One of Hillary Clinton’s major accomplishments is a largely unknown piece of legislation from 1997 that subsidized adoptions of high risk or hard to place orphans. The government sends checks monthly directly to all Americans who’ve adopted from foster care and many if not most of these families would not be possible without the Federal Adoption Assistance program.

Parents who are thinking about or are in the process of adopting a child with special needs from foster care should know about adoption assistance (also known as adoption subsidy). Federal and state adoption assistance programs are designed to help adoptive parents meet children’s varied, and often costly, needs. Adoption assistance may provide monthly maintenance payments, medical assistance, and other support, often until the child turns 18 or even 21. The state is required to enter into an agreement with the adoptive parents if the child qualifies for assistance.

This little known but important Federal Adoption Assistance Program is available to any parent — singles or couples, married or not, gay or straight, including seniors — and truly makes forever families possible that otherwise would not exist. And Hillary stuck with it from idea to kitchen tables like mine.

Thanks to Hillary Clinton et al the Federal Adoption Assistance Program (FAAP) has financed, enabled, and facilitated adoptions for minors in foster care and it is a real, tangible, important, used-everyday Federal government accomplishment that Hillary has championed from day-1 and is recognized as such by people involved in foster-adoptions. FAAP funds the special needs of radically joyful families like mine.

The Adoption Assistance Program was legislated in the Adoption and Safe Families Act signed by President Bill Clinton is 1997.