On June 2, 2022, the Department of State designated Center for Excellence in Adoption Services (CEAS) as an accrediting entity (AE) under the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 (IAA) in accordance with 22 CFR Part 96. The designation is for a period of five years.

CEAS is the second designated AE, joining the Intercountry Adoption Accreditation and Maintenance Entity, Inc. (IAAME), whose designation was renewed on June 2, 2022 for an additional five years. The Memoranda of Agreement between the Department and CEAS and between the Department and IAAME will be published in the Federal Register. CEAS’s responsibilities as an AE will commence upon the Department of State’s approval of systems, procedures, and a fee schedule that will be coordinated as necessary to ensure consistency in accreditation systems and procedures that both AEs will use. 

AE Jurisdiction

Consistent with 22 CFR 96.4(b), the Department has identified geographic jurisdictions, based on existing federal regions, for each AE in consideration of equitable distribution of workload. Each AE will be responsible for accrediting, approving, monitoring, and overseeing ASPs whose primary offices, as reported in the public facing ASP directory as of June 2, 2022 (the date of signature on the Memoranda of Agreements), are located in the states within each AE’s assigned jurisdiction as follows:

CEAS’s jurisdiction comprises the following regions/states: 

Region 1 - New England: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont  

Region 2 - Northeast and Caribbean: New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands 

Region 3 - Mid-Atlantic: Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia  
Region 5 - Great Lakes: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin 

Region 6 - Heartland: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska  

Region 10 - Northwest Arctic: Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington 

National Capital: Washington, DC  

IAAME’s jurisdiction comprises the following regions/states: 

Region 4 - Southeast Sunbelt: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee  
Region 7 - Greater Southwest: Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas  

Region 8 - Rocky Mountain: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming  

Region 9 - Pacific Rim: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Guam  

Transition Planning

The Department, IAAME, and CEAS are working together to ensure a smooth assumption of CEAS’s AE role and transition of relevant workload from IAAME to CEAS. The Department will inform ASPs individually which AE they have been assigned, based on the jurisdiction noted above. Until CEAS officially assumes the AE role, IAAME has the authority and responsibility to accredit, approve, monitor, and oversee all ASPs. CEAS and IAAME will implement Department-approved transition plans for all aspects of AE work related to accreditation, approval, monitoring and oversight for ASPs that will be transferred from IAAME’s to CEAS’s jurisdiction. 

The Department will disseminate further information about CEAS’s assumption of duties, the transition of some ASPs from IAAME to CEAS, ASP fees, and other aspects of this change as it becomes available.