| Author |
Comment |
Holly5
Registered User
(7/11/01 9:59:55 am)
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Subsidies
- do you get one and if so how much? Just curious
Well we had our first home visit on Monday and it went really
well. The agent said we were right on track and everything
looked great. So much for worrying!
But anyway, during our visit she talked to us about subsidies
and said that the "ordinary" rate for our area was
$500 per month per child. I never would of though it would be so
high. She said since we're looking a sibling groups of 2 we
should expect to get $750-$1000 a month until they are 18. She
said the extraordinary rate is $750 per child, and exceptional
is $1000+.
I've never heard any numbers before, just that you did get a
subsidy. Can anyone tell me that they honestly are receiving
that much!? I trust my agent when she says that everyone she's
placed has received at least the $500 a month, but in my own
mind that just seems so high.
I mean I'd take these kids for free!
Thanks!
holly
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susanmward
ezOP
(7/11/01 4:23:07 pm) |
Re:
Subsidies - do you get one and if so how much? Just cur
Holly,
Since I adopted internationally, I did not get a subsidy and
only know a little about the specifics. Aren't subsidies meant
to cover extra expenses such as therapy, etc.? Even when we
adopt children that seem quite "normal," we can be
socked with the need to provide them with therapies to help with
learning disorders, physical needs, attachment therapy, etc.
I'm very experienced with the cost of therapy and how it can
take you near to ruin. Dealing with Hannah's RAD and PTSD has
been overwhelming, financially and emotionally. My insurance
paid for none of the attachment/PTSD therapy, and the emotional
drain she put on me meant that I was unable to produce the
income I normally do during her horrible times. Don't discount
the need for subsidies. And if you have input into the amount,
be very knowledgeable about what issues these kids have, or may
have that are not being discussed openly. No matter how excited
we are to adopt, and no matter how much we love our new kids,
they may arrive with surprising issues that take energy AND
money to fix.Susan Ward, mama to Hannah
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Callexi
Registered User
(7/12/01 11:17:08 pm) |
Re:
Subsidies - do you get one and if so how much? Just cur
I am in the process of a domestic adopting and did a lot of
research on subsidies. They do vary greatly from state to state,
but the most interesting thing I was told is that it is also
used as incentive to get more adoptive parents for older and
special needs kids. They say fact is it is cheaper to pay an
adoption subsidy than it is to keep the child in foster care.
Just thought I'd add that little fyi.
Callexi
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Holly5
Registered User
(7/13/01 8:41:19 am) |
Still..
Callexi - That's what our worker said. But still, I think $500 a
month per child until they are 18 is crazy. It's one hell of an
incentive. I was completely shocked that it would be that much.
Susan - I guess medical & counseling costs can add up, but
to add my children to my health policy will only be an
additional $5 a week, and my company offers free counseling at 5
different centers in our area. I'll have to check and see if any
of them specialize in adoption issues though. When we were
seeing someone to help deal with our infertility issues, our
counselor said he had experience with adoption counseling, but
I'm not sure what services he offers. I know his son was adopted
as an infant from Korea.
I will definitely check into this.
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songbird53
Registered User
(7/14/01 12:20:46 am) |
Re:
Still..
Holly,
We have really good insurance (an 80/20 plan) but we learned how
inadequate it is (& most are) for psych issues. My son has
chronic pain due to his illness, to the point that he takes some
pretty powerful narcotics daily. (His specialized pain doctor is
pretty generous with them, partly because they see that his life
expectancy is very uncertain & they want him to be
"comfortable".) But the drugs were ruining his life,
& he still wasn't comfortable, so they suggested that he get
some bio-feedback training. There was a really good psychologist
who was experienced with kids with chronic pain, & chronic
illness, & biofeedback. Naturally, she wasn't cheap. We have
TWO insurance plans, as a matter of fact, & neither one of
them would pay for the training for him, as it fell into the
"psych" part of the benefits. They both would only
allow you to go to one of four doctors in the whole entire area,
all of them not specializing in pain or children, & all of
them 70-90 minutes away from our house. He ended up not getting
the training. (Now we are trying acupuncture, & fortunately,
he seems to be responding to it. He has been able to cut way
back on his medication.) That is a long winded comment, but
basically I'm trying to point out that you should check &
see what your insurance actually does cover. (And consider what
you'd do if you ever LOST that insurance coverage, such as it
is.) You might be surprised at how little it will cover for any
emotional or psychological needs your child may have.
And frankly, I'd love to go to a counselor myself if it were
readily available (& I'm trained as a counselor myself!) It
would be WONDERFUL to have a non-judgemental listening ear that
I could say anything to, & it would be O.K. As moms to
adoptive kids, it is easy to give & give & give &
give & have a hard time allowing anyone to give to us.
I'll get off my soapbox. Just check out your stipend & your
insurance carefully, & try to cover all eventualities if you
can -- respite, therapy, residential treatment, etc. If a
stipend will cover it, it can be a real asset, & worth far
more than the $500.00/month.
