Title IV-E Foster Care Eligibility

On this page you will learn what the Title IV-E eligibility program is and how evaluation for Title IV-E is completed in Casebook. All work on eligibility applications is done by CEU workers; FCMs no longer work directly with eligibility applications.

To view and download a powerpoint explaining how to complete a IV-E eligibility application, click here. To watch a short video about completing a IV-E application, click here.

The Title IV-E Foster Care program is an open-ended entitlement program that allows states to claim federal reimbursement for the costs associated with every eligible child who is placed in a licensed foster home, eligible institution, or group home.

In Casebook, a IV-E eligibility application for a single person starts when the focus child is removed from the home and the initial placement lasts more than 24 hours. If the placement ends before 24 hours pass, no IV-E eligibility application is created.

When a IV-E eligibility application is created, it enters the Eligibility File Index and prompts the CEU worker to perform an initial determination of the focus child’s IV-E eligibility status. This initial determination is known as a determination point. At this point, the focus child is either determined to be ineligible or eligible. This will remain this base status until the eligibility application is closed. This length of time from when a determination is made until the application is closed is called a determination period.

Within a determination period for IV-E Foster Care eligibility, a focus child can have multiple status changes if they had been determined to be on the eligible track. Examples of these statuses include: no admin, claim admin, eligible, and ineligible.

Eligibility files end with a court outcome, known as a closing event.