2004 Yellow Book
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OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES (Summary)
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Adjusted
Appropriation
2003-04 		Executive
Request
2004-05 		Change Percent
Change

AGENCY SUMMARY

General Fund 1,441,065,600 1,428,126,500 (12,939,100) -0.9%
Special Revenue-Other 149,586,500 148,411,000 (1,175,500) -0.8%
Special Revenue-Federal 2,087,438,000 2,023,252,000 (64,186,000) -3.1%
Capital Projects Fund 2,930,000 1,325,000 (1,605,000) -54.8%
Youth Facilities Improvement Fund 17,100,000 18,700,000 1,600,000 9.4%
Internal Service Fund 100,000 100,000 0 0.0%
Enterprise 500,000 500,000 0 0.0%

Total for AGENCY SUMMARY: 3,698,720,100 3,620,414,500 (78,305,600) -2.1%

* 2000-01 through 2002-03 reflect enacted appropriations.
* 2003-04 and 2004-05 reflect Executive recommended appropriations.



 
ALL FUNDS PERSONNEL
BUDGETED FILL LEVELS
Fund Current
2003-04 		Requested
2004-05 		Change

General Fund: 3,250 3,222 (28)
All Other Funds: 631 631 0

TOTAL: 3,881 3,853 (28)
Budget Highlights

The New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) is responsible for coordinating a system of support to help families achieve and maintain self-sufficiency in order to provide for the well-being of their children. The Office administers a broad range of child welfare programs, including child protective, preventive, foster care and adoption services, and adolescent pregnancy prevention programs. The Office also administers child care programs and adult protective programs, as well as residential and non-residential services for New York’s juvenile justice system and delinquency prevention programs. The Office also supervises services to the blind and visually handicapped. In State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2003- 04, the Council on Children and Families was merged with OCFS.

The Executive proposes All Funds appropriations totaling $3,620,414,500 for SFY 2004-05, a net decrease of $78,305,600, or 2.1 percent, from SFY 2003-04. Agency appropriations support a workforce of 3,853 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions.

This agency is included in the Education, Labor and Family Assistance appropriation bill.

State Operations

For SFY 2004-05, the Executive recommends an All Funds State Operations appropriation of $409,158,500, a net decrease of $11,026,500, or 2.62 percent below SFY 2003- 04. This decrease is primarily due to a net decrease in General Funding spending related to cost savings achieved from youth facility restructuring, done as part of the juvenile justice reform initiative enacted in SFY 2003-04. The Governor proposes State Operations General Fund appropriations of $199,167,500, a net decrease of $11,281,000 or 5.36 percent, resulting from the following actions: fully annualized savings of $13,100,000 associated with the reduction of 290 youth facility beds, offset by an increase of $2,460,000 due to the full annualization of the youth facilities community-based program, the Evidence- based Community Initiative (EbCl); savings of $753,000 associated with the attrition of 28 FTEs; nonpersonal service savings of $1,450,000; an increase of $1,600,000 resulting from a reduction in the Administrative Offset Account; half- year savings of $500,000, attributed to the merger of the Council on Children and Families with OCFS; an increase of $2,150,000 for nonpersonal service inflation and lease costs; and a decrease of $1,688,000 attributed to personal service adjustments.

The Executive proposes a General Fund decrease of 28 FTEs in the OCFS workforce, for an office total of 3,853 positions in SFY 2004-05. The decrease in the OCFS workforce is a product of the reduction of State-operated youth facility beds and associated positions resulting from the new community-based initiative. No additional bed reductions in State-operated youth facilities are recommended in SFY 2004-05.

Aid To Localities

The Executive recommends an All Funds appropriation of $3,191,231,000 in Aid to Localities for SFY 2004-05, a net decrease of $67,274,100 or 2.06 percent from SFY 2003-04. This reduction is primarily attributable to a $65,616,000 decrease in federal funds, coupled with a $1,658,100 decrease in General Fund appropriations. The reduction in federal spending is recommended to maximize federal funds by targeting additional Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) resources for the Earned Income Tax Credit.

Child Care

In SFY 2004-05, the Executive continues the Child Care Block Grant at the current year level of $929,000,000 to support 186,900 child care subsidies, an increase of 3,500 above the SFY 2003-04, while providing for market rate increases effective October 1, 2004. While the Block Grant total remains constant, the Governor reduces the transfer to the Block Grant from TANF funds from $408,000,000 to $375,000,000, a decrease of $33,000,000 from SFY 2003-04. Despite this reduction in TANF funding, the Executive contends that the Block Grant is sustained at current year funding levels and is able to support the increase in subsidies through the use of $72,000,000 in prior year federal funds and by redirecting approximately $15,000,000 in childcare quality funds to subsidies. In addition, the Executive eliminates funding totaling $16,400,000 for child care initiatives that are funded in the current fiscal year: $11,000,000 in facilitated enrollment programs for Brooklyn, Monroe, Oneida and the Capital Region; $2,000,000 for the Satellite Day Care Demonstration project; and $3,400,000 for State University of New York (SUNY) and City University of New York (CUNY) child care programs.

Family and Children Services

The Executive recommends All Funds appropriations of $2,326,377,000 to support the Family and Children’s Services Program, a net decrease of $34,374,100, or 1.46 percent. This decrease is due primarily to a 5 percent reduction in the transfer of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) funding to support Title XX.

