A Breakthrough in Lawrence County
More Adoption Assistance Payments from Ohio Counties
A Bit of Good News
Before we resume our tour of Adoption Assistance payments made by individual counties in October, 2022, some good news from Lawrence County. Last week, I sat in on the genuine negotiation of an adoption assistance agreement. In the wake of an unsuccessful attempt at mediation and a successful appeal the perspective adoptive parents through a state hearing, the parties engaged in good faith discussion of the child’s needs and the family’s circumstances.
Prior to the negotiation meeting, the agency representative had obviously made a considerable effort to educate herself about the Adoption Assistance program. Her impressive level of preparation and good faith was a key factor in reaching an agreement with the parents. Up to that point, the negotiations appeared to be going nowhere.
The agency representative’s willingness to ask pertinent questions and to listen to the parents’ concerns was all the more notable, given Lawrence county’s habitual intransigence when it came to the negotiation of adoption assistance.
In a post, dated February 28, 2023, I wrote that Adoption Assistance payments made by Lawrence County in October, 2022, indicated that the agency was out of compliance with federal and state policies for negotiating Adoption Assistance Agreements. All 79 of eligible families in Lawrence County received Adoption Assistance Payments of $250. It is highly unlikely that all of the adopted children’s needs and their adoptive parents’ “family circumstances” just happened to be the same.
This week’s negotiated Adoption Assistance Agreement marks a significant departure from Lawrence County’s normal practice. Hopefully, it will be a permanent one. At the very least, it reinforces the importance of informed advocacy.
Adoption Assistance Payments for a Few Southern and Southeast Counties
County Scioto Athens Jackson Meigs Washington
Population 72,361 61,732 32,482 21,742 22,510
Pop. Rank 35 41 71 81 43
AA Children 79 178 28 42 70
Max Payment $2,500 $2,550 $1,837 $860 $900
$0 Payments 0 5 1 3 8
Mean $364 $530 $633 $402 $348
Median $250 $415 $300 $350 $250
Notes
Please contact me for information from counties that may not appear in this newsletter’s posts.
Remember, once again, that these figures do not reflect the increase funding for Title IV-E Adoption Assistance payments, which began in January, 2023. See “Breaking News,” Jan. 5, 2023.
Twenty Six of Washington County’s October, 2022 Adoption Assistance Payments were $240. I believe we can safely conclude that any monthly Adoption Assistance payment below $250 prior to January 1, 2023 and below $350 after that has not been negotiated in compliance with federal and state requirements. At $250, now at $350, the entire cost of the monthly Adoption Assistance payment is covered by federal and state funds. Given the large gap between foster care payments and Adoption Assistance, it is hard to justify what amounts to a sub minimum payment.