(A)The Ohio department of job and family services (ODJFS) issues funding to public children services agencies (PCSAs) for the administration of the "ProtectOhio" child welfare demonstration project. "ProtectOhio" is designed to reduce the number of children in foster care, decrease the amount of time children remain in foster care, and promote adoptions by allowing greater flexibility in spending federal funds appropriated under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act (SSA) of 1935.

(B)Title IV-E funds

(1)The United States department of health and human services (HHS) waives various provisions of the SSA) and the Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) to permit approved waiver counties participating in the demonstration project to expend Title IV-E foster care maintenance (FCM) funds on services and children that are not otherwise allowable or eligible under Title IV-E. The catalog of federal domestic assistance (CFDA) number is 93.658.

(2)ODJFS advances Title IV-E FCM funds as a capitation rather than a reimbursement under "ProtectOhio." ODJFS multiplies the following two variables to determine the initial aggregate payment that is made to each approved waiver county for the federal fiscal year (FFY):

(a)Projected number of placement days; and

(b)Inflation adjusted per diem cost.

(3)ODJFS issues annual capitation payments in monthly installments.

(C)Match requirement

(1)Each PCSA that is an approved waiver county shall provide the match requirement for the capitation payment that it will receive during the demonstration project.

(2)The PCSA shall act to reserve the match requirement for each capitation payment within ten business days of the deposit of the payment into the county children services fund by the county auditor.

(3)A PCSA's failure to fully reserve its match requirement within the prescribed ten business day period shall not be a violation of this policy when the following criteria has been met:

(a)The PCSA demonstrates that the failure was solely attributable to timing issues associated with the disbursement of county tax revenues due to the PCSA; and

(b)The PCSA shows that it has fully met its match requirement by the close of each demonstration budget year.

(4)Nothing in this rule shall prohibit a PCSA from advance reserving its match requirement for projected capitation payments.

(5)Capitation funds expended require a corresponding expenditure of the associated match.

(D)Reporting

(1)A PCSA shall charge allowable revenues and expenditures as follows:

(a)A PCSA shall report revenues and expenditures, including actual FCM payments, relating to the demonstration project as described in rule 5101:9-7-29 of the Administrative Code.

(b) A PCSA shall claim reimbursement of administrative costs through the social services random moment sample (SSRMS)/certification of funds (COF) process.

(2)At the completion of the FFY, ODJFS performs a reconciliation of the projected number of placement days to the actual number of placement days experienced by the control counties. This reconciliation may result in increased or decreased payments to approved waiver counties participating in the demonstration project.

(E)The definitions, requirements, and responsibilities contained in rule 5101:9-6-50 of the Administrative Code are applicable to this rule.