Reimbursement of Qualifying Adoption Expenses

1. The purpose of this MARADMIN is to announce 
administrative process changes for Marines, Personnel 
Administrative Offices (PAOs) and Disbursing Officers/Finance 
Offices (DOs/FOs) in the reimbursement of qualifying adoption
expenses.  
1.a.  The publication of this MARADMIN cancels reference (d).
2. Eligibility.
2.a.  In accordance with references (a) and (b), Active duty and 
Reserve Marines who are called to active duty for 180 or more
consecutive days may be reimbursed for qualifying adoption expenses 
for a child under 18 years of age.  The adoption must be completed 
prior to the Marine separating from active duty.
2.b.  Adoption expense reimbursement may be paid to married or 
single service members. If both parents are service members, then 
only one member may be reimbursed for expenses related to the 
adoption of the same child.
3. Deadlines.
3.a.  Applications for reimbursement must be submitted no later 
than 2 years after the adoption of the child is finalized.  
3.b.  For foreign adoptions, the application deadline is 2 years 
from the date the certificate of U.S. citizenship is issued to the 
adopted child.  
3.c.  An adopted child must be enrolled in the Defense Enrollment 
Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) prior to the submission of a 
claim for adoption reimbursement.  
3.d.  In the case of Marines separating from military service, 
the adoption of the child must be finalized and the application 
for adoption reimbursement must be completed and submitted via 
the member's chain of command to their servicing PAO prior to 
separation from active duty.  
3.e.  Exceptions to the 2 year deadline will only be applicable to 
those members unable to comply due to deployment responsibilities.   
In these cases, approval from the first General Officer (GO) in the 
Marine's chain of command will be required.  
3.f. Reserve component Marines must provide a copy of their active-
duty orders, these orders will be used to verify that the adoption 
was finalized while the Marine was in an active-duty status for 
180 or more consecutive days.
4. Reimbursable Expenses.
4.a.  Service members may request up to 2,000 dollars per adoptive 
child or a maximum of 5,000 dollars per calendar year for qualifying 
expenses. Per references (a) and (b), reasonable and necessary 
expenses paid by the Marine include:
4.b.  Public and private agency fees (including foreign agencies).
4.c.  Placement fees and counseling fees.
4.d.  Legal fees and court costs.
4.e.  Medical expenses for the biological mother and medical care of 
the child to be adopted.
4.f.  Temporary foster care charges required prior to placement.
5.  Non-Reimbursable Expenses.
5.a.  Per references (a) and (b), travel expenses and items such 
as clothing, bedding, toys, and books are not eligible 
for reimbursement.
6.  Required Documentation/Marines responsibility. 
6.a.  Complete the DD Form 2675 (a separate form is required for 
each child).  This form can be found at 
https:(slash)(slash)www.esd.whs.mil/Directives/forms/dd2500_2999
/DD2675/.
6.b.  Provide a copy of the final adoption decree, certificate, or 
court order (with English translation if the document is written 
in a foreign language).
6.c.  Provide sufficient documentation proving the adoption was 
handled by a qualified/licensed adoption agency (e.g., placement 
agreement, agency letter, or receipts verifying agency status).
6.d.  Itemized receipts, cancelled checks, or agency letters 
substantiating all claimed expenses.
6.e.  In the case of foreign adoptions, proof of the child's U.S. 
citizenship.
6.f.   (For Reserve Component only) Active-duty orders consisting 
of a consecutive 180 days or more.
7.  Coordinating Instructions and Processing. 
7.a.  Adoption reimbursement claims shall be submitted via the 
Marine's chain of command to their servicing PAO.    
7.b.  The PAO is responsible for collecting supporting documentation 
from the Marine, reviewing source documents, and verifying the 
Marine's eligibility for adoption reimbursement. 
7.c.  The PAO is responsible for ensuring that personally 
identifiable information (PII) collected is safeguarded pursuant 
to reference (e).     
7.d.  The PAO will forward the verified documentation with a NAVMC 
11116, "Miscellaneous Military Pay Order/Special Payment 
Authorization" form to the appropriate DO/FO in the Document 
Tracking Management System (DTMS). 
7.e.  If the submitted documentation does not adequately establish 
eligibility or entitlement, the package will be returned by 
the DO/FO to the PAO.  The PAO will contact the Marine for 
corrections or additional documentation.  Any missing or corrected 
information must be provided back to the DO/FO within 90 days of 
the request.
7.f. The DO/FO retains final approval authority and will process the 
adoption reimbursement transaction in DTMS, as applicable.    
8. This MARADMIN remains in effect until incorporated into reference 
(c) or cancelled, whichever occurs first.  
9. Release authorized by Senior Executive Service, M. R. Melillo, 
Acting Director, Manpower Plans and Policy Division.