PA Earns Mention, Scrutiny in Federal Report @ Foster Care, Adoption Financing

The Rendell Administration is currently engaged in a tough fight with the federal government following the Bush Administration’s decision to disallow one hundred percent of the state’s Title IV-E claims for some in-home services that protect children. When a child’s safety can be assured, these services are intended to prevent the removal of the child from their own home.

This fight, which has a growing price tag now hovering around $170 million in disallowed payments, has become a political hot potato in the current state budget battle. If the federal government will not budge from its position obligating the Commonwealth (and counties) to pay this unexpected ballooning bill, there will be direct impact on the resources available for the prevention, intervention and treatment services for at-risk, abused and neglected children.

Today’s release of the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) report Foster Care and Adoption Assistance: Federal Oversight Needed to Safeguard Funds and Ensure Consistent Support for States’ Administrative Costs, which found that Pennsylvania was one of six states accounting for an eighty percent increase in Title IV-E administrative claims during a four year period, likely will deepen the debate.

The report and its ramifications also serve as a stark reminder of the scrutiny and persistently changing landscape confronting child welfare and juvenile justice services.