On March 10, 2010, Reps. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and John Sullivan (R-OK) introduced legislation (H.R. 4787), that would maintain federal funding for Therapeutic Foster Care (TFC) services.
According to the Foster Family-based Treatment Association (FFTA), the bill is similar to legislation introduced in the Senate (S. 1217). According to FFTA, the House bill:
provides a definition of therapeutic foster care in federal statute for the first time. It also permits states to use reasonable and efficient payment methodologies for reimbursement of these services. Additionally, should an individual state so wish to utilize it, the bill creates a new medical assistance category under Medicaid for which TFC services could be directly billed thus providing increased transparency and accountability to taxpayers and to the mental health field. Additionally, it protects and supports case management services, codifies the Olmstead Act, and assures Medicaid reimbursement for eligible youth who are in psychiatric facilities.
The Alliance for Children and Families has joined with FFTA in endorsing this legislation.