(

a) On and after the date that the director executes a declaration pursuant to

Section 11217, the State Department of Social Services shall exercise its option under

Section 671(a)(28) of Title of the United States Code to enter into kinship guardianship assistance agreements to provide federally funded kinship guardianship assistance payments on behalf of children to grandparents and other relatives who have assumed legal guardianship of the children for whom they have cared as approved relative caregivers and for whom they have committed to care on a permanent basis, as provided in

Section 673(

d) of Title of the United States Code. (

b) A kinship guardianship assistance payment made under this

article on behalf of a child shall not exceed the rate for children placed in a licensed or approved home pursuant to

Section 11461. (

c) It is the intent of the Legislature to ensure that relative guardians of children in long-term, stable placements who previously were receiving kinship guardianship assistance payments on behalf of those children under

Article 4.5 (commencing with

Section 11360) shall instead receive assistance under this

article to the extent that those children are otherwise eligible under Subtitle IV-E (commencing with

Section of the federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.

Sec. 670 et seq.)). (

d) It is the intent of the Legislature that no county currently participating in the Child Welfare Demonstration Capped Allocation Project be adversely impacted by the department’s exercise of its option under

Section 671(a)(28) of Title of the United States Code to enter into kinship assistance agreements as provided in

Section 673(

d) of Title of the United States Code. Therefore, the department shall negotiate with the United States Department of Health and Human Services on behalf of those counties that are currently participating in the demonstration project to ensure that those counties receive reimbursement for these new programs outside of the provisions of those counties’ waiver under Subtitle IV-E (commencing with

Section of the federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.

Sec. 670 et seq.)).