(CEDARVILLE, Ohio) December 30, 2020 —On December 29, 2020, Governor Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 310, which included language authorizing the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) to pay kinship caregivers. Across the state, more than 2,600 kinship caregivers are providing safe and loving homes to nearly 4,000 children in the custody of a children services agency, making kinship caregivers an important and essential part of our child welfare system.
Today, Governor Mike DeWine signed Executive Order 2020-43D, requiring ODJFS to develop a system to pay kinship caregivers no later than June 1, 2021. He also ordered ODJFS to pay caregivers retroactively from the date the bill was signed. This executive order ensures that Ohio’s kinship caregivers receive the financial supports they need to help their loved ones grow and thrive, in a timely and efficient way.