South Carolina Pulls the Plug - Cuts Adoption Assistance For State Employees
Dateline: 02/12/01South Carolina is cutting an adoption incentive program for state employees in an effort to trim the state budget. Governor Jim Hodges asked state agencies to trim budgets by 15% in an effort to deal with a budget shortfall, and the Department of Social Services cut this one. The cut-off becomes effective in March, 2001.
The program, offered to state employees, allowed $5,000 for each adoption, and $10,000 in the case of the adoption of a child with special needs. It was initially funded with $500,000, and was available only for adoptions of children from foster care.
At some later date, the assistance was also offered for out-of-state, out-of-country, and in-state private adoptions. Of the 370 adoptions referenced, since 1996 only 10 of these have been from foster care. All the rest - 360 adoptions - were from other countries, other states, or arranged privately within the state.
Holding with the original purpose of the program, state employees who adopt through the state foster care system will now be eligible to receive up to $1,500 to "offset adoption costs."
What this actually means isn't clear. Adoptions through foster care in South Carolina are usually with
with minimal costs, if any, so monies allocated to
offset costs seem like a non-benefit. However, given the track record of 10 adoptions from foster care over the past five years, perhaps it's a moot point.
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