On Friday, April 10, the Children’s Bureau released a letter from Jerry Milner suspending the Title IV-E Eligibility and National Youth in Transition (NYTD) reviews in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Milner stated the following:
“Dear Child Welfare Leader:
Over the past several weeks, I have had the opportunity to speak with many of you and have heard of the many challenges you are facing as you continue to serve children, youth, and families during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In light of these conversations, and mindful of the impacts of this nationwide public health emergency, I am writing to inform you of changes in the Children’s Bureau’s plans for conducting Title IV-E Foster Care Eligibility Reviews (IV-E Reviews) and National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) Reviews.
In my letter to you on March 18, 2020, I wrote that we had made the decision to postpone several IV-E Reviews until later in the year. We have now determined it is best to postpone, for the foreseeable future, all scheduled IV-E Reviews and review preparation activities. We think this is the best decision both to protect the physical health and well-being of prospective reviewers and to ensure that the resources of child welfare agencies remain focused on mission critical work serving children and families. Similarly, we have decided to postpone, for the foreseeable future, scheduled onsite NYTD reviews and review preparation activities.
Over the coming months, we will continue to monitor the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and public health guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). When we determine that our country is in a position where it will be safe and appropriate to resume travel and other activities, we will work with states to reschedule and resume reviews, providing sufficient notice to prepare for the review activities.
Thank you for your continued efforts on behalf of children, youth, and families in these extraordinary times. Please continue to let us know how we may best support you in this work.” – Jerry Milner, Associate Commissioner, Children’s Bureau