Foster care lawsuit necessary after inaction

COLUMBUS» A lawsuit seeking to boost support payments for Ohio children in the custody of adult relatives was necessary because of thestate’s inaction in addressing a disparity in those payments. At issue inthe federal lawsuit filed Nov. 19 are payments to relatives who aren’t licensed caregivers but are approved to care for children taken from their parents. There is a substantial gap between payments to licensed foster care providers and payments torelatives, such as grandparents, aunts or uncles, who have been unexpectedly asked to care for kids towhom they’re related. Ohio has been under pressure from child advocates to follow a 2017 federal appeals court ruling ordering equality in such payments.