Department of Family and Protective Services
Both House and Senate provide funding for the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) for the 2020–21 with biennium totals of $4.3 billion in All Funds, including $2.4 billion in General Revenue Funds and $11.4 million in General Revenue–Dedicated Funds. This amount represents a $34.8 million, or 1.5 percent, increase in General Revenue Funds in the House and a $128.8 million, or 3.1 percent, increase in All Funds. The Senate amount represents $32.1 million, or 1.3 percent, increase in General Revenue Funds and a $125.8 million, or 3.0 percent, increase in All Funds.
Highlights:
House and Senate funding includes a total of $1.9 billion in All Funds and $895.6 million in General Revenue Funds, an increase of $91.7 million in All Funds and $14.3 million in General Revenue Funds from 2018–19 biennial spending levels, for the following client services programs:
- House and Senate funding includes $1.0 billion in All Funds and $470.4 million in General Revenue Funds for Foster Care Payments, including those for Community-based Care. Funding includes a $21.9 million increase in All Funds and $5.9 million increase in General Revenue Funds from the 2018–19 biennial base. The increase is due primarily to projected caseload growth and increased network support payments for Community-based Care related to the biennializing expansion that occurred during fiscal year 2019. Increased General Revenue Funds demand associated with caseload growth and network support payments is off set mostly by a decrease in General Revenue Funds demand attributed to more favorable Federal Medical Assistance Percentages (FMAP);
- Both House and Senate funding includes $612.4 million in All Funds and $281.9 million in General Revenue Funds for Adoption Subsidies and Permanency Care Assistance Payments. Funding includes a $46.8 million increase in All Funds due primarily to projected caseload growth. Increased General Revenue Funds demand associated with caseload growth is more than offset by decreases attributed to more favorable FMAPs and an increase in eligibility for the federal Title IV-E funding, resulting in a decrease of $3.4 million in General Revenue Funds;
- Both House and Senate funding includes $197.5 million in All Funds and $85.1 million in General Revenue Funds for Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) contracted day-care services. Funding includes a $15.3 million increase in All Funds, which are assumed to be funded with federal Child Care Development Block Grant Federal Funds, from the 2018–19 biennial base related primarily to projected caseload and cost growth and to maintain a full biennium of rate increases implemented by TWC in August 2018; and
- Both House and Senate funding includes $80.6 million in All Funds and $58.1 million in General Revenue Funds for Relative Caregiver Monetary Assistance Payments. Funding includes a $7.7 million increase in All Funds from the 2018–19 biennial base related to projected caseload growth. An $11.8 million increase in General Revenue Funds is due to caseload growth and decreased eligibility for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Federal Funds.
Both House and Senate funding includes $1.5 billion in All Funds for Child Protective Services direct delivery staff, including services provided through Community-based Care. This amount includes increased funding for additional full-time-equivalent (FTE) positions to maintain caseload per worker and increased funding and a decrease in FTE positions to biennialize Community-based Care expansion that occurred during fiscal year 2019.
Both House and Senate funding includes an overall decrease of $16.5 million in All Funds primarily for various information technology projects for Information Management Protecting Adults and Children in Texas and for projects related to programs that transferred to the Health and Human Services Commission, pursuant to Senate Bill 11, Eighty-fifth Legislature, Regular Session, 2017.
For summaries and comparisons on the other HHS agencies, please consult this report.
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