Adoption benefits for qualifying adoptive employees of state agencies, veterans, servicemembers, law enforcement officers, health care practitioners, and tax collector employees.

(1) As used in this section, the term:

(a) “Child within the child welfare system” has the same meaning as provided in s. 409.166(2).

(b) “Health care practitioner” means a person listed in s. 456.001(4) who holds an active license from the Department of Health and whose gross income does not exceed $150,000 per year.

(c) “Law enforcement officer” has the same meaning as provided in s. 943.10(1).

(d) “Qualifying adoptive employee” means a full-time or part-time employee of a state agency, a charter school established under s. 1002.33, or the Florida Virtual School established under s. 1002.37, who is not an independent contractor and who adopts a child within the child welfare system pursuant to chapter 63 on or after July 1, 2015. The term includes instructional personnel, as defined in s. 1012.01, who are employed by the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, and includes other-personal-services employees who have been continuously employed full time or part time by a state agency for at least 1 year.

(e) “Servicemember” has the same meaning as in s. 250.01(19).

(f) “State agency” means a branch, department, or agency of state government for which the Chief Financial Officer processes payroll requisitions, a state university or Florida College System institution as defined in s. 1000.21, a school district unit as defined in s. 1001.30, or a water management district as defined in s. 373.019.

(g) “Tax collector employee” means an employee of an office of the county tax collector in this state.

(h) “Veteran” has the same meaning as in s. 1.01(14).

(2) A qualifying adoptive employee, veteran, law enforcement officer, health care practitioner, tax collector employee, or servicemember who adopts a child within the child welfare system who is difficult to place as described in s. 409.166(2)(d)2. is eligible to receive a lump-sum monetary benefit in the amount of $25,000 per such child, subject to applicable taxes. A qualifying adoptive employee, veteran, law enforcement officer, health care practitioner, tax collector employee, or servicemember who adopts a child within the child welfare system who is not difficult to place as described in s. 409.166(2)(d)2. is eligible to receive a lump-sum monetary benefit in the amount of $10,000 per such child, subject to applicable taxes. A qualifying adoptive employee of a charter school or the Florida Virtual School may retroactively apply for the monetary benefit provided in this subsection if such employee was employed by a charter school or the Florida Virtual School when he or she adopted a child within the child welfare system pursuant to chapter 63 on or after July 1, 2015. A veteran or servicemember may apply for the monetary benefit provided in this subsection if he or she is domiciled in this state and adopts a child within the child welfare system pursuant to chapter 63 on or after July 1, 2020. A law enforcement officer may apply for the monetary benefit provided in this subsection if he or she is domiciled in this state and adopts a child within the child welfare system pursuant to chapter 63 on or after July 1, 2022. A health care practitioner or tax collector employee may apply for the monetary benefit provided in this subsection if he or she is domiciled in this state and adopts a child within the child welfare system pursuant to chapter 63 on or after July 1, 2024.