Beginning in state fiscal year (SFY) 13, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) will implement a State Adoption Incentive program to provide incentive payments to county agencies that transition more children out of foster care into a permanent adoptive home.

The purpose of this FAPL is to explain how ODJFS calculates incentive payments to county agencies.

Baseline Calculations

The Office of Families and Children (OFC) will use the average number of finalized adoptions over the past three years per county agency to establish each county agency's baseline (see attachment).

On the first business day after July 31, 2012 the OFC will pull data from the Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS) for each county agency that identifies the number of finalized adoptions at the completion of the state fiscal year. This data will be compared to the established baseline. Any county exceeding its baseline will receive an incentive payment for each finalized adoption over the baseline amount.

For each finalized adoption county agencies will receive:

• An incentive payment for the target population (age 9 to 17) at $6,500 per child; and
• An incentive payment for children under age 9 at $3,250 per child.

The maximum amount of state funds to be paid for incentives is $1.5 million.

Distribution Methodology

OFC will calculate the incentive payment amounts by August 15th of each year. Incentive funds equal to the calculated incentive payment amount will be distributed electronically to county agencies by the end of August.

County agencies shall reinvest adoption incentive payments to support adoption activities during the year.

For questions regarding funding and allowable activity please contact Dan.Shook@jfs.ohio.gov. For questions regarding coding please contact your ODJFS Fiscal Supervisor or call the Bureau of County Finance and Technical Assistance at (614) 752-9194.

Attachments (1) - County Baseline Calculations