Trial reunification occurs when the child is placed with the parent after the court makes the determination that sufficient progress has been made on their treatment plan. The juvenile case remains open, and the child remains in legal DHS custody; however, current support issues to the parent if TANF is not being expended. Indicators of trial reunification include:
- Noted on Change in Placement Form or other notification from Child Welfare
- eKIDS/KIDS
- Notified by a customer
The following steps are necessary for trial reunification cases:
For the case against the parent who now has the child in their home
- Update the END DATE on the obligation to the last day of the month (ex: 08/31/13) child was placed with the parent
EXCEPTION: If placement date is the first day of the month, then the end date would be the last day of the prior month. - Put the case in 06 or 08 status if past due balances exist
- Update judgment payment if appropriate (as per order)
- Ensure that an amended or terminated Income Withholding Order (IWO) is issued
For the case against the parent who does not have the child in their home
- Verify the F130 block is updated with code 50 (trial reunification) or 98 (final reunification)
- Contact the custody specialist if the F130 is not updated correctly
- Update the CHU to ensure:
- The cross reference tie reflects current benefit expenditures and
- The appropriate custodial person (CP) sequence is tied to the child
- Verify the obligation is updated for the current CP so that current support accrues correctly
- Review receipt history to determine if a Finance Action Request should be sent to move receipts to the CP’s balances
Note: If the child is placed with one of their biological parents, the case should be created or updated so that current support can issue to the parent with custody. If the custody specialist does not update the F130 block correctly, OSIS will continue to show the child in foster care custody (E/F case type) after the child is returned home. This block must be updated to show that the child is temporarily/permanently residing with a biological parent.