The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded $35 million to 38 states and Puerto Rico for increasing the number of children adopted from foster care. States use the funds from the adoption incentive award to enhance their programs for abused and neglected children. “Adopting a child from foster care is a wonderful way to enrich any family’s life,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “We congratulate the states that performed so well this year and we thank the parents who are providing loving and permanent homes.”The Adoption Incentives program was created as part of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. The original program authorized incentive funds to states that increased the number of children adopted from foster care. In order to get payments, states had to increase the number of children adopted relative to baseline data. Under the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-351), the adoption incentives were revamped to provide stronger incentives for states to redouble their efforts to find children – particularly older children and children with special needs – loving adoptive homes. In addition, the law introduced the concept of an adoption rate, which is derived from comparing current year adoptions to the number of children in care at the end of the previous year. States receive additional money if they exceed their highest foster child adoption rate for previous years back to 2002. The Adoption Incentive program gives states $4,000 for every foster child adopted above their 2007 baseline, plus a payment of $8,000 for every foster child age nine and older and $4,000 for every other special needs child adopted above the respective baselines. In addition, states receive $1,000 for every foster child adopted over and above the level of the state’s highest foster child adoption rate for previous years.“We are pleased with the positive results states have achieved under the new adoption incentive guidelines,” said David Hansell, acting assistant secretary for children and families. “Older children with special needs are the hardest to find homes for, but they are especially deserving of the safety and stability of an adoptive family.” States receiving today’s funding are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Puerto Rico also qualified for an incentive award.
FY 2009 Adoption Incentive Awards
Based on FY 2008 Earning Year State Award
Alabama $412,000
Alaska $224,000
Arizona $499,197
Arkansas $822,078
California $1,504,944
Colorado $0
Connecticut $511,354
Delaware $0
Dist of Columbia $0
Florida $9,754,990
Georgia $288,635
Hawaii $204,000
Idaho $356,800
Illinois $236,000
Indiana $1,623,350
Iowa $0
Kansas $72,000
Kentucky $764,000
Louisiana $1,206,559
Maine $5,280
Maryland $196,000
Massachusetts $0
Michigan $856,000
Minnesota $1,329,276
Mississippi $0
Missouri $488,000
Montana $7,679
Nebraska $569,917
Nevada $24,000
New Hampshire $280,319
New Jersey $0
New Mexico $534,558
New York $0
North Carolina $1,388,312
North Dakota $80,320
Ohio $0
Oklahoma $1,504,000
Oregon $220,000
Pennsylvania $1,264,154
Rhode Island $208,000
South Carolina $721,757
South Dakota $112,800
Tennessee $2,400
Texas $4,969,734
Utah $788,000
Vermont $0
Virginia $0
Washington $0
West Virginia $523,359
Wisconsin $0
Wyoming $131,360
Puerto Rico $52,000
A list of each state’s adoption incentive award amount can be found at
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/news/press/2009/fy09_adoption_incentive_awards.htm.
FY 2009 Adoption Incentive Awards
Based on FY 2008 Earning Year State Award
Alabama $412,000
Alaska $224,000
Arizona $499,197
Arkansas $822,078
California $1,504,944
Colorado $0
Connecticut $511,354
Delaware $0
Dist of Columbia $0
Florida $9,754,990
Georgia $288,635
Hawaii $204,000
Idaho $356,800
Illinois $236,000
Indiana $1,623,350
Iowa $0
Kansas $72,000
Kentucky $764,000
Louisiana $1,206,559
Maine $5,280
Maryland $196,000
Massachusetts $0
Michigan $856,000
Minnesota $1,329,276
Mississippi $0
Missouri $488,000
Montana $7,679
Nebraska $569,917
Nevada $24,000
New Hampshire $280,319
New Jersey $0
New Mexico $534,558
New York $0
North Carolina $1,388,312
North Dakota $80,320
Ohio $0
Oklahoma $1,504,000
Oregon $220,000
Pennsylvania $1,264,154
Rhode Island $208,000
South Carolina $721,757
South Dakota $112,800
Tennessee $2,400
Texas $4,969,734
Utah $788,000
Vermont $0
Virginia $0
Washington $0
West Virginia $523,359
Wisconsin $0
Wyoming $131,360
Puerto Rico $52,000
A list of each state’s adoption incentive award amount can be found at
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/news/press/2009/fy09_adoption_incentive_awards.htm.