ACYF-CB-IM-05-01

ACF Administration for Children and Families	U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Administration for Children, Youth and Families
	1. Log No.: ACYF-CB-IM-05-01	2. Issuance Date: February 2, 2005
	3. Originating Office: Children's Bureau
	4. Key Words: Adoption Incentive Payments; State Grants; Adoption Baselines

INFORMATION MEMORANDUM

To:	State Agencies and Territories Administering or Supervising the Administration of title IV-B and title IV-E of the Social Security Act
Subject:	Adjusted Baseline Data for the Adoption Incentive Payment Program
Legal and Related References:	Sections 473(a)(1)(B)(ii), 473A, 474 and 479 of the Social Security Act: Adoption Promotion Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-145); ACYF-CB-PI-04-03
Purpose:	The purposes of this Information Memorandum (IM) are to provide the States with information about adjustments to the adoption baselines used to determine incentive payments for finalized adoptions and to transmit the State recalculated FY 2002 baselines.

Information:

The Program Instruction (PI), ACYF-CB-PI-04-03, provided States with procedures to implement the adoption incentive payment program authorized by the Adoption Promotion Act of 2003 and transmitted the adoption baselines that ACF intended to use to determine incentive awards for adoptions finalized during FY 2003. The baselines in that PI did not include all of the age ranges for the foster child, special needs, and older child adoptions, specifically children under age 1 and children between the ages of 18-20. Therefore, we have recalculated the FY 2002 adoption baselines to make sure that the finalized adoptions of children under age 1 and children between ages 18-20 are counted in the adoption baselines for a given fiscal year. (See Attachment A for a state listing of the revised FY 2002 adoption baselines for each adoption category). Incentives awarded to States in FY 2004 for funds earned in FY 2003 were adjusted to reflect the additional age ranges. Incentive eligible States were paid as determined by the new calculations. Future adoption baselines and incentive payments will include data for the extended age ranges.

Inquiries To: ACF Regional Administrators.

/s/
Joan E. Ohl
Commissioner
Administration on Children, Youth and Families

Attachment A:

Revised FY 2002 Baselines Adoption Incentive Payment Program
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