Florida Administrative Code › 65 - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › 65C - Family Safety and Preservation Program › Chapter 65C-16 - ADOPTIONS › Section 65C-16.015 - Non-Recurring Adoption Expenses

Current through Reg. 50, No. 138; July 16, 2024
(1) Under
				any adoption assistance agreement with adoptive parents of a difficult-to-place
				child, the state is authorized to make payments to the adoptive parents as
				referenced in Section
				 409.166(7),
				F.S. Such costs may include expenditures for physical and psychological
				examinations of the adoptive parents if required as a part of the adoption
				process, as well as transportation, lodging and food for the child or adoptive
				parents when necessary to complete the placement or adoption process.
(2) Agency adoption fees shall be established
				by written agreement between the agency and family prior to the performance of
				the requested service. If these children are otherwise eligible, agency fees
				shall be counted as an allowable expense under non-recurring adoption expenses.
				It is not necessary that the family be receiving maintenance adoption subsidy
				to be eligible for reimbursement of non-recurring adoption expenses.
(3) In cases where siblings are placed and
				adopted either separately or as a unit, each child is treated as an individual
				with separate reimbursement for nonrecurring expenses up to the maximum amount
				of $1, 000 per child.
(4) There can
				be no income eligibility requirements for adoptive parents in determining
				whether payments for non-recurring expenses of adoption will be made.
(5) Adoptive parents cannot be reimbursed for
				out-of-pocket expenses for which they have been otherwise reimbursed.
(6) Except where it would be contrary to the
				best interest of the child, an effort must be made to place the child without
				adoption assistance prior to reimbursement for non-recurring adoption
				expenses.
(7) The following
				procedures will initiate payments for reimbursement of nonrecurring adoption
				expenses:
(a) All adoptive parents of
				difficult-to-place children will be advised by the staff person conducting the
				adoption home study of the availability of nonrecurring expense
				reimbursement;
(b) Reimbursement
				for eligible costs may be made to the adoptive parent or directly to a vendor.
				All adoptive parents will be advised by the staff person conducting the
				adoption home study to keep copies of receipts of expenditures related to the
				adoption. Copies of such receipts must be available in the subsidy record.
				Eligible expenses include court costs, attorney fees, birth certificates, costs
				of required physicals and psychological examinations, costs of transportation,
				lodging and food for the child and/or adoptive parents when necessary to
				complete the adoption process, and the cost of the adoption home study if the
				child is in the custody of a private agency;
(c) When a placement decision has been made,
				the adoption assistance agreement shall be negotiated with the family and must
				include a statement of the projected cost to be reimbursed for nonrecurring
				adoption expenses, as well as proposed maintenance and medical subsidy amounts
				if appropriate;
(d) Payments for
				nonrecurring expenses can be made up to one (1) year following the finalization
				of the adoption.