*Salary based on adjusted gross income (AGI, form 1040)
**credit cards may be used as a form of payment but AdoptionWorks asks that clients cover the processing fee. Otherwise, check or cash are appropriate forms of payment. Checks may be made out to: ChristianWorks for Children.
The agency placement fee is paid to AdoptionWorks for the case management of the adoption triad. The following expenses are covered under the agency placement fee. It should be noted that the agency placement fee is not due until the placement of a child occurs. Therefore, the agency may be responsible for covering allowable expenses for an expectant mother that does not choose to place her child or continue with a modern adoption plan.
• Allowable expenses for birth mothers
• Facilitating the relationship between the adoption triad
• Post-placement needs of the birth family
• Post-placement supervision and finalization preparation
• Possible temporary foster care costs
• Outreach assistance and support services for adoptive parents
• Case management hours for the adoption triad
• Counseling and formation of the modern adoption plan
Legal expenses
Legal expenses include the cost of filing termination paperwork and finalization paperwork. The process of termination can be frustrated if one birth parent but not the other chooses to voluntarily relinquish their rights. The agency placement fee is meant to cover the entire cost of the termination process. However, should the legal process of termination exceed an average cost (which runs around $1,500) then the adoptive family may be asked for additional funds to cover the cost of the process. The family, attorney, AdoptionWorks director, and the Executive Director will ensure they discuss the plan for funding at the time it is needed. An itemized list of fees from the attorney will be presented to adoptive family for payment. AdoptionWorks will make every effort to keep adoptive family informed of any additional expenses as they occur.
The cost of the adoption finalization is the responsibility of the family. They will pay this fee directly to the attorney at the time of the finalization. The family may elect their attorney of choice or they may use the same attorney the agency has utilized for other legal processes in the case.
Medical expenses
Medical expenses associated with the adoption are paid by the adoptive family. There are some instances when the birth mother is insured through Medicaid or through private insurance and is able to cover the cost of the birth until she is able to voluntarily relinquish her rights. At the time of relinquishment, the adoptive family is responsible for the medial expense that incurs during the hospital stay. The adoptive family should prepare that they will have some medical expenses associated with the birth of their baby. AdoptionWorks will work with the adoptive family to keep these costs as low as possible without sacrificing services to birth mothers. Any difference between the estimated and actual cost will either be billed or refunded to the adoptive family.