In the United States, Title IV-E of the Social Security Act (SSA) establishes the rules and conditions that states must meet in order to claim federal reimbursement for the costs they incur when placing children in foster homes or other out-of-home facilities. CCS provides the agency worker the flexibility to establish a child's eligibility under Title IV-E based on the configured rules and client-provided evidence. The "Eligibility Determination Process" refers to the application of eligibility rules against collected information to determine if the circumstances result in a child's eligibility under Title IV-E. If a child is Title IV-E eligible, and placed with a licensed provider, part of a state's costs for a child's out-of-home placement is eligible for federal reimbursement. Programs can include Foster Care Maintenance and Adoption Assistance payments for eligible children in temporary or permanent custody of a Title IV-E provider who meets IV-E criteria (e.g. foster home).
The IV-E component uses Cúram's Common Evidence (evidence that is applicable and available across different programs) component. The Title IV-E evidence also includes child welfare specific evidence associated with the legal language associated with the initial removal order for a child. The language in the associated court order will indicate the "Best Interest (BI)", "Reasonable Efforts (RE)" and "Permanency" interests of the child being removed from his or her home, as mandated by Title IV-E Eligibility Determination Rules.
Title IV-E eligibility determination is a unique requirement for the U.S. Statewide Automated Child Welfare Systems (SACWIS). As such, the Title IV-E component is optional in CCS. The Cúram IV-E Eligibility Guide is provided for additional information about this feature.