Federal foster care and adoption assistance programs and provide services to those children most in need. As inflation increases, fewer children are eligible to receive Federal benefits, and States struggle to provide services from other, limited local and State resources. (6) Although the AFDC look-back standard still applies to the Federal foster care program, the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 will have completely eliminated the AFDC look-back standard in the Federal adoption assistance program by 2018. 3. Elimination of the AFDC eligibility requirement in the foster care maintenance payments program (a) In general Section 472(a) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 672(a) ) is amended— (1) in paragraph (1), by striking specified and all that follows and inserting or caretaker into foster care if the removal and foster care placement met, and continