In a letter to Indiana Department of Chid Services Director, Mary Beth Bonaventura, Governor Pence announced that the State of Indiana will fund the State Adoption Subsidy (SAS) for SFY 2015. The state will make funds available through reversion relief.
“Although the State Adoption Subsidy is only a small piece of the assistance the State of Indiana offers to adoptive parents, it is my belief that funding the program this fiscal year is the right thing to do,” said Governor Mike Pence. “At the same time, the Adoption Study Committee is now looking at this issue, and we appreciate their work to develop recommendations that address the needs of Hoosier families and effectively promote adoption,” added Pence.
The State of Indiana pays more than $92 million in adoption subsidies for more than 11,000 children through the Federal Adoption Assistance Program (AAP) and the County Adoption Subsidy (CAS). Children who are not eligible for AAP or CAS may receive other forms of adoption assistance such as Medicaid and a one-time, non-recurring adoption expense, and are placed on the State Adoption Subsidy (SAS) waitlist.
“Governor Pence has a heart for adoptive and foster families, and we are grateful we have been able to identify resources to fund this program for families that have adopted children from our system,” said Director, Mary Beth Bonaventura.
Parents of adoptive children that have questions regarding SAS can contact; centralized.eligibility@dcs.in.gov, or (877) 265-0086.
