Children’s Bureau/ACYF/ACF/HHS

800.394.3366 | Email: info@childwelfare.gov | https://www.childwelfare.gov

FACTSHEET 

FOR FAMILIES

April 2016

Military Families Considering

Adoption

WHAT’S INSIDE

The adoption process

Permanent change of 

station or deployment

during the adoption 

process

Military benefits and 

services

Resources for more 

information

Adoption is a realistic option for military 

personnel who want to expand their families. 

In many ways, the adoption process for 

military families is very similar to adoption 

for civilian families. This factsheet provides 

an overview of adoption resources and 

challenges that are specific to families with 

one or more service members.
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The Adoption Process

The adoption process will vary depending on whether you 

are currently stationed in the United States or overseas. 

In either case, you can begin by speaking with a Military 

OneSource consultant about your family’s desire to adopt. 

They can help you locate an agency and identify what 

benefits are available to you: 800.342.9647 or http://www.

militaryonesource.mil/.

At a very basic level, steps in the adoption process 

include the following:

 Understand the applicable laws

 Choose an agency and complete a home study

 Prepare for matching and placement of your child

Adoption: Where Do I Start?, a factsheet by 

Child Welfare Information Gateway that answers 

many of the questions that families have when 

considering adoption, is available at https://www.

childwelfare.gov/pubs/f-adoptoption/. 

Understand the Law

The laws governing your adoption depend on where your 

family is stationed and where the child you wish to adopt 

lives.

If You Are Stationed in the United States

Each State’s laws govern adoptions by its residents. 

The State Statutes Search feature on the Information 

Gateway website provides information on the adoption 

laws in each State. Information regarding who may adopt, 

timeframes for consent and revocation of consent to 

adoption, and more are provided in the database and can 

be searched by State, territory, or region at 

https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/systemwide/

laws-policies/state/.

If the child you want to adopt lives in a different State 

from where you are currently stationed, you need to 

be aware of the Interstate Compact on the Placement 

of Children. This is an agreement between States that 

regulates the placement of children across State lines. 

Your social worker or agency should be familiar with its 

requirements and can provide you with more information, 

including how this may impact the timeframe.

If you are stationed at home but want to adopt a child 

who lives outside the United States, you will need 

to comply with the laws of your State of record, U.S. 

immigration law, and the laws of the country where the 

child lives. Information Gateway’s factsheet, Intercountry 

Adoption: Where Do I Start?, provides a good overview 

of this process and where to learn more at https://www.

childwelfare.gov/pubs/f-inter/. 

The Hague Adoption Convention is a treaty that 

governs adoptions among the United States and 

nearly 75 other countries. For families interested 

in intercountry adoption, adopting a child from a 

country that is a member of the Hague Convention 

is different from adopting a child from a nonHague Convention country. For more information, 

read Information Gateway’s Intercountry Adoption 

From Hague Convention and Non-Hague 

Convention Countries at https://www.childwelfare.

gov/pubs/factsheets/hague/.

If You Are Stationed Overseas

Military families living overseas must comply with the 

same laws as those living in the United States, with a few 

added intricacies. If you are adopting a child living in 

the United States, your adoption may be governed by 

the laws of the State of your legal residence in addition 

to the State where the child lives. If you are adopting a 

child from another country, you will need to comply with 

the laws of your country of residence and your child’s 

home country (if they are different), in addition to U.S. 

Citizenship and Immigration Services policy (to ensure you 

can bring the child back to the United States with you).

The Judge Advocate General or legal assistance office 

may be able to point you to applicable laws, policies, and 

agreements the United States has with countries where 

military personnel are stationed. For example, not all 

countries and bases support adoption of children with 
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particular educational and/or medical needs. You may 

want to ask how the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), 

a treaty between a host country and a nation stationing 

troops in that country, affects the relocation of children 

from one country to another.

Choose an Agency and Complete a Home 

Study

If You Are Stationed in the United States

You may choose to work with a public agency, a licensed 

private agency, an attorney (“independent adoption”), 

or an adoption facilitator (if allowed by laws in your 

State) or unlicensed agency. Public and licensed private 

agencies are required to meet State standards and have 

more oversight to ensure standardized quality services. 

