Since federal fiscal year (FFY) 2010, the title IV-E Adoption Assistance program has provided expanded eligibility provisions for any child who meets the criteria for an “applicable child” as defined in section 473(e) of the Social Security Act (the Act). Use of the applicable-child eligibility provisions (section 473(a)(2)(A)(ii) of the Act) tends to result in more children being determined as eligible for title IV-E since it delinks eligibility for the title IV-E Adoption Assistance program from the requirements of the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program, among other changes. (See Program Instruction [PI] ACYF-CB-PI-09-10, dated August 26, 2009, for more details on the applicable-child eligibility criteria.) The increased eligibility allows states to receive additional federal funding for adoption, thereby allowing them to reduce the level of nonfederal funds they use for these services. The reduction in nonfederal spending is referred to as “adoption savings.” Federal law (section 473(a)(8) of the Act) requires title IV-E agencies to spend an amount equal to any savings they achieve as a result of applying the differing program eligibility criteria to applicable children for other child welfare service activities permitted under titles IV-B or IV-E of the Act. The amount of adoption savings is calculated based on the title IV-E Adoption Assistance program claims made on behalf of those children who, absent the applicable-child eligibility criteria, would not have been determined eligible for title IV-E Adoption Assistance. The savings are generally equal to the federal share of these claims since, in most instances, that amount would otherwise have been paid from nonfederal title IV-E agency funds. A portion of the expenditures of adoption savings funds must be used for specified services. To implement the adoption savings requirements, the Children’s Bureau (CB) issued PIs providing detailed guidance on the calculation, expenditure, and reporting of adoption savings and developed a new annual reporting form (CB-496 Part 4) to collect the information. See PIs ACYF-CB-PI-15-06 and ACYF-CB-PI-21-08 for details on these instructions. Title IV-E agencies—as of FFY 2015—are required to calculate and report annually their adoption savings, the methodology used to calculate the savings, how savings are spent, and on what services. In calculating adoption savings, title IV-E agencies must use a methodology specified by CB or may propose an alternative for approval. The methodology developed and issued by CB is referred to as “the CB Method.” This method can be applied either to a sample of cases or to the full universe of cases if the agency was able to access actual figures for needed information without conducting a special review. The statute also requires that the annual adoption savings information reported by state and tribal title IV-E agencies be posted on the CB website. Metadata-only record linking to the original dataset. Open original dataset below.

Since federal fiscal year (FFY) 2010, the title IV-E Adoption Assistance program has provided expanded eligibility provisions for any child who meets the criteria for an “applicable child” as defined in section 473(e) of the Social Security Act (the Act). Use of the applicable-child eligibility provisions (section 473(a)(2)(A)(ii) of the Act) tends to result in more children being determined as eligible for title IV-E since it delinks eligibility for the title IV-E Adoption Assistance program from the requirements of the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program, among other changes. (See Program Instruction [PI] ACYF-CB-PI-09-10, dated August 26, 2009, for more details on the applicable-child eligibility criteria.) The increased eligibility allows states to receive additional federal funding for adoption, thereby allowing them to reduce the level of nonfederal funds they use for these services. The reduction in nonfederal spending is referred to as “adoption savings.” Federal law (section 473(a)(8) of the Act) requires title IV-E agencies to spend an amount equal to any savings they achieve as a result of applying the differing program eligibility criteria to applicable children for other child welfare service activities permitted under titles IV-B or IV-E of the Act. The amount of adoption savings is calculated based on the title IV-E Adoption Assistance program claims made on behalf of those children who, absent the applicable-child eligibility criteria, would not have been determined eligible for title IV-E Adoption Assistance. The savings are generally equal to the federal share of these claims since, in most instances, that amount would otherwise have been paid from nonfederal title IV-E agency funds. A portion of the expenditures of adoption savings funds must be used for specified services. To implement the adoption savings requirements, the Children’s Bureau (CB) issued PIs providing detailed guidance on the calculation, expenditure, and reporting of adoption savings and developed a new annual reporting form (CB-496 Part 4) to collect the information. See PIs ACYF-CB-PI-15-06 and ACYF-CB-PI-21-08 for details on these instructions. Title IV-E agencies—as of FFY 2015—are required to calculate and report annually their adoption savings, the methodology used to calculate the savings, how savings are spent, and on what services. In calculating adoption savings, title IV-E agencies must use a methodology specified by CB or may propose an alternative for approval. The methodology developed and issued by CB is referred to as “the CB Method.” This method can be applied either to a sample of cases or to the full universe of cases if the agency was able to access actual figures for needed information without conducting a special review. The statute also requires that the annual adoption savings information reported by state and tribal title IV-E agencies be posted on the CB website. Metadata-only record linking to the original dataset. Open original dataset below.

