October 4, 2006

Department of State Approves Fees and the Substantial Compliance Systems Submitted by the Accrediting Entities 

The Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs has approved the fee schedules that the two designated accrediting entities (AEs)–The Council on Accreditation (COA) and the Colorado Department of Human Services–will charge adoption service providers (ASPs) for accreditation or approval.  The Assistant Secretary also approved the substantial compliance systems (SCS) that the AEs will use in applying the standards to accredit, temporarily accredit, or approve ASPs.

Before approving the fees proposed by the AEs, the Department verified that they were consistent with applicable criteria in the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 (the IAA), the accreditation and approval regulations (22 CFR Part 96), and the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Department of State and each AE.  The text of each MOA was published in the Federal Register during the Summer 2006 and may be accessed at http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/convention/convention_2960.html.

The IAA allows designated AEs to charge ASPs to cover the costs for accreditation, temporary accreditation, or approval subject to the State Department’s approval.  In proposing their fee schedules, the AEs each demonstrated that they had considered appropriately the factors required by the IAA and the accreditation regulations (i.e., relative size of, geographic location of, and expected number of Convention cases managed by adoption service providers).  They also showed that the fees they expect to collect would not exceed the AE’s full direct and indirect costs of accreditation, temporary accreditation or approval in accordance with the IAA and the accreditation regulations.  For the legal provisions governing the fees charged by AEs, see Section 202(d) of the IAA, sections 96.8 and 96.111 of the accreditation/approval regulations, and the MOAs.

The Department also approved the substantial compliance systems that the AEs jointly developed for their trained evaluators to use in assessing ASPs for granting and maintaining full accreditation or approval and in assessing ASPs for maintaining temporary accreditation. The AEs created one system for ASP’s seeking full accreditation or approval and another for those agencies who choose to apply for temporary accreditation. 

Adoption service providers interested in applying for Hague accreditation, temporary accreditation, or approval, should contact the appropriate AE to acquire fee and SCS information.  To obtain fee and SCS information from COA, please e-mail brubenstein@coanet.org or consult the COA website at http://www.coanet.org.  Agencies licensed in the State of Colorado may contact the Department of Human Services by e-mail at lori.roxbury@state.co.us. 

The State Department will soon publish a notice in the Federal Register announcing the transitional application deadline (TAD).   (In order for an agency or person to be accredited or approved as of the time the Convention enters into force for the United States or for an agency to be temporarily accredited, an agency or person must submit an application and the required fees on or before the TAD to an accrediting entity with jurisdiction to evaluate its application.)  AEs will then begin to accept applications for accreditation, temporary accreditation, or approval from ASPs. 

If you are not already receiving our Hague adoption updates and would like to be added to the Department’s e-mail list, please contact AdoptionUSCA@state.gov.