Many adoption agencies offer free orientation sessions 

that will give you an overview of their available pre- and 

postadoption services prior to making any commitment to 

work with them. 

Find lists of public and licensed private agencies for 

both domestic and intercountry adoptions in Information 

Gateway’s National Foster Care & Adoption Directory at 

https://www.childwelfare.gov/nfcad.

No matter what agency or facilitator you use, all 

prospective adoptive parents must have a home study 

(also called a family study or family assessment). The 

home study involves education, preparation, and 

information gathering about the prospective adoptive 

parents. This process can take from 2 to 10 months to 

complete. Intercountry adoption may carry special home 

study requirements, depending on the country and 

agency involved.

Although the home study process is generally the same 

for military families and civilian families, military families 

might encounter the following:

 Your home study may require more criminal 

background checks than is typical, because agencies 

may require background checks for every State in 

which you have lived.

 Depending on how familiar your assigned social worker 

is with military culture, you may encounter questions 

about how often your family moves and/or how you will 

provide a stable environment for a child. This is a good 

opportunity to point out that the military provides 

a high level of consistency and support for families, 

including access to the same health insurance, health 

care, and family supports no matter where they live. 

You can also refer your social worker to Information 

Gateway’s bulletin, Working With Military Families as 

They Pursue Adoption, for more information at https://

www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/militarybulletin/.

If You Are Stationed Overseas

Families overseas must have a home study completed 

and been approved by a social worker licensed in the 

United States to do adoption home studies. Two agencies 

licensed to place U.S. children with overseas families are 

Adopt Abroad (http://adopt-abroad.com) and Voice for 

International Development and Adoption (http://www.

vidaadoptions.org). Also, the International Social Service 

has social workers in 140 of the countries where the United 

States has military installations. Find more information at 

http://www.iss-usa.org. 

Keep in mind that obtaining necessary documents, such 

as certified copies of birth and marriage certificates, may 

take extra time when you live overseas. If your documents 

must be notarized, you may need to contact the issuing 

State or county to get them.

Prepare for Matching and Placement of Your 

Child

The time it takes for a child to be matched with your 

family and placed in your home will vary greatly 

depending on the type of adoption, agency, and the 

country where you and your child live. It is not unusual to 

wait 2 years or longer for a child to be matched with an 

adoptive family. Realistic expectations about the waiting 

period and making use of that time to educate yourself 

about adoption and prepare your home and family for the 

lifelong journey can help ease the frustration of the wait.
Military Families Considering Adoption https://www.childwelfare.gov

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In a U.S. adoption from foster care, children may require 

preplacement visits over a period of time to ease their 

transition into your family. These plans are based on 

agency policy and the needs of the child or children. 

Out-of-State or overseas families may need to travel to the 

home State or country of the child to meet and visit with 

him or her. 

For More Information

 The AdoptUSKids website includes a section on 

How to Foster and Adopt: Military Guidelines, which 

has information specifically for military families and 

includes a contact number for more information 

at http://www.adoptuskids.org/resourcecenter/

rrtpackets/military.aspx.

 National Military Family Association website also 

includes a section on adoption for military families at 

http://www.militaryfamily.org/info-resources/adoption.

html.

Information Gateway offers many resources on the 

adoption process, including the following:

 The Adoption Home Study Process, an Information 

Gateway factsheet, provides information about what 

is included in a home study and the topics discussed 

in this process at https://www.childwelfare.gov/

pubs/f-homstu/. 

 The National Foster Care and Adoption Directory 

contains a State-by-State listing of adoption agencies 

and program managers and is available at https://www.

childwelfare.gov/nfcad/. 

Permanent Change of Station or 

Deployment During the Adoption 

Process

PCS Orders

If your family receives orders for a permanent change 

of station (PCS) during the adoption process, you may 

be able to have some of your home study documents 

transferred to an agency near your new home or 

installation. However, many agencies require a new home 

study using their own forms and protocols. 

If your family has already been matched with a child in 

the State where you are currently stationed but you have 

received orders to move out-of-State, administrators of 

the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children will 

need to grant approval for the child to move to another 

State to complete the adoption. Once you have legally 

adopted your child, your family will be free to move to 

different States. 

