I need info on adopting my stepdaughters.

[leatteh]

I want to adopt my 2 stepdaughters from my husbands 1st marriage. Their mother passed away almost 2 years away and they have been with us ever since. They are both 8 yrs old. Can the mothers family do anything to stop the adoption, will they be given visistaion rights even though we don't want them? We have offered supervised visit, but they refuse. Will their survior benefits stop, do we have to have a lawyer, is their any kind of legal aid to help the cost of adotion? We have been quated anywhere from $1,500 to $2,500, that's a lot of money to come with at one time when u have 3 kids.

 

[irish223]

You will need an attorney for the adoption. You can google legal aid for your state to see if you qualify.

Check with SSA about the survivor's benefits, but this site claims that adoption is not cause to terminate: http://www.socialsecuritylawattorney.com/FAQ-On-Social-Security-Survivor-Benefits.html

Some states give grandparents and other relatives standing to petition for visitation, especially in the event of the parent's death.