Foster Care:
Delayed Follow-Up of Noncomplying States May Reduce Incentive for Reform
PEMD-89-16: Published: Sep 13, 1989. Publicly Released: Sep 13, 1989.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
Contact:
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the extent to which the Administration for Children, Youth and Families (ACYF) provided incentive funds to states which instituted ACYF-mandated reforms under its Child Welfare Services grants program.
GAO found that: (1) ACYF disbursed incentive funds to all states that certified their compliance with provisions and then retrospectively reviewed states' certifications of their compliance with provisions to receive incentive funds; (2) ACYF typically recouped overpayments to noncompliant states by reducing the successive year's payments; (3) 15 states have failed annual compliance reviews at least once since enactment of the requirements in 1980; (4) ACYF did not record or recoup a 1984 $832,216 overpayment to Ohio; (5) final appeals decisions rendered in April 1989 allowed ACYF to recoup a 1984 $1,034,619 overpayment to Illinois and a 1983 $250,335 overpayment to Maryland; and (6) although ACYF generally followed its stated practice of promptly reviewing a state's compliance for the fiscal year (FY) following the year it had failed, ACYF has not conducted follow-up reviews for six states which failed compliance reviews between 1983 and 1985.
Recommendations for Executive Action
Status: Closed - Implemented
Comments: Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
Recommendation: The Commissioner, ACYF, should: (1) promptly conduct and complete the postponed reviews of those six states that failed a review between 1983 and 1985, to ensure that incentive funds are expended in compliance with the law; and (2) conduct periodic reviews promptly in the future, that is, immediately following the end of the fiscal year when review is due.
Agency Affected: Department of Health and Human Services: Administration for Children, Youth, and Families
Status: Closed - Implemented
Comments: Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
Recommendation: The Commissioner, ACYF, should promptly recoup the overpayments made in 1983 to Maryland and in 1984 to Illinois and Ohio.
Agency Affected: Department of Health and Human Services: Administration for Children, Youth, and Families
Explore the full database of GAO's Open Recommendations
»
Explore the full database of GAO's Open Recommendations
Jul 25, 2018
SSA Disability Programs:
Better Metrics and Evaluation Needed to Inform Decision-MakingGAO-18-677T: Published: Jul 25, 2018. Publicly Released: Jul 25, 2018.-
Social Security Disability:
Better Timeliness Metrics Needed to Assess Transfers of Appeals WorkGAO-18-501: Published: Jul 19, 2018. Publicly Released: Jul 25, 2018.
May 30, 2018
-
Foster Care:
Additional Actions Could Help HHS Better Support States' Use of Private Providers to Recruit and Retain Foster FamiliesGAO-18-376: Published: May 30, 2018. Publicly Released: May 30, 2018.
Apr 10, 2018
-
Social Security Disability Insurance:
Information on Potential Implications of Expanding Private Disability InsuranceGAO-18-248: Published: Apr 10, 2018. Publicly Released: Apr 10, 2018.
Feb 8, 2018
-
Substance-Affected Infants:
Additional Guidance Would Help States Better Implement Protections for ChildrenGAO-18-196: Published: Jan 19, 2018. Publicly Released: Feb 8, 2018.
Nov 9, 2017
-
Child Well-Being:
Key Considerations for Policymakers, Including the Need for a Federal Cross-Agency Priority GoalGAO-18-41SP: Published: Nov 9, 2017. Publicly Released: Nov 9, 2017.
Sep 6, 2017
-
SSA's Compassionate Allowance Initiative:
Actions Needed to Improve the Accuracy and Consistency of Expedited Processing of Disability ClaimsGAO-17-795T: Published: Sep 6, 2017. Publicly Released: Sep 6, 2017. -
SSA's Compassionate Allowance Initiative:
Improvements Needed to Make Expedited Processing of Disability Claims More Consistent and AccurateGAO-17-625: Published: Aug 11, 2017. Publicly Released: Sep 6, 2017.
Jul 14, 2017
-
Federal Low-Income Programs:
Eligibility and Benefits Differ for Selected Programs Due to Complex and Varied RulesGAO-17-558: Published: Jun 29, 2017. Publicly Released: Jul 14, 2017.
Jul 13, 2017
-
Early Childhood Learning and Child Care:
Overview of Federal Investment and Agency CoordinationGAO-17-671T: Published: Jul 13, 2017. Publicly Released: Jul 13, 2017.
Looking for more? Browse all our products here
Explore our Key Issues on Worker and Family Assistance
Explore our other Key Issues here