The Executive proposes a General Fund appropriation of $373,500,000 for the Foster Care Block Grant, a $9,000,000 increase above SFY 2003-04 funding. Of this amount, $364,500,000 will be used to provide the annual allocation to local social services districts for foster care services. This funding will provide reimbursement to counties for services rendered to approximately 32,000 children in foster care, a caseload number that is expected to decline further to approximately 31,000 children by the close of SFY 2004-05. The remaining $9,000,000 is targeted to support the full annual State share of continuing the cost of living adjustment for employees in voluntary agencies which took effect December 1, 2002. Reimbursement for the cost of living adjustment will continue to occur outside the Foster Care Block Grant for SFY 2004-05.

The Executive recommends a General Fund appropriation of $347,300,000, an increase of $2,400,000, for child welfare preventive services. This funding stream provides 65 percent reimbursement to local districts for child protective, preventive, independent living, aftercare, and adoption services other than subsidies.

The Governor provides a total of $425,800,000 from TANF Block Grant funds to offset State and local shares, where applicable, of the following child welfare purposes:

  • Transfer to Title XX - $119,000,000
  • Local JD/PINS - $105,000,000
  • Child Welfare EAF - $140,000,000
  • NYC Foster Care Tuition - $ 41,000,000
  • OCFS JDs - $ 12,000,000
  • PINS preventive services - $ 5,950,000
  • Child Welfare Quality - $ 1,900,000
  • OCFS Community-Based JD Services - $ 950,000

The total TANF funding of $425,800,000, recommended by the Governor for child welfare purposes reflects a year-to- year decrease of $123,200,000. The TANF transfer to Title XX is reduced from 10 percent to 5 percent. There are comparable percentage reductions in the PINS preventive services and child welfare quality allocations as well. The Governor recommends this reduction in order to target additional TANF resources to the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

In SFY 2003-04, the Governor proposes a General Fund increase of $5,000,000 for adoption subsidies, bringing total funding from $167,170,000 to $172,000,000. Funding will support approximately 47,000 adopted children. The Governor does not continue a $1,000,000 set aside for one- time legal expenses associated with hard-to-place children, funded in SFY 2003-04.

The Governor continues TANF funding of $16,000,000 for the Home Visiting Program, but reduces funding by $1,716,000 in the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program (APPS), bringing total support for that Program to $5,954,000.

Youth Programs

The Governor proposes an additional $10,200,000 in TANF funding for Advantage Schools, bringing the SFY 2004-05 funding level to $20,200,000. Funding will be used to extend or to expand current contracts and/or to award new contracts through a competitive award process. The Governor proposes to eliminate $3,318,100 in General Fund support of legislative enhancements for Child Advocacy Centers, Youth Development and Delinquency Prevention Programs, Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs, Domestic Violence Training for Child Protective Service Workers, Family Preservation Centers, Homeless Veterans Outreach Programs and Settlement Houses. The Governor continues base funding of $28,472,000 for Youth Development and Delinquency Prevention Programs, and $9,379,000 for Special Delinquency Prevention Programs.

The Executive Budget Proposal provides a General Fund appropriation of $6,000,000 for the juvenile justice reform initiative, referred to as Evidence-based Community Initiative (EbCI), an increase of $2,460,000 above the SFY 2003-04. Funds will be used to expand community- based programming.

The Governor also proposes the creation of a new $56,000,000 detention block grant, which is recommended to discourage excessive lengths of stay in detention and to allow counties to create new preventive program models. The Governor also recommends a new appropriation of $4,000,000, outside the block grant, to reimburse counties for existing capital expenditures associated with secure detention. The combined appropriations for these two new initiatives result in a net decrease of $7,000,000 from SFY 2003-04 for secure/non-secure detention services.

Capital Projects

The Governor recommends an All Funds appropriation of $20,025,000 in Capital Projects in SFY 2004-05, a $5,000 decrease from SFY 2003-04. Funds are proposed to be used to continue routine maintenance and improvement of OCFS facilities.

The Executive also proposes reappropriations for the Child Care Facilities Development Program, but does not propose any new capital funding for the development of new child care capacity.

Article VII

The Governor proposes Article VII legislation to establish a block grant to reimburse counties for secure and non- secure detention costs. The purpose of this bill is to discourage excessive lengths of stay in detention, to encourage the creation of a county-based mechanism for monitoring lengths of stay in detention, and to encourage the use of community-based alternatives to the institutionalization of youth. This legislation would:

  • convert State reimbursement to counties of secure and non-secure detention costs to a block grant, based upon historical spending and other factors;

  • allow counties to reprogram savings from the grant to preventive services or alternatives to detention;

  • provide counties with an option to establish local interagency teams to recommend detention alternatives and to monitor lengths of stay in detention;

  • reduce the time a youth may spend in detention;

  • provide for 50 percent reimbursement, outside the block grant, of approved secure detention capital expenditures, subject to appropriation and OCFS approval;

  • prohibit OCFS from certifying additional detention capacity until March 31, 2007, except for reasons of health and safety; and

  • limit the credit against the length of placement, for time spent in detention prior to placement, to forty- five days.

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