PLEASE NOTE: This policy
issuance has been withdrawn in its entirety and should be used only
for historical or reference purposes.
| ACF Administration for Children and Families |
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN
SERVICES |
|
| 1. Log No.: ACYF-PI-86-03 | 2. Issuance Date: 08/19/86 | |
| 3. Originating Office: Children's Bureau | ||
| 4. Key Word: Sampling Procedure - Triennial Section 427 Reviews | ||
PROGRAM INSTRUCTION
| TO: | State Agencies and Indian Tribal Organizations Administering Title IV-B of the Social Security Act |
| Regional Administrators, HDS Regions I-X |
|
| Regional Program Directors ACYF Regions |
SUBJECT: New Sampling Procedure for Triennial Reviews - Decision Table V
LEGAL AND RELATED REFERENCES: Sections 427 and 475 of the Social Security Act (the Act)
BACKGROUND: Section 427 provides that a State may be eligible for additional title IV-B fund if, among other things, it "has implemented and is operating to the satisfaction or the Secretary" certain systems and programs providing protections for children in foster care. States are permitted to certify themselves as eligible for these incentive payments.
To ascertain that States are, in fact, eligible to receive additional section 427 funds, the Department has established a system of compliance reviews during which the State's administrative procedures are examined and a sample of foster care case records is reviewed. If a State is determined to be eligible for funds after an Initial Review and a Subsequent Review, no additional confirmation of eligibility is required until the third year following the Subsequent Review, at which time a Triennial Review is conducted.
Recently, in some States, after the full sample of case records has been reviewed, the Decision Table has not provided a decision as to whether the State has passed or failed the case record survey. The tabulation of acceptable and unacceptable case records leaves the file in the "zone of indifference," i.e., the cumulative total of unacceptable case record reviews is between the Acceptance and Rejection numbers in the Table.
In a decision by the Grant Appeals Board (GAB) regarding the Subsequent Review for Delaware, it was recommended that when a State file remains in the zone of indifference after all of the records in the sample have been read, additional records should be reviewed to assure that the risk of Alpha, Type I error, does not exceed .05. This would reduce the probability that a State file will be rejected, based upon a sample of case records, when a review of the entire State file would indicate that the State would pass.
ACTION REQUIRED: Therefore, a new Decision Table V has been prepared to accommodate this recommendation and certain procedures have been changed which will affect all States and Tribes. The use of Decision Table V for all States, Tribes and other political jurisdictions is a change of policy.
INSTRUCTION: The attached Program Instruction supersedes only the sampling instructions and Decision Tables III and IV, described in PI-85-2.
Effective Date: Immediately
Inquiries to: Beverly Stubbee, telephone (202) 755-7447 or Charles Gershenson (202) 755-7724.
/s/
Dodie Livingston
COMMISSIONER
Attachment - Instruction for section 427 Triennial Review, Case Record Survey Sample
