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Topic: ADOPTION QUESTIONS

03-20-2006 04:08 PM



ajbest
Super Member

Location: NC
Registered: Apr 2005
Posts: 2070
Last visit: 03-24-2006

is this true or WHO do you talk to about adopting so that it doesn't cost you thousands of dollars?

seems everyone i talk with says 'we didn't because it was going to cost us $10 or $15,000.' 3 co-workers went to China to adopt because it didn't cost as much as in US. a guy i work with wanted to adopt a special needs kid, did all the paper work, had someone come out to assess their household/family, etc. - they couldn't afford it, so they didn't.

then you hear/see in the news where a mother kills (wraps in blanket very tightly/uses PVC pipe to beat) her 'adopted' 4 yr. old son - they show the house and it's obviously a very low-income family (article stated that mother did not work - only father held a job) - not that being poor makes you a murderer, but how does someone get to adopt w/o a pretty good income and don't they do background checks - not that i know if this mother has a corrupt background or not.

just wondering what it takes, how hard it is, and if it really costs SO MUCH to provide a loving home for a kid that doesn't have a home/family???

i've heard that going through Social Services doesn't cost anything - is this true? thanks, aj
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03-20-2006 05:05 PM



skipper
New Member

Location:
Registered: Dec 2005
Posts: 9
Last visit: 03-20-2006

adoption
Most states not all subsides special needs adoptions if you go through foster care. We are adopting 2 girls who are special needs 1 has FEA she is 5 and the other is DS she is 7. Our adoption will be subsidized and the will keep their medical insurance until age 21. All the adoption expenses will be paid for. Our oldest daughter was not considered special needs but some of the adoption expenses where paid for because she too was a foster child. You can E mail me if you have any questions. Contact your local Social Service office and ask for the foster adoptive worker. You may have to pay for your homestudy, but it is usually relativley inexpensive if you go through a local SS agency.

03-20-2006 05:29 PM



lespring
Super Member

Location: Twin Cities metro area, MN
Registered: Mar 2005
Posts: 3743
Last visit: 03-22-2006

My sister adopted a sib group of 4. They were considered a special needs adoption because 1) they were a sibling group who needed to stay together and 2) they were older..12, 11, 9, 8. They didn't pay a penny for the adoption. The kids originally came under foster care because they knew it would take awhile to get things finalized between the states, but they and came with Foster care subsidy, (that switched to something else when the adoption was finalized) along with 100% health care coverage.

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03-20-2006 06:23 PM



southernbelle
Super Moderator

Location: Gray, GA USA
Registered: Nov 2004
Posts: 4263
Last visit: 03-24-2006

The cost that people are referring to is for a private adoption.
For instance when I was a birthmother caseworker I was paid whether the birth parents placed or not. This way, there was no pressure on a caseworkers part to bring in children. Our agency was funded 90% by private donations as it was a charity. We financially helped women in unplanned pregnancies even if they were not adoption minded. out of 10 girls I counseled and helped with housing, food, clothing, legal fees ect... maybe 1 placed for adoption. That was okay, because all 10 of them gave birth to healthy children and hopefully made plans for their lives and their childs.

So usually there is a placement fee for an adoption. YOu have to consider the administrative and personal costs as well as legal costs. The agency takes all the legal risks and we didn't place a child until ALL legal problems were resolved. Most of the children were placed at ten days to 2 weeks old.

In the case of special needs and minority adoptions, many times there are scholarships. Just this week I received an email request for a donation to help with a special needs adoption.

As for the state, no. As far as I know there is no fee. There is also rarely an infant adoption. Usually, Social services works to KEEP families together. Sometimes at the detriment of a child....So the child is usually older by the time they are placed like 10 months to a year. If you are interested in a special needs adoption...Burn sun is the expert and can tell you what to expect.

AMY

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03-20-2006 08:52 PM



burnsun
Senior Member

Location: Missouri
Registered: Nov 2004
Posts: 512
Last visit: 03-24-2006

no means the expert
but in our state - there are fees if you have over a certain $ amount for homestudies and these can and are reimbursed if the child meets special criteria. Our state also refunded up to $3500 of our adoption placing agency & homestudy fees when finalized. Which in our case was about 95% of what we paid out.

We were also eligible for subsidy from our state for medical and small monthly check (each state and sometimes county) sets its own amounts or even if they will give them. ***Note these are always on the chopping block! every year we have to lobby to keep them and they get lower and lower.

I can't imagine how china was lower- by the time you spend all the $ on US immigration paperwork and clearance and travel anad stay and pay the agency fees- most of our friends adopting from there have paid almost 25K. Most do it because they are guarenteed a child and have a time frame (jokingly) of when it can happen. Not always true in domestic

If you are considering adopting a special needs new born- make sure they are placed through an agency or dfs NOT JUST A LAWYER!!!(or live in CA) if you will need to utilize any federal programs - because then they are not income based for you, etc. We have tons the kids are eligible for we do not utilize. I only take what they need- ie their WIC when Mirnada needed the hi cal formula- but she and Melea are still eligible- but we have no need (now if Eric got laid off- I would be down there tommorrow in line)

IS THIS FAIR? Well I wish all birth parents got the same treatment our family does! I have no worries that the kids will bankrupt us now, I know their Meidcaid is there to back us up till age 21. I keep telling anyone who will listen that some birth families have this fear- and that is one of many factors that makes them consider placing, but no one wants to hear that!

I can tell you what I think is excessive if t=you privately email me. Most special needs fees range from $3500 - 7 K depending on how much of the paper work and homestudy or supervision an agency is or is not doing. Anything over $5k for a placing agency fee for a special needs child- I feel is excessive- but that is me. We have seen some that do it as a % of your income (usually a religious organization and it is 10-15% of your gross income) this can be good for some and bad for others. SOme states also have a fee limit on what you can pay an agency for a placement fee and get subsidy. SO make sure you know what your state will want.

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