Negotiating Federal Title IV-E Adoption Assistance in Ohio in 2021; Introductory Notes

 Introduction to Negotiating Federal Adoption Assistance in Ohio

 Dear foster parents, adoptive parents and advocates,

As a result of my gross negligence, it seems like a good idea to review the Title IV-E Adoption Assistance Program in Ohio.  Much of the forthcoming posts are based on observations and recommendations we submitted to Governor DeWine's 2020 Child Welfare Transformation Task Force.  Foster Care Reform was the primary focus of the Task Force, but the negotiation of  federal Title IV-E Adoption Assistance was included as a topic.

 

Forthcoming posts will address two realities.

 

1. Federal and state policy (laws and regulations) as I interpret them.

 

2. Practical recommendations and suggestions based on my current understanding of how the IV-E Adoption Assistance program actually operates in Ohio.

 

It is advisable for parents and advocates to learn how to navigate these two realities as they set sail on the exciting adventure of negotiating adoption assistance.  Seekers of adoption assistance need to become familiar with the criteria for negotiating adoption assistance required by federal and state law, that is what should be done.  At the same time, it helps to know how specific agencies go about meeting their  responsibilities for negotiating adoption assistance, or if their procedures actually falls short of real negotiation.

 

In a county based child welfare system such as Ohio's, a firm grasp of adoption assistance regulations and policies by adopting parents is necessary, but often not enough.  Ohio does not have the statewide foster care and adoption assistance payment rate schedules based on the child's care needs that you find in state administered systems.  Adoption assistance payments vary widely from county to county. Variations in knowledge and practice standards among county agencies challenge prospective adoptive parents' attempts to negotiate adequate amounts of adoption assistance for their special needs children  that are within reasonable shouting distance of the children's foster care payments.

 

The county agency's pressure on adoptive parents to accept adoption assistance payments that are substantially less than the child's foster care payment rate is by far the biggest problem facing prospective adoptive parents seeking sufficient support for their special needs children.  The higher the child's care needs, the bigger the foster care payment rate.  The higher the foster care payment rate, the greater the agency's resistance to negotiating an adoption assistance payment that reflects the child's level of care and the family circumstances related to those care needs.

At this point, you may be thinking. "Gee O'Hanlon, if that's your real name. Thanks for the positive attitude.  I can't wait to negotiate adoption assistance.  It sounds like a lot of fun. I've got a lot of idle time on my hands and have nothing better to do. Why bother to advocate for a sufficient level of adoption assistance for my child if Ohio's program is so dysfunctional?"

Good question.  Ohio's Title IV-E Adoption Assistance program is often dysfunctional.  Nevertheless, in some instances, adoptive parents can obtain an amount of adoption assistance without extensive advocacy that is at least "good enough" to provide for their child's care needs, when it is combined with the family's resources.  The practical suggestions and recommendations that will be offered in forthcoming posts to address situations where the adoptive parents decide. 

a. The amount of adoption assistance proposed by the agency falls so far below the child's foster care payments to serve as adequate supplement for the family to address the child's care needs.

b.The agency has not met the requirements for negotiating Title IV-E Adoption Assistance required by federal and state law.

c. Both of the above. 

Questions

Does challenging the agency's insistence on an insufficient amount of adoption assistance require patience and persistence? Yep.

Is there any strategies or tactics that guarantee success?  Not really. 

Can adoptive parents negotiate adoption assistance payments that are better than the agency's initial proposal?  Often they can.  How much better depends on the specific situation.  Adoptive parents also feel more empowered when they take on the challenge of advocacy.  It may require a trip on the crazy train, but you can exit the get off at any time.  Consider me a fellow passenger.  

Are you (O'Hanlon if that's your real name) as crazy as they say?  Probably.

Are you (O'Hanlon) motivated by a bitter hatred of the Ohio Department of Human Services and most if all Ohio County child welfare agencies because you are self-loathing former bureaucrat?  Not at all.  Some of my best friends are bureaucrats and I look back on my time in cubicleville with great nostalgia.