Adoptions Assistance Program (AAP)

The Adoptions Assistance Program (AAP) was developed to make it easier for a family to adopt a child who would otherwise remain in long-term foster care. AAP provides cash aid to families who are willing and able to adopt a child but need financial assistance to do so. To be eligible, the child must meet one of the following conditions that make it difficult for him or her to be adopted without financial aid:

	The child is a member of a sibling group to be adopted by one family;
	The child is unlikely to be adopted due to ethnic background, race, color, or language;
	The child has a physical, medical, mental or emotional handicap;
	The child is age three or older;
	The child has adverse parental background, for example, a parent was drug addicted or suffered from a mental illness.

The AAP payment amount, plus any income available to the child (e.g., SSI) cannot be more than what would have been paid if the child had remained in foster care.

Back to main Foster Care Benefits page