Adoption Assistance Payments for County Agencies Across Ohio, October 2022

Last in a Series of 2022 Adoption Assistance Payment Rates for Ohio Counties

The table below summarizes the median and mean Title IV-E Adoption Assistance payments made by an unscientific, even whimsical, sample of Ohio Counties in October 2022. The median payments are listed first. Half of the adoption assistance payments were higher and half were. Means are averages, which can be skewed by a few very high or very low payments, especially in counties with relatively few cases. The calculation of median and mean payments does not include cases with $0 payments, where the child is “at risk” of special needs.

Observations

1. The figures below represent adoption assistance payments before the Ohio Department of Job and family Services (ODJFS) raised its financial participation rate from the non-federal portion of monthly adoption assistance payments at or below $250 to the non-federal share of adoption assistance payments up to $350 a month. See “The Federal, State and County Shares of IV-E Adoption Assistance Payments.” We expect higher adoption assistance payments starting in January 2023.

2. The October, 2022 payment figures probably don’t reflect higher adoption assistance payments in recent years as accurately as they might. They include agreements made years ago, when payments were generally lower, many around $250 a month. Hopefully, we can begin collecting information on adoption assistance payments being made through adoption assistance agreements completed in 2023 and after.

*Counties with less than 50 cases.