A newly proposed bipartisan bill would create a cap on reimbursement rates for Ohio foster care placements.
Ohio state Reps. Darnell Brewer, D-Cleveland, and Justin Pizzulli, R-Scioto County, recently introduced Ohio House Bill 984.
"This legislation aims to provide greater financial predictability for counties, fiscal responsibility for taxpayers, support providers, and most importantly, help ensure that Ohio's foster youth have access to care and resources they need to thrive," Brewer said at a recent press conference.
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The bill would require the Ohio Department of Children and Youth to set reimbursement rates for the placement and care of children in foster care.
"My goal with House Bill 984 is to ensure that the system safeguarding our children's welfare remains viable by reigning in out of control rising placement costs," Pizzulli said.
Counties across Ohio are facing financial challenges due to rising placements and cost of care, the lawmakers said.
Scioto County went from having 407 children in foster care in 2022 to having about 197 children in foster care today, but the county's placement costs have increased, Pizzulli said.
"We're spending roughly three times as much per child as we were just five years ago," he said.
"Many of the children coming into care today have much more significant needs than we saw years ago. Providers are dealing with staffing shortages, wages have gone up, and the cost of providing this care has gone up."
The costs in Scioto County surpassed $8 million last year, Pizzulli said.
"What we are facing is an unsolvable math problem," said Scioto County Commissioner Scottie Powell.
"Counties pay nearly three quarters of all placement costs through levies and their general funds, with the federal reimbursement covering the remaining one quarter," Powell said.
The number of Ohio children placed in custody has dropped 9% since 2020, but costs have increased by 68% — a jump from $231 million to $389 million, he said.
The average cost of care for a child in Ross County went from $59.64 per day to $151.55 per day and in Hocking County it went from $65.94 to $181.02 per day, Powell said.
Scioto County Job and Family Services Director Tamela Moore Morton said they have a child in custody "who exhibits extreme behaviors" and has been placed in at least a dozen different placements around Ohio.
"Because of behaviors, the facilities can decide to increase our daily rate to any amount they want, without necessarily increasing the level of care," she said.
"They know this child is hard to place, so they take advantage of the situation and charge the county unreasonably, or threaten discharge, or return the child to the lobby of the agency. There is no limit or cap on the amount they can ask for."
The child was on track to use nearly $1 million dollars of Scioto County's funding in one year, Morton said.
"That's not the child's fault," she said.
"But when you have 200 other children that need those same protections, how do you choose who gets the services with the limited funds? Every county either has or will have a similar situation with a high needs child that could bankrupt their county in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, Scioto County is already there."
Pizzulli mentioned the 16 children from Vinton County who were found by law enforcement authorities in terrible conditions at the end of June and how the therapeutic foster care costs needed for each child (ranging from $150-250 each day) would have bankrupted the southeastern Ohio county.
The Ohio Controlling Board recently approved $1 million in emergency funds to help the 16 children from Vinton County, whose ages range from 18 months to 18 years old.
"It's imperative, especially in circumstances like that, that counties have the resources that they need to make appropriate placements and ensure children receive the care and support they deserve," Pizzulli said.
"I don't want to wait for another county to reach a breaking point."
There were more than 14,000 children in foster care in Ohio in 2025 while the state had more than 6,000 certified foster homes, Brewer said.
"Every foster youth deserves a safe, loving, and stable home," Brewer said.
"Foster parents and providers deserve the support they need to provide. We are trying to create reasonable guardrails, not barriers, to appropriate care."
The Ohio lawmakers are currently on break and will come back after the November election. Any bill that does not pass before the two-year General Assembly ends in December would have to be reintroduced.
"What we know of the General Assembly is that if we really want to do something, we can do it, and we can do it very, very quickly if we want to," Pizzulli said.
Follow Ohio Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on X or on Bluesky.
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