Rockefeller applauds federal adoption incentives measure

By staff reports  |  The Register-Herald  |  Link to article
September 12, 2008

Approval by the Senate Finance Committee of a measure reauthorizing federal adoption incentives he has backed for years was applauded by Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va.

Among the incentives are those that update state means of encouraging permanency for children in foster care through adoption or guardianship.

The measure also promotes relatives as guardians as long as they pass identical safety standards as foster parents and placement with a relative in the child’s best interest.

“These important incentives have unquestionably changed the system to encourage more West Virginia families to open their hearts and homes to children through adoption,” said Rockefeller, who chairs the panel’s Subcommittee on Health Care.

“These children now have a chance to grow up in a safe, loving and stable environment. That’s an enormously good thing.”

Another section of the bill addresses the transition of 18-year-olds out of foster care.

The idea is to assist states that want to let teenagers stay in foster care for a few more years to maintain their support, access health insurance through Medicaid and educational benefits so they may finish high school, college or training programs.

States would be obligated to devise a 90-day transition plan to help such teenagers moving out of foster care to lay out options for education, housing, insurance and other issues.