The Department of Defense’s (DoD) Exceptional 

Family Member Program helps families that have 

a family member with particular medical and/

or educational needs before, during, and after 

transfer or PCS orders to help ensure that all 

family members’ needs are considered in the 

assignment coordination process. The program 

also provides assistance in navigating medical 

and educational systems by providing information 

and referrals. Families must first enroll in this 

program in order for the family member’s special 

needs to be considered.

It should be noted that the military defines 

“special needs” to mean “physical or mental 

disabilities or severe illness.” This differs from 

what some States may refer to as “children with 

special needs” with regard to adoption, which 

may include children who may be healthy but are 

older, in sibling groups, or from a specific minority 

or ethnic group. 

More details about the Exceptional Family 

Member Program are provided on the Military 

OneSource website at 

http://www.militaryonesource.mil/

efmp?content_id=271240.
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This material may be freely reproduced and distributed. However, when doing so, please credit Child Welfare Information Gateway. 

This publication is available online at https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f-milita/.

Deployment

In case of deployment, it is very important to keep your 

command informed about your adoption process to 

ensure that essential documents are completed and 

delivered in a timely way. The spouse remaining at home 

(or another family member) also should have a mailing 

address for the military member during deployment, as 

well as a method for reaching him or her in an emergency. 

Some parts of the adoption process can be facilitated 

by granting power of attorney to your spouse (or 

another family member, in the case of a single parent 

adoption). However, your home study will require at 

least one personal interview that cannot be delegated 

to anyone else via power of attorney. If you know you will 

be deploying, you may be able to work with your social 

worker to schedule the interview before leaving. You also 

can prepare for the adoption process before deployment 

by completing fingerprints for background checks in 

advance.

Families that are close to finalization may request a 

deployment deferment or extension of assignment. This 

deferment is available for single parents or one member 

of a military couple and is more likely to be granted once 

a child has been placed in the home.

Military Benefits and Services

The military offers a number of benefits and services to 

support families before, during, and after an adoption. 

Military and Family Support Centers (known by different 

names in different branches of the military) are located on 

most military installations and can provide families with 

more information about their benefits and referrals to 

other sources. Assistance locating installation programs 

and services nearby can be obtained by calling Military 

OneSource at 800.342.9647 or accessing the installation 

program directory at http://www.militaryonesource.mil/.

Help With Adoption Costs

The costs of adoption can range from zero—if you adopt 

from the foster care system and use a public agency—to 

more than $40,000, if you adopt independently (that is, 

without an agency). An Information Gateway factsheet, 

Costs of Adopting, has more details and is available at 

https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/s-cost/. 

Both military and nonmilitary resources are available to 

help defray the costs of adoption, such as:

 Adoption reimbursement. According to DoD 

Instruction 1341.09, up to $2,000 per child or up to 

$5,000 per year is available for qualifying expenses to 

military families whose adoptions were arranged by a 

qualified adoption agency or other source authorized 

to place children for adoption under State or local 

law. Benefits are paid after the adoption is completed. 

Read more at http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/

corres/pdf/134109p.pdf.

 Tax credit. Military families are eligible for the same 

adoption tax credit as civilian families. For more 

information, go to the Information Gateway webpage 

that lists grants, loans, and tax credits for adoption 

at https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/adoption/

adoptive/expenses/grants-loans/.

 Adoption assistance (or adoption subsidies). For 

some eligible children, adoption assistance is another 

possible resource. The subsidies will vary depending 

on the child’s needs. See Information Gateway’s 

factsheet Adoption Assistance for Children Adopted 

From Foster Care at https://www.childwelfare.gov/

pubs/f-subsid/.

Working spouses who are not members of the military 

may also be eligible for adoption reimbursement through 

their employer.

Leave

Service members are eligible for up to 21 days of 

nonchargeable leave in conjunction with the adoption of 

a child. If both parents are in the military, only one can 

take adoption leave. See DoD instruction Number 1327.06 

(page 17) at http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/

pdf/132706p.pdf.

