Incentive payment program: Administration by Division of Child and Family Services; application by certain agencies which provide child welfare services for incentive payment; approval or denial of application

1. The Division of Child and Family Services shall administer a program to award incentive payments to an agency which provides child welfare services in a county whose population is 100,000 or more. 2. On or before May 1 of each year, an agency which provides child welfare services may submit an application to the Division of Child and Family Services for an incentive payment. 3. The application for an incentive payment must include, without limitation: (a) A description of the specific goal that the agency which provides child welfare services agrees to achieve by June 30 of the following year if the incentive payment is awarded; (b) Baseline data to support the need to achieve the specific goal and which will provide a manner in which to measure whether the goal is achieved or to determine the percentage of the goal that is achieved; and (c) The amount requested by the agency which provides child welfare services as an incentive payment. 4. If the Division of Child and Family Services does not approve the application, the Division must notify the agency which provides child welfare services of the specific deficiencies in the application and allow the agency to resubmit the application within 30 days. 5. If the Division of Child and Family Services approves the application, the Division of Child and Family Services shall, to the extent that money is available for that purpose, award an incentive payment to the agency which provides child welfare services for the fiscal year beginning on July 1 of the year in which the application is submitted.