Watchdog: Foster kids missing required health screenings

Nearly a third of children in foster care who were enrolled in Medicaid did not receive at least one required health screening over the course of a year, a new report from a federal government watchdog finds. 

{mosads}Each state has a timeline of required health screenings that must occur when a child enters foster care, and on an ongoing basis. But the Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General report finds that these required timelines are not always being followed.

The report finds 29 percent of children did not receive one or more of the required screenings. Another 28 percent received the screening late.     

The report also noted that HHS reviews of state foster care programs do not check whether the screenings are following the required schedule, and should be expanded.

The HHS reviews make sure that the state has accurately assessed a child’s health when the screenings do occur, but the reviews do not check whether the screenings are occurring on the required timeline, the IG report found.

HHS “should expand its Child and Family Services Reviews to ensure that children in foster care receive screenings according to the timeframes specified in States’ plans,” the report states. 

The report also looks to broader measures to encourage the health screenings. It recommends “developing educational materials for foster parents that discuss the benefits of screenings and providing incentives to families and children in foster care to encourage participation in required screenings.