Military service members are not eligible for leave under 

the Family and Medical Leave Act. However, working 

spouses of military members may be eligible and should 

check with their employers regarding eligibility.
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This material may be freely reproduced and distributed. However, when doing so, please credit Child Welfare Information Gateway. 

This publication is available online at https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f-milita/.

Medical Coverage

An adopted child or a child whose adoption is pending 

but not yet finalized should be enrolled in the Defense 

Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) 

immediately upon placement in your home through 

www.tricare.mil/DEERS. Patient affairs personnel at 

specific medical treatment facilities may have more 

information. Details about access and eligibility are 

available on the TRICARE website at http://www.tricare.

mil.

Postadoption Services

All families can benefit from support, and many adoptive 

families find it helpful to seek services in the days, weeks, 

or even years after the adoption is finalized. Postadoption 

services help families with a wide range of challenges, 

from learning how to explain adoption to a preschooler, to 

caring for a child who experienced early childhood abuse, 

to supporting an adopted teen’s search for identity. Some 

postadoption services specific to the military include the 

following:

 Affordable child development programs provide 

child care at many military installations. DoD 

requires high-quality services that are consistent 

from one installation to another, although not 

all services are available at all installations. More 

information is available on the Military OneSource 

website at http://www.militaryonesource.mil/cyt/

leaders?Content_id=271919.

 Family advocacy programs exist in each branch of the 

military. These programs include installation services 

to support and strengthen couples and families and 

provide individual and family counseling services for 

military families. New Parent Support Programs at 

some installations offer professional home visitation 

services for families with young children. The Military 

OneSource website provides more information at 

http://www.militaryonesource.mil/

phases-military-leadership?content_id=266712. 

 Confidential services, including nonmedical 

counseling, online coaching, and specialty 

consultations, are available in various formats for 

eligible individuals. For more information, call Military 

OneSource at 1.800.342.9647 or visit http://www.

militaryonesource.mil/confidential-help.

Other resources include the following:

 Parenting resources. Information Gateway’s Parenting 

After Adoption section offers a number of resources 

to support parents throughout their child’s life. Visit 

it at https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/adoption/

adopt-parenting/.

 Support groups. Adoptive parent support groups 

can be a great source of encouragement and a place 

to find information about other adoption services 

in your area. Some military installations have active 

adoptive parent support groups. Search for support 

groups by State at https://www.childwelfare.gov/nfcad. 

Alternatively, contact a Military OneSource triage 

consultant, who can help service members and their 

families locate an adoption support group near them, 

at 800.342.9647 or http://www.militaryonesource.mil/. 

 Trauma support. Many children and youth who are 

adopted—particularly those adopted internationally 

or from the U.S. foster care system—have experienced 

some form of trauma. For more information and 

resources about working with children who have 

experienced trauma, see the Resources on Trauma 

for Caregivers and Families section of the Information 

Gateway website at https://www.childwelfare.gov/

topics/responding/trauma/caregivers/.

 Adoption caseworkers or adoption agencies. 

If you are stationed in the United States, your 

adoption caseworker or adoption agency can 

help you find the services available in your State. 

Information Gateway has a webpage of links to 

adoption information provided by State child 

welfare agencies in all 50 States and the District 

of Columbia at https://www.childwelfare.gov/

organizations/?CWIGFunctionsaction=rols:main.

dspROL&rolType=Custom&RS_ID=12.
Military Families Considering Adoption https://www.childwelfare.gov

Resources for More Information

Child Welfare Information Gateway, Adoption by Family 

Type: Military Families at 

https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/adoption/adoptive/

adoption-by-family-type/military-families/

AdoptUSKids, Adoption Resources for Military Families at 

http://www.adoptuskids.org/resourcecenter/rrtpackets/

military.aspx

Military OneSource at http://www.militaryonesource.com

National Military Family Association (NMFA), Adoption at 

http://www.militaryfamily.org/info-resources/adoption.

html

U.S. Department of State, Intercountry Adoption at 

http://www.adoption.state.gov

Suggested citation: 

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2016). Military families 

considering adoption. Washington, DC: U.S. Department 

of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

Administration for Children and Families 

Administration on Children, Youth and Families 

Children’s Bureau