Office of Work-Life Programs : Adoption Reimbursement
Who is Eligible for this Program?
The Adoption Reimbursement Program is available to the following members of Team Coast Guard:
- Active Duty Coast Guard
- Coast Guard Reservists on active duty for at least 180 days
Note: All other member of Team Coast Guard, while not eligible for reimbursement, are encouraged to use the National Adoption Directory and other web sites provided below to assist them in obtaining adoption information.
Purpose of Program
The Adoption Reimbursement Program is intended to subsidize the adoption of children under 18 years of age for members of the Coast Guard.
Program Confidentiality
Discussions of the Adoption Reimbursement Program are used for reviewing, approving, accounting, and disbursing of adoption reimbursements. All discussions between a member using the Adoption Reimbursement Program and the Adoption Reimbursement Program Manager are confidential, with the exception of government audits, to determine appropriate use of government funding.
Definitions
The following definitions apply to the Adoption Reimbursement Program:
- Adoption. The legal procedure by which a person or couple takes a child who is not his or her biological offspring into the family and raises the child as their own. Adoption severs all legal ties between the adoptee and his or her birth parents (except in the case of stepchildren adoptions, where one biological parent is the spouse of the adopting parent and whose legal ties to the children are therefore unabridged) and establishes such ties between the adoptee and the adoptive parents. The adoptee has the same status with his or her adoptive parents as do any non-adopted siblings.
- Inter-country Adoptions. The legal adoption of a child coming from a country other than the United States and its territories.
- Qualifying Adoption Agency. (1) A State or local government agency which has responsibility under State and local law for child placement through adoption; (2) A nonprofit, voluntary adoption agency which is authorized by State or local law to place children for adoption; (3) Any other source authorized by a State to provide adoption placement if the adoption is supervised by a court under State or local law; or (4) A foreign government or an agency authorized by a foreign government to place children for adoption, in any case which – (a) The adopted child is entitled to automatic citizenship under Section 320 of the Immigration and Naturalization Act (8 U.S. C. 1431). (b) A certification of citizenship has been issued for such child under Section 322 of that Act (8 U.S.C. 1433).
- Qualifying Adoption Expenses. Reasonable and necessary expenses that are directly related to the legal adoption of a child under 18 years of age, but only if such adoption is arranged by a qualified adoption agency or other source authorized to place children for adoption under State or local law. Such term does not include any expense incurred – (a) By an adopting parent for travel; or, (b) In connection with an adoption arranged in violation of Federal, State, or local law.
- Reasonable and Necessary Expenses. The term “reasonable and necessary expenses” includes: (1) Public and private agency fees, including adoption fees charged by an agency in a foreign country; (2) Placement fees, including fees charged adoptive parents for counseling; (3) Legal fees (including court costs) in connection with services that are unavailable to a member of the armed forces under Sections 1044 or 1044a of this Title; and, (4) Medical expenses, including hospital expenses of the biological mother of the child to be adopted and of a newborn infant to be adopted.
- State or local law. The law of a State or locality within the United States including with a U.S. Territory, a U.S. Commonwealth, or the District of Columbia.
Services and Resources Available
The following service and resource is available within the Adoption Reimbursement Program:
- National Foster Care & Adoption Directory (formerly the National Adoption Directory) - The National Foster Care & Adoption Directory provides national adoption resources along with adoption related information specific for each State, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
Program References
The following reference provide details of the Adoption Reimbursement program:
Related Program Information
The Coast Guard does not endorse the web sites listed below. They are provided to help in your search for adoption information. It is important to check references and to research programs found on the web. DO NOT send monies to unidentified sources. Please email links that you find not working or services not appropriate for members of Team Coast Guard to the point of contact listed below.
Related Websites
The following websites provide information related to the Adoption Reimbursement Program:
Point of Contact
Please contact the Family Resource Specialist (FRS) on your Regional Work-Life Staff at 1-202-475-5100. If additional assistance is needed, please contact Office of Work-Life HQ at HQS-SMB-FamilySupportServices@uscg.mil.
Links from pages within this site to non-Coast Guard sites are provided as a customer service and do not represent any implicit or explicit endorsement by the United States Coast Guard of any commercial or private issues or products presented there.
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