Adoption News

2005 State Regulation of Adoption Expenses & Birth Parent Expenses

Nearly all States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories have enacted statutes that provide some regulation of the fees and expenses that adoptive parents are expected to pay when arranging an adoptive placement. Some of the fees and expenses that are typically addressed in the statutes are placement costs, such as agency fees; legal and attorney expenses for adoptive and birth parents; and some of the expenses of the birth mother during pregnancy.

Approximately 45 States, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands have statutes that specify the type of birth parent expenses a prospective adoptive family is allowed to pay. The actual dollar amount is usually limited by the standard of "reasonable and customary."

The types of expenses most commonly allowed by statute include:

- Maternity-related medical and hospital costs

- Temporary living expenses of the mother during pregnancy

- Counseling fees - Attorney and legal fees; guardian ad litem fees

- Travel costs, meals, and lodging when necessary for court appearances or accessing services

 - Foster care for the child, when necessary

Approximately 8 States specify expenses that the adoptive parent is not permitted to pay. Certain costs such as educational expenses, vehicles, vacations, permanent housing, or any other payment for the monetary gain of the birth parent often are excluded. Approximately 17 States specify that payments for the birth mother’s living expenses or psychological counseling may not extend beyond a set time period, which can range from as little as 30 days to as long as 6 weeks after the child’s birth.

Read more at National Adoption Information Clearinghouse

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	Did You Know?
	Most adoptive parents are two parent families Most adoptive parents are two parent families aged 31 to 40. A growing number of parents are aged 41 to 49. Most parents attended or completed college. Children can be adopted from other countries Adopting children from all over the world has become something U.S. residents and citizens have been doing more and more when starting or expanding their families. Over 20,000 inter-country adoptions are taking place per year in addition to the more than Adoption assistance is available Monthly or one-time only subsidy payments to help adoptive parents raise children with special needs. These payments were initially made possible by the enactment of the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 (P.L. 96-272) which provided Federa