OPPORTUNITIES AND RECOMMENDATIONS: DCYF established a fiscal focus group, led by Foster America, to strengthen the agency’s claiming opportunities. Through rich discussion, planning and strategy development, members will monitor implementation of the recommendations captured below. The group will also develop insights into pathways to sustain prevention access through several artifacts: fiscal pipeline analysis, cost allocation support, Title IV-E readiness and evaluation, and lived-expert compensation. RECOMMENDATION 7: Greatly enhance Title IV-E claiming. The most significant finance opportunity for Washington State is to greatly enhance Title IV-E claiming. In 2023, Washington reported spending approximately $366 million in federal child welfare funds, drawn from Title IV-E, Title IV-B, CAPTA, and CBCAP. In 2023, Washington reported spending approximately $366 million in federal child welfare funds, drawn from Title IV-E, Title IV-B, CAPTA, CBCAP, TANF, MIECHV, etc. After four years, despite Washington’s broad candidacy definition and array of evidence-based services, no Title IV-E reimbursement for prevention has occurred. Further, Washington has an overall low Title IV-E Foster Care Participation rate — just 8% of the state’s foster-care census is claimed for federal reimbursement. Since both prevention and out-of-home placement claiming are open-ended entitlements, the size of financial opportunity in strengthening claiming is substantial. This is particularly time-sensitive, as approximately $9.5 million in annual FFPSA transition funding will sunset in late 2025. It should be noted that there is a vested interest in leveraging Motivational Interviewing in the current plan as a claiming resource to support the workforce and promote the prevention mindset among front end and in-home child welfare cases. RECOMMENDATION 8: Prioritize technology enhancements that enhance Title IV-E claiming. Adapting information systems is an essential step in improving federal claiming. Washington is in the midst of an overall case management system upgrade, moving from a SACWIS (Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System to a modernized CCWIS (Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System. Plans for this renewed system are progressing slowly with an anticipated completion date in 2029. As such, we encourage DCYF to address gaps and backlogs that interfere with claiming within the SACWIS, despite its limitations.
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