Adoption Assistance Program (AAP)

Who Qualifies?

Many families wish to adopt children but may feel they are financially unable to do so. The federal and state governments established the Adoption Assistance Program (AAP) to help families with some of the long-term expenses when they adopt children who qualify for financial help through the foster care system.

Children who qualify must be age 3 years or older at the time of adoption and/or must be members of ethnic minorities or sibling sets, have mental or physical handicaps, or have difficulties in their family backgrounds. Children adopted through the foster care system meet the eligibility requirements for AAP.

Statewide regulations clarify under what conditions families may receive AAP payments. Among these conditions are:

• Assistance is limited to domestic agency adoptions.

• The amount of the AAP cash benefit, if any, shall be a negotiated amount based upon the needs of the child and the circumstances of the family. The amount is limited to the rate the child would have been eligible to receive as a foster child.

• Funding of group home placement is allowed in limited circumstances.

• Specialized care increments are allowed. Professional verification of the child's disability is required.

• Payments are to meet only those needs that are covered by public agency foster care programs.

• Overpayments must be repaid.

• AAP continues until the adopted child's 18th birthday. Under certain circumstances, when a child has a mental or physical disability, the AAP benefit may continue to age 21.

AAP Amount

In order to establish the amount of AAP benefits, the Social Services Agency's adoption social worker will meet with the prospective adoptive family prior to the official adoptive placement of the child. The social worker will discuss with the family:

• The child's needs. The AAP benefit is based on the amount the child would receive as a foster child.

• The circumstances of the family. Section 16119 of the Welfare and Institutions Code defines circumstances of the family as “the family's ability to incorporate the child into the household in relation to the lifestyle, standard of living and future plans, and to the overall capacity to meet the immediate and future needs, including education, of the child.”

• Consideration of the child's need for specialized care. Some adopted children may have significant, professionally diagnosed, medical or other problems that require specialized care. Additional funding for those needs may also be included in the AAP requested.

• Negotiation of the required grant. After all of the above factors have been taken into consideration, the adoption social worker and the adoptive parents will negotiate the initial AAP grant. Adoptive parents may choose to defer benefits, but should the child's needs or the family's circumstances change at any point prior to the child's 18th birthday, AAP may be requested.

• Commencement of payments. At the point that adoptive placement papers are signed, the AAP payments may begin. It is very important that families immediately notify the Orange County Social Services Agency's Adoption Program of any changes in circumstances that might affect the AAP grant.

• Reassessment of benefits. The Social Services Agency's Adoption Program is required to conduct a reassessment of the child's AAP benefit at least once every two years. The Agency will notify the child's adoptive family by mail when the reassessment is due.

Adoptive families do have a duty to support the children they adopt just as they do for their biological children. AAP does not relieve adoptive parents of that obligation. AAP helps provide financial assistance for the basic necessities for adopted children. Additionally, Medi-Cal benefits are available to help with the costs of medical care and mental health services for children adopted through the dependency system.

Access statewide information regarding AAP:

For more information, please contact your adoption social worker or the adoption social worker on-duty at (714)704-8000, Monday through Friday, 8:00a.m. to 5:00p.m.