Greetings Providers,

The Children’s Bureau (CB) of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) conducted a primary review of the Georgia title IV-E foster care program during the week of November 2, 2015. The purposes of the IV-E review were (1) to determine whether the Georgia title IV-E foster care program was in compliance with the eligibility requirements as outlined in 45 CFR §1356.71 and §472 of the Social Security Act (the Act); and (2) to validate the basis of the state’s financial claims to ensure appropriate payments were made on behalf of eligible children.

In short, the periodic IV-E reviews:

• help determine whether Federal funds are spent on behalf of eligible children and are in accordance with Federal statute, regulation, and policy;
• help identify improper payments. An improper payment is any title IV-E foster care maintenance payment that should not be made or that is made in an incorrect amount under a requirement applicable to title IV-E. Incorrect amounts are underpayments and overpayments, duplicate payments, erroneous and otherwise ineligible payments;
• provide a link to the joint planning, technical assistance, and program improvement processes that exist between the CB and the title IV-E agencies; and
• provide timely and specific feedback to title IV-E agencies that can directly affect the proper and efficient administration and implementation of their title IV-E foster care maintenance payment programs.

Findings of this review indicated the Division’s needs to further develop and implement procedures to improve program performance in the following areas: Safety requirements were not satisfactorily met for caregiver staff of child caring institutions (CCI) in which children were placed during periods in the period under review. Violations were found in the following four (4) policy areas of the state licensing agency: (1) no evidence of a criminal records check (CRC) for all staff of the facility, (2) CRCs not completed prior to the child’s placement, (3) initial CRCs accepted that were greater than 12 months old, and (4) required five-year CRC re-check not completed timely, if at all.

As part of Georgia's ongoing improvement plans for its title IV-E foster care eligibility process, The Office of Provider Management and Revenue Maximization Unit (Rev Max) have partnered to conduct a mandatory training for all RBWO Providers to attend on May 16, 2017. The training will be located at Department of Public Safety Capitol Police Division, 180 Central Avenue Southwest, Atlanta, Georgia 30303. This training will be offered in two (2) sessions. Providers are required to have a maximum of two (2) staff to attend to represent their agency. The two (2) designated staff members are required to be in the role of Program Directors, Human Services Professionals (HSPs), Case Support Workers (CSWs), Case Support Supervisors (CSSs), Life Coaches (LC) to attend.

Please click on the appropriate link to register for this training:

CCIs: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/revmax-title-iv-e-program-training-ccis-tickets-31973437412

CPAs: 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.- https://www.eventbrite.com/e/revmax-title-iv-e-program-training-cpas-tickets-31973532697

Thank you.

The Office of Provider Management