From the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette:
Steve and Joey DeHoff of Bluffton have been trying for months to adopt a child, and Joey DeHoff thinks Gov. Mike Pence’s initiative to make Indiana to become nation’s “most pro-adoption state” would help many potential parents.
The expense of adopting a child through a private agency is cost-prohibitive for many prospective parents, she said.
“I am simply amazed at the expense of adoption. We have been quoted up-front costs of $25,000 to $50,000,” she said.
Pence has called for Indiana to offer a tax credit to offset adoption expenses. The federal government offers a $12,650 income tax credit for adoption; Pence calls for an additional credit on state returns of up to 10 percent of the amount claimed on the federal credit. He also called for a study committee to find ways to make adoption easier and less expensive.
“I want Indiana to be the most pro-adoption state in the United States of America,” Pence said while in Fort Wayne earlier this month. Last week, he repeated the same pro-family agenda to The Evansville Courier & Press.
The DeHoffs signed up with a website earlier this year that allows them to pay smaller monthly amounts – rather than thousands of dollars up front – as their search for a child unfolds.
They must still pay for a home study – anywhere from $700 to $2,000 – and costly background checks, DeHoff said.
When she and her husband began to investigate the idea of adopting, they contacted a law firm in Indianapolis.
“They wanted $17,000 up front if I found the child,” DeHoff said, “and well over $30,000 if they found the child.”
DeHoff said she and her husband would not mind paying $30,000 up front if it went to an education fund for the child.
“We will never pay an agency for a child,” she said. “There are too many children out there who need a good home.”
Lutheran Social Services adoption agency charges a $12,000 placement fee, but there are other costs involved, Laura Hoffman, clinical director for the agency, said Monday.
Adoptive parents often pay for lodging costs during the birth, background checks, home study costs and up to $3,000 in extra expenses such as maternity clothing and housing for the birth mother, she said.
“A tax credit would help and benefit most adoptive families,” Hoffman said.
“We must do whatever possible to support and bring together those families who would like to adopt,” Hoffman said.
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http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20131231/LOCAL/312319986
