The Department of Human Services(DHS), through the Office of Children, Youth, and Families, claims Federal reimbursement for eligible children in placement under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act. Title IV-E Placement Maintenance gives reimbursement for care and maintenance costs of children in placement and for Title IV-E training and administrative costs.
The CCYA determines whether children entering Foster Care are eligible for Title IV-E based on AFDC eligibility requirements in the State Plan on July 16, 1996. AFDC eligibility criteria include:
Deprivation of parental support
Living with a specified relative
Age
See Appendix B for the July 16, 1996 AFDC eligibility criteria that differ from TANF eligibility criteria.
When determining Title IV-E financial need, do not count TANF benefits as income.
The CAO is responsible only for calculating financial need for the Title IV-E Placement Maintenance determination. The CCYA makes the final determination on whether a child is eligible for Title IV-E Placement Maintenance. The CAO will use the information provided by the CCYA to make this determination, and will notify the CCYA of any discrepancy seen in the case record or data exchanges. The CAO will not contact the family for information to resolve any discrepancy, and will not delay the determination.
The CCYA will:
Give the necessary information to the CAO via the CY 61.
Ask the CAO to determine and certify the AFDC-related eligibility status/financial need of each child entering placement based on the circumstances in the child’s removal home.
Determine the removal home.
NOTE: A child’s eligibility for Title IV-E Placement Maintenance is established when the child enters care. Once eligibility is established, the child remains eligible for Title IV-E for the entire time in Foster Care. Eligibility ends when the child reaches 18 (or up to 21, if eligible) unless the child or the agency ends custody.
Determine if reimbursement may be claimed for each month of placement.
Review the child’s case every six months.
The CAO does not re-determine AFDC-related eligibility/financial need for Title IV-E after the first determination, during the custody episode. If the child returns to placement, a new Title IV-E determination is made.
If the CAO information on the child or the family is different from the CCYA information, the CAO should contact the CCYA. The CCYA decides which information is correct. The CAO will not contact the family directly for this information, or wait until it is resolved to open MA benefits or make the AFDC determination.
If the family does not cooperate, the CCYA may ask the CAO to check third-party sources such as BENDEX, SDX and Department of Labor files on IEVS. Only information currently available on existing clients may be used.
The CAO must not enter an IEVS request on non-recipients. If such a request is made on the CY 61, the CAO may use information from a third-party source and notify the CCYA of this on the CY 61. The CAO must scan a copy of the documentation in the Foster Care case record. If information which is typically used for an AFDC determination is not included in the information provided by the CCYA, then the CAO will make the determination without that information.
The CAO will follow these guidelines:
Calculate income and resources to determine if the child meets the AFDC-relatedness criteria for initial Title IV-E eligibility while in the removal home. Use the Income Calculation Worksheet for Initial IV-E Eligibility (PA 1745.1) to compute the income.
NOTE: If a child meets the requirement for AFDC-Relatedness criteria/financial, it does NOT mean the child is eligible for Title IV-E Placement Maintenance. The CCYA makes the determination as to whether the child qualifies for Title IV-E Placement Maintenance. The CCYA will notify the CAO if the child is eligible for Title IV-E Placement Maintenance. The CAO should not update the Program Status Code to ‘31’ until notified by the CCYA that the child is Title IV-E eligible.
See Appendix A, Income Calculation Worksheet for Initial Title IV-E Eligibility (PA 1745.1).
Federal policy has allowed receipt of SSI and Title IV-E Placement Maintenance at the same time. The CCYA will decide whether it is best for the child to continue getting SSI after Title IV-E eligibility has been established.
Each dollar of Title IV-E reimbursement payment reduces the SSI payment by a dollar. A child who is Title IV-E eligible and receives SSI benefits remains Title IV-E eligible. If the CCYA chooses SSI and Placement Maintenance, the medical category will remain SSI.
The CCYA will provide all needed information on the CY 61 so the CAO can determine AFDC-relatedness/financial need. The CCYA is not required to complete the household income and resource information if the CAO certified on the CY 60 that the child receives SSI or that the current case record gives enough income and resource information.
The CAO will complete the CY 61 and return it and the PA 1745.1, if needed, to the CCYA. When the CCYA determines the child’s Title IV-E Placement Maintenance eligibility, the CCYA will notify the CAO.
The CCYA will send the CY 61 with section “CCYA IV-E Determination” once the Title IV-E Placement Maintenance determination is made.
When a child has been determined Title IV-E eligible, placement maintenance, the CAO will continue MA for the child in category PC and change the Program Status Code (PSC) to 31. The CAO will not require renewal of MA eligibility for Title IV-E Placement Maintenance as long as the child remains eligible for reimbursement.
NOTE: The CCYA makes the determination as to whether the child is Title IV-E eligible. The CAO must not change the PSC to 31 until the CCYA confirms the child is Title IV-E eligible.
If a child’s income makes him non-Title IV-E reimbursable for a long period of time, the CAO will review the child for MA eligibility. Use the child’s income and the income limit of the MA category he would qualify for if he were not Title IV-E eligible. See Chapter 850.5, Medical Assistance for a Child Ineligible for Title IV-E.
If the child is placed in an ineligible facility (facility code 73), MA under Title IV-E is suspended until the child returns to an eligible placement facility or until placement in the ineligibility facility ends. If placement continues in an eligible placement facility, determination of Title IV-E is not required.
The child is Title IV-E eligible during the entire custody episode, but Title IV-E reimbursement and automatic MA may change.
The CAO ends Placement Maintenance when the CCYA notifies the CAO that the child is no longer eligible for Placement Maintenance due to age or because the child is no longer in substitute care placement. See Section 850.27, Discharge from Placement, for appropriate procedures when closing the Foster Care record.
Sec. 472 of Soc. Sec. Act 42 U.S.C. 672
Revised December 4, 2024, replacing July 8, 2024