Adoption Subsidy for Texas

When I adopted my oldest the subsidy paperwork from Washington went through her CW in Washington and my CW here.  It was sent to me for signature is all.  I did read it over to make sure that everything was accurate and listed appropriate levels of concern  but that's about it.

Our third adopted child was eligble for a subsidy because he was the sibling of our adopted daughter.  I was of a mind that we should not take it, because I felt bad taking money from the government to raise our child.  But my husband thought we should, he's almost sixty years old, and this child made ten children for us.  He said it's hard to make enough money to raise so many when you are as old as he is!!  (poor man!!  :)  )

So I got the forms, and went though them.  Good grief, I thought, they shouldn't even feel like they have to give us fifty cents.  We are a frugal, homeschooling family.  Because this was our tenth child, and he had been our foster child for a year, we already had all the car seats, beds, and clothes.  I'm a stay at home mom, so there were no day care expenses.  We homeschool, so that was one place I thought I could maybe put something down, but we've homeschooled for nineteen years, and I already have all the books!  Okay, so put a little bit down for paper and pencils...

I called the worker and said, "I can't find enough places to put we need money!  This is kind of useless"  I told her what I was seeing on the forms.  She said "Send it to me.  I think you deserve the maximum!"  So I mailed it to her, and she got the maximum for us:  $400 a month, which is less than we got as foster, but still a nice amount.  And it does help, because of this, I can buy museum and zoo passes for us during the homeschool year.  We can do other things that we might not have gotten to do otherwise, because with a big family, no matter how frugal you are, those extras are hard!

So probably it will be the same with you.  You'll get some forms to fill out.  Your social worker will help you.  Likely, you'll get a fair amount!

Thanks for the info. We also feel funny getting money for the kids. Our biggest concern is insurance, since our plan will not cover the amount of therapy the kids are currently receiving. As far as afterschool care, beds, clothing, and the rest of the stuff that comes with kids, we are prepared. We've been setting money aside since we started classes. What we were not counting on was the need to add an addition on the house. Each kid needs a separate bedroom, and we only have a three bedroom house. Luckily we are handy, and have a few friends in the construction business.

The subsidy is more than the $400 per child monetary amount that sibling groups typically qualify for. It also most likely (and more importantly) means that they will get to keep their Medicaid Coverage, and pay for college. Good luck to you.

Quoting jody230:

Thanks for the info. We also feel funny getting money for the kids. Our biggest concern is insurance, since our plan will not cover the amount of therapy the kids are currently receiving. As far as afterschool care, beds, clothing, and the rest of the stuff that comes with kids, we are prepared. We've been setting money aside since we started classes. What we were not counting on was the need to add an addition on the house. Each kid needs a separate bedroom, and we only have a three bedroom house. Luckily we are handy, and have a few friends in the construction business.

Wow, if each of ours had to have seperate bedrooms, we'd be in a fix!!

Quoting doodlebopfan:

The subsidy is more than the $400 per child monetary amount that sibling groups typically qualify for. It also most likely (and more importantly) means that they will get to keep their Medicaid Coverage, and pay for college. Good luck to you.

We were told only Tommy got a stipend, because he was Angel-Leah sibling, but because we adopted them separately, Angel-Leah did not qualify...

I forgot, Tommy did keep his medicaid, I asked for that because he was born with a hole in his heart.

We are not in Texas, but I agree with the others. It feels weird taking the money to care for the kids, but we don't keep it in our bank account. It goes into a fund for the kids. I figure it's there if there are expenses that need to be covered in the future that are not covered under our insurance and their Medi-Cal. Also, I don't believe their college will be covered, so they have access to that money for when they go to college. If by chance they qualify, then they will have that money to help them when they are done with schooling. The way I look at it is that it's easy to ask for it in the beginning, but trying to get it after the fact I've heard is very hard to get approved, you then have to prove that you need it.

Our subsidy was the same for adoption as it was for foster care. All we had to do was review and sign a form. I too felt weird about getting a subsidy, but we are saving it for college expenses.

We  have adopted seven and soon will be ten. Five of ours are from Texas. The base rate is $400 per child. If they have extreme handicaps then it is more...but that is tough to get from Texas. I knew of a child that was a "shaken baby" and still only got $400. All medicals will be paid as well including dental/orthodontics. We use the medical as a secondary. You can also have it directly deposited into your banking acct. instead of hard mail.    

I just want to say, that I agree with this post.  We do not feel bad about taking subsidies. Foster children are a product of our society. So often times they would not be able to find a home without the support financially. I look at it like this. If you were divorced from a spouse he or she would have to pay child support. Henceforth the system is paying "support" for children that society has thrown away. It takes alot of energy, time, and resources to often times raise children who come from adverse situations.