Department of Children and Families updates committee on adoption benefits program

Kate Williams, deputy deputy secretary at the Florida Department of Children and Families, presented an update to the Senate Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs on May 20 on the Qualified Individual Adoption Benefits Program.

Williams said the program was created in 2015 under section 409 of the Florida Statutes and provides a one‑time lump sum payment to eligible adoptive parents who adopt from Florida’s child‑welfare system. The benefit amount has increased over time and — following recent statutory expansions — qualifying applicants may receive payments up to $25,000 per adopted child; payments are prorated by full‑time‑equivalent status at the time of adoption.

Williams summarized eligibility rules and administrative processes: applicants must meet the employment category in statute (the program originally covered certain state employees and has since expanded to include additional public‑service and educational positions, military service members, veterans and law enforcement), the child must meet the statutory definition of “difficult to place,” and an applicant must have been employed by a qualifying agency at the time of the adoption (but may be working for a different qualifying agency at the time of application). The department defines an annual open enrollment period from the first business day in January through the last business day in March; payments are awarded on a first‑come, first‑served basis subject to available funding. Williams said the department verifies applications through agency head certification, cross‑checks with CBC lead agencies and processes payments through People First for state employees and through MyFloridaMarketPlace/MyFloridaMarketplace for other applicants.

Program history and numbers: Williams said the program has issued over 2,500 individual awards (awards are per child), has supported sibling adoptions and has seen funding increase over time in response to eligibility expansions — initial funding was $3 million at launch, rose to $4.8 million in 2018‑19 after an expansion, later increased to $8.3 million in 2022, and fiscal‑year 2024‑25 saw a further increase tied to parity across eligible occupations.

Williams said the department provides applicant guidance, technical assistance for ineligible applicants, and that applicants may appeal eligibility determinations via administrative hearing (the department noted it prevailed in two hearings to date). The department also maintains a priority ranking for applicants when funding is insufficient; Williams said funding shortages have occurred once (SFY 2019‑20) and that the department notifies impacted applicants and provides priority ranking for the following cycle.

Committee members asked questions about which constitutional officers and employment categories are included; Williams said the department appreciates legislative direction on potential expansions and cautioned that expanding eligibility should be thoughtfully considered to preserve the program’s intent (to support adoptive parents who have already made the decision to adopt from the child‑welfare system, not to function primarily as an incentive program).

Ending: The department will continue outreach to eligible adoptive parents and work with CBC lead agencies and employers to ensure eligible families can apply during the open enrollment period.