“I cannot afford to adopt” is something we see almost every day especially on social media. Find information about grant, loan, and employer benefit programs to assist with funding adoption expenses.

The lack of adoption benefits can increase the cost of an adoption, especially for those who are forced to take time off without pay to spend with their child. Had there been an adoption benefit from my employer at the time of our child’s birth, this benefit would have allowed me time off to spend with her, without having to worry about lost wage from work in addition to the actual adoption-related expenses.

Children who have been in foster care when they are freed for adoption can be eligible for an adoption subsidy paid by the state and county to the adoptive parents until the child is 21 years of age if the child is handicapped or “hard to place.”

An analysis of the Final Rule proves helpful in making the case that adoptive parents whose children must return to foster care should only be responsible for support in the amount of their adoption subsidy payments.