Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical Assistance

Who We Are

The Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical Assistance (AAICAMA) is a nonprofit corporation comprised of member States that operate under a cooperative agreement with the Children's Bureau. AAICAMA works with State and local child welfare agencies, Tribes, and adoptive parents to facilitate and support special needs adoption, principally across State jurisdictional boundaries. The Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical Assistance (ICAMA, the Compact) provides a framework for interstate coordination to remove barriers to the adoption of children with special needs and facilitates the transfer of adoptive, educational, medical, and postadoptive services when a preadoptive child is placed interstate or an adopted child moves to a new State.

How We Can Help

AAICAMA provides education, training, and technical assistance to increase States' capacity to improve practice and policy in special needs adoption, including:

Interstate Partnerships
The Association serves as a link between States by providing information and mediation to resolve interstate disputes and remove geographic barriers to interstate adoption. AAICAMA helps States improve present practice and develop long-term strategies to promote interstate cooperation and collaboration.

Technical Assistance
AAICAMA provides guidance on a broad range of issues related to the application, receipt, and interstate transfer of adoption and medical assistance, related Federal support programs, postadoption services, education, and Compact administration. The Association provides assistance to public and private agencies, Tribes, adoptive parents, attorneys, and adoption organizations.

Legal and Legislative Analysis and Guidance
AAICAMA informs States of emerging Federal legislation and their compliance obligations under existing legislation. For cases subject to the Compact, AAICAMA offers expert legal clarification for parties involved in special needs adoption to understand their rights and obligations under Federal and State programs.

Education and Training
AAICAMA educates and trains State interstate and adoption staff to administer the Compact and provide medical, educational, and postadoption services to families in interstate adoption cases.

AAICAMA created and maintains a resource library of position papers and issue briefs that clarify complex issues related to interstate adoption. Bridges, the biannual publication, is a forum for information resource exchange, continuing education, legislative updates, and State case law affecting special needs adoption. AAICAMA factsheets educate States and parents on eligibility for and services available through Federal and State adoption and medical assistance programs.

AAICAMA's annual meeting is a forum for information exchange on interstate adoption issues with other child- and family-serving partners and facilitates cross-system collaboration to improve access to comprehensive support services needed for special needs adoption.

Data Collection
AAICAMA collects and reports on State adoption data in order to inform, educate, and enhance adoption policy and practice. AAICAMA conducts and updates several surveys including:

Interstate Movement Survey
COBRA and Reciprocity Option Survey
State Adoption Law Comparison Survey
Medicaid Re-determination Practices
ICAMA Administration Practice

These surveys provide national information on the number of children receiving Federal and State adoption assistance and their movement across State lines, States providing medical services to children receiving State-funded adoption assistance, and interstate adoption practices. AAICAMA created and maintains adoption assistance pages that provide State-by-State information on adoption assistance programs and medical, mental health, and postadoption services. Adoption Assistance by State is found on the Child Welfare Information Gateway website: www.childwelfare.gov

For More Information

AAICAMA Secretariat
Address:	American Public Human Services Association 810 First Street, NE, Suite 500 Washington, DC 20002
Phone:	202.682.0100
Fax:	202.289.6555
Email:	SMcCartney@aphsa.org
Contact:	Sharon McCartney, Program Manager
AAICAMA Association
Contact:	Stephanie Pettaway, President
Phone:	410.767.7506
Email:	SPettawa@dhr.state.md.us

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