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madisonn
Registered User
(7/14/01 6:00:25 pm) |
Re:
Subsidies - do you get one and if so how much? Just cur
Holly- My husband and I live in MO and on July 12,2001 adopted
our 3 boys (thru DFS). We will receive the standard amount for
foster care children, for the boys. In MO the amount is
dependent on their age and behavioral status. Our middle child
is considered behavioral, so we receive 651.00/month for him.
The other two are 277.00 and 307.00 per month. Also, we had DFS
put in our adoption agreement that DFS or Medicaid will pay for
any counseling/residential care, respite care, and orthodontial
work. They also gave us 500.00 per child for furniture needed. I
know that sounds like alot and at first my husband and I felt
bad ...but in talking to other families, they wished they had
our type of agreement!! We love our boys very much and this will
help us to give them all they need (and spoil them too!!)
Oh...we also got a 1 time clothing allowance of 750.00 for the3
of them! Good luck!!
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Vicki
Unregistered User
(7/14/01 8:22:43 pm) |
Subsidies
Hi there,
I adopted my 3 year old foster son in 1999. I recieve 760.00 per
month subsidy due to his issues. In addition he has full medical
coverage to age 18. His medical card covers all psych and
counseling, dental, medical, glasses and so on. As a single
parent, it would be very difficult to provide these services
and deal with his condition without this support.
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Roxanne
Unregistered User
(7/15/01 9:44:47 pm)
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subsidies
I think that what state you are in has an awful lot to do with
the subsidy amount you will receive. We have adopted four kids
from DSS. Our subsidies range from $450 to $1000 a month, the
highest amount is for our 4 year old daughter, she is diagnosed
with RAD, ODD, depression and a seizure disorder. Our state, ND
has medical assistance as the back up insurance, so in theory
whatever your primary insurance doesn't cover, MA will. The
subsidy and MA is paid until 18, or 21 if the kid is in school.
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Debbie
Unregistered User
(7/29/01 12:02:06 pm) |
adoption
subsities
We have adopted 3 kids to date and are in the process of yet one
more. You will need the
adoption money for more than you think. It costs me around $400
per month for therapy
per child. Around $100 per month for the doctor that does the
medicine per child. At first
I thought the money was alot but after they start feeling
comfortable at home they let their
hair down so to speak and then the problems are abundant. The
gas at $2 per gallon the
medical costs (insurance and mental health don't agree) and
phone bills to help the kids
becomes very high to say the least. You realize early on regular
therapy doesn't cut it and
need serious help. No amount of money is enough when you start
the healing process.
Have you realized your kids need to experience life to even
start healing. How many have
been to an amusement park or gone on a shopping spree for back
to school clothes or been
to the zoo or ocean? Normal parts of childhood but not for our
kids. Pardon me I always
become long winded. The money is necessary for the kids!
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heather
in MN
Unregistered User
(3/25/02 11:46:22 pm)
|
we are
going to be getting about $1000
We have a high needs child (it seems strange to say that because
she really just seems young to us now that we are used to her)
and after the adoption will be receiving about $1000 per month.
The weird thing with MO though was that since it was a kinship
placement, they only wanted to pay us $300 per month until the
adoption while they would pay a stranger over $1200. MN does not
discriminate in this way and thru a lot of persistance got them
to pay her the MN rate. I don't feel sheepish about this at all.
We can do more with her as a result. Therapeutic horseback ridng
is an option now. We can afford to dress her a little sharper (
she still gets Target clothes) which makes her look very
typical. When we are working real hard on self care issues it's
been very good for her to go get a facial at the beauty school.
We are going to an NSYNC concert this month which is the first
age appropriate thing she has ever really wanted to do. (blue's
clues still rules Saturday mornings) None of these things
outside of the concert has really been that outlandish, but they
would put quite a strain on us otherwise. I know that with a
biological child these things would be nice, but not nearly so
necessary. Foster kids don't need to be overwhelmed with
goodies, but they do need some catch up experiences.
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pattyh123
Registered User
(3/28/02 11:40:56 pm) |
Re: we
are going to be getting about $1000
We're in Iowa and we get about $900 a month for our son, who is
9 and has severe emotional problems. He also has Medicaid until
he is 18. He is on our insurance, but we have $20 payment for
prescriptions and only 26 mental health visits per year. My son
is on 4 different medications and is in weekly play therapy as
well as psychiatrist appointment every couple of months. The
subsidy has helped so that I can cut back my hours at work and
be able to take him to school and pick him up. He didn't do very
well in school or daycare because of his behaviors so it really
helps that he doesn't need before and after school care. Right
now we also have $400 alloted to us for daycare because he needs
to work on his social skills with other children, but I think
we'll lose that this summer because our DHS has had major budget
cuts.
Pat
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social
worker
Unregistered User
(4/6/02 8:50:33 pm) |
subsidy
It varies. If you want to know go to www.nacac.org and click on
subsidy and then state that has custody. Some states (like Ohio)
pay less but cover special needs services (including
international) up to $15,000. Some states pay more monthly but
offer little post adoption money. It varies. and yes it is
cheaper than foster care and most states charge nothing. |