each county and city of the first class the allocated Commonwealth expenditures incurred on behalf of its children and notify the Secretary of Public Welfare and each county and city of the first class of same.(5) Fifty percent of the reasonable cost of medical and other examinations and treatment of a child ordered by the court pursuant to the act of December 6, 1972 (P.L. 1464, No. 333), known as the "Juvenile Act," and the expenses of the appointment of a guardian pendente lite, summons, warrants, notices, subpoenas, travel expenses of witnesses, transportation of the child, and other like expenses incurred in proceedings under the act of December 6, 1972 (P.L. 1464, No. 333), known as the "Juvenile Act."(6) Effective July 1, 1991, the department shall reimburse county institution districts or their successors one hundred percent of the reasonable costs of providing adoption services.(7) Effective July 1, 1993, the department shall reimburse county institution districts or their successors eighty percent of the reasonable costs of providing foster home care, community residential care, supervised independent living and community-based alternative treatment programs.(8) The department shall reimburse county institution districts or their successors for the reasonable costs of institutional services for dependent and delinquent children other than detention services for delinquents in accordance with the following schedule: (i) Effective July 1, 1992, fifty-five percent.(ii) Effective July 1, 1993, sixty percent.(b) The department shall make additional grants to any county institution district or its successor to assist in establishing new services to children in accordance with a plan approved by the department for up to the first three years of operation of those services. In order to provide necessary information to the General Assembly relative to the grants provided under this subsection, a report will be developed by the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee and provided to the members of the General Assembly no later than July 1, 1980, concerning all grants made and expenditures accomplished under the provisions of this subsection for the period up to and including December 31, 1979. This report shall include information on the amount of moneys that went to individual counties and a description of activities and services financed with these moneys including the number and types of clients served under each of the grant programs and any other information necessary in order to fully inform the General Assembly on such programs. All officials of the Department of Public Welfare, grant recipient county organizations, and other agencies which receive State moneys under the provisions of this subsection shall cooperate with the committee and its staff in carrying out this reporting requirement, including making available all necessary fiscal and programmatic data.(c) No payment pursuant to subsection (a)(2), (3) or (4) or of subsection (b) shall be made for any period in which the county institution district or its successor fails to substantially comply with the regulations of the department promulgated pursuant to section 703 including but not limited to those regulations relating to minimum child welfare services, minimum standards of child welfare services and minimum standards of child welfare administration on the merit basis.(d) Amounts due from county institution districts or their successors for children committed to facilities operated by the department shall be paid by the counties to the Department of Revenue by orders to be drawn by the duly authorized agent of the Department of Revenue at each youth development center or forestry camp on the treasurers of such counties, who shall accept and pay the same to the Department of Revenue. Promptly after the last calendar day of each month the agent of the Department of Revenue shall mail accounts to the commissioners of such counties as may have become liable to the Commonwealth during the month under the provisions of this section. These accounts shall be duly sworn or affirmed to, and it shall be the duty of said commissioners, immediately upon receipt of such accounts, to notify the treasurers of their respective counties of the amounts of said accounts, with instructions to pay promptly to the Department of Revenue the amounts of said orders when presented. It shall then be the duty of such county treasurers to make such payments as instructed by their respective county commissioners. In lieu of payments by the county to the Commonwealth, the department may deduct the amount due the Commonwealth from the reimbursement payments by the department to the county institution districts or their successors.(e) If, after due notice to the parents or other persons legally obligated to care for and support the child, and after affording them an opportunity to be heard, the court finds that they are financially able to pay all or part of the costs and expenses stated in subsection (a), the court may order them to pay the same and prescribe the manner of payment. Unless otherwise ordered, payment shall be made to the clerk of the court for remittance to the person to whom compensation is due, or if the costs and expenses have been paid by the county, to the appropriate officer of the county.(f) Deleted. 1991, Aug. 5, P.L. 315, No. 30, § 1, imd. effective.(g)Except as provided by an executive approval or appropriation under the Act of April 9, 1929 (P.L. 343, No.176), known as the Fiscal Code, as amended, the department shall process payments to each county pursuant to this article from funds appropriated by the General Assembly , within fifteen days of passage of the general appropriation bill or by a date specified under paragraph (1), (2), (3), (4) or (5), whichever is later. The department shall process the following applicable payments to the county: (1) By July 15, twenty-five percent of the amount of State funds allocated to the county under section 709.3.(2) By August 31, or upon approval by the department of the county's final cumulative report for its expenditures for the prior fiscal year, whichever is later, twenty-five percent of the amount of State funds allocated to the county under section 709.3, reduced by the amount of aggregate unspent State funds provided to the county during the previous fiscal year.(3) By November 30, or upon approval by the department of the county's report for its expenditures for the first quarter of the fiscal year, whichever is later, twenty-five percent of the amount of State funds allocated to the county under section 709.3, reduced by the amount of unspent State funds already provided to the county for the first quarter of the fiscal year.(4) By February 28, or upon approval by the department of the county's report for its expenditures for the second quarter of the fiscal year, whichever is later, twelve and five-tenths percent of the amount of State funds allocated to the county under section 709.3, adjusted by the amount of overspending or underspending of State funds in the previous quarters, but not to exceed eighty-seven and five-tenths percent of the county's approved State allocation.(5) Upon approval by the department of the county's final cumulative report for its expenditures for the fiscal year, twelve and five-tenths percent of the amount of State funds allocated to the county under section 709.3, adjusted by the amount of overspending or underspending of State funds in the previous quarters.(g.1) After the final cumulative report for expenditures has been approved, if a county has adjustments to revenues or expenditures for the time period covered by the expenditure report in addition to the payments under subsection (g), the county shall submit to the department a revised expenditure report. After the report is approved, the department may adjust any payment under subsection (g) to account for any revision to a county's expenditure report.(g.2) Service contracts or agreements shall include a timely payment provision that requires counties to make payment to service providers within thirty days of the county's receipt of an invoice under both of the following conditions:(1) The invoice satisfies the county's requirements for a complete and accurate invoice.(2) Funds have been appropriated to the department or approved by the Governor for payments to counties under subsection (g).(h) At the end of each of calendar years 1978 and 1979, every county shall compare the amount received in child welfare reimbursements for calendar year 1976 pursuant to section 704 of this act and section 36 of the act of December 6, 1972 (P.L. 1464, No. 333), known as the "Juvenile Act" with child welfare reimbursements received for each of calendar years 1978 and 1979 pursuant to this section. The resulting difference in reimbursements for child welfare services received between calendar year 1976 and each of calendar years 1978 and 1979 shall then be compared with the amount the county paid in each of calendar years 1978 and 1979 for youth development center or forestry camp commitments pursuant to subsection (a)(4). If there is an increase in reimbursements for child welfare services and that increase is less in either or both of calendar years 1978 and 1979 than the amount expended by the county for its share of the cost of youth development center and forestry camp commitments, then any such county shall be entitled to receive additional block grants as provided in subsection (b) equal to the amount of such difference.Amended by P.L. TBD 2015 No. 92, § 9, eff. 12/28/2015.Amended by P.L. 369 2013 No. 55, § 3, eff. 7/9/2013.1967, June 13, P.L. 31, No. 21, art. 7, § 704.1, added 1976, July 9, P.L. 846, No. 148, § 2, effective Jan. 1, 1978. Amended 1991, Aug. 5, P.L. 315, No. 30, § 1, imd. effective.