All title IV-E agencies (states, territories, and tribes) report financial information on a quarterly basis for the title IV-E Foster Care, Adoption Assistance, Guardianship Assistance, Prevention Services, and Kinship Navigator programs using Form CB-496. Title IV-E agencies also provide information on adoption savings, derived from the title IV-E Adoption Assistance program, using Form CB-496. A summary of the adoption-savings data is posted on the Children’s Bureau website Adoption Savings Data. Form CB-496 quarterly reporting includes costs (expenditures and next-quarter estimates) and caseload data in various funding categories. All expenditures are actual payments made to foster parents, adoptive parents, legal guardians, vendors, service providers, and contractors or actual payments for agency administrative, personnel, or other allowable cost items that are allocable to the program in accordance with an approved or pending cost allocation plan or negotiated indirect cost rate. Expenditures are reported as “total computable,” which includes both the federal and tribal/state shares and the federal share, which is computed using the appropriate federal medical assistance percentage or federal financial participation rate costs as specified in statute. Caseload data include the average monthly number of children for whom specified title IV-E expenditures were made. Some reported caseload data cover all children receiving assistance or services in the program area, including those who are not title IV-E eligible. A copy of Form CB-496, including detailed instructions for completing the form, can be found in Program Instruction ACYF-CB-PI-21-08. Beginning with fiscal year (FY) 2019, the Children’s Bureau posts an annual FY summary of Form CB-496 expenditures and caseloads as reported by each title IV-E agency. Posted data tables include the combination of current-quarter and prior-quarter adjustment expenditures and current-quarter caseload data as delineated in quarterly Form CB-496 submissions for each FY. Actual funding provided to each title IV-E agency for each identified program can differ from the reported expenditure amount if the Administration for Children and Families determines that some portion of the claims are not allowable. Beginning in FY 2022, the Children's Bureau is also providing a summary chart showing trends in claims for each of the title IV-E programs over the past five years. Metadata-only record linking to the original dataset. Open original dataset below.

All title IV-E agencies (states, territories, and tribes) report financial information on a quarterly basis for the title IV-E Foster Care, Adoption Assistance, Guardianship Assistance, Prevention Services, and Kinship Navigator programs using Form CB-496. Form CB-496 quarterly reporting includes costs (expenditures and next-quarter estimates) and caseload data in various funding categories. Units of Response: Program Type of Data: Financial Tribal Data: Yes Periodicity: Annual Demographic Indicators: Geographic Areas SORN: Not Applicable Data Use Agreement: No Data Use Agreement Location: Unavailable Granularity: Program;State Spatial: United States Geocoding: Unavailable

This Program Instruction (PI) provides State, Territorial, and Tribal title IV-E agencies with the renewed and revised form and instructions approved by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for reporting quarterly financial information on the title IV-E Foster Care, Adoption Assistance, Guardianship Assistance, Kinship Navigator and Prevention Services Programs, as well as annual reporting data for Adoption Savings. ACF-ACYF-CB-PI-24-09 supersedes ACYF-CB-PI-21-08. Metadata-only record linking to the original dataset. Open original dataset below.

The Child Welfare Reviews Project assists the Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in administering the title IV-E foster care eligibility reviews (FC eligibility reviews). Specifically, the project manages the following activities: Metadata-only record linking to the original dataset. Open original dataset below.

This presentation offers instructions on completing the CB-496 Quarterly Financial Report for title IV-E agencies during and after the Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System (CCWIS) Transition Period and for Adoption Assistance. Metadata-only record linking to the original dataset. Open original dataset below.

Title IV-E Form ACF-IV-E-1 Interim Financial Reporting Instructions - Foster Care, Adoption Assistance and Guardianship Assistance Programs Metadata-only record linking to the original dataset. Open original dataset below.

This Program Instruction provides Title IV-E Form ACF-IV-E-1 Interim Financial Reporting Instructions - Foster Care, Adoption Assistance and Guardianship Assistance Programs. Metadata-only record linking to the original dataset. Open original dataset below.

This Program Instruction (PI) provides State, Territorial, and Tribal title IV-E agencies with the renewed form and instructions approved by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for reporting quarterly financial information on the title IV-E Foster Care, Adoption Assistance, Guardianship Assistance, Kinship Navigator and Prevention Services Programs, as well as annual reporting data for Adoption Savings. An updated version of the CB-496 form was released with ACF-ACYF-CB-PI-24-09. Metadata-only record linking to the original dataset. Open original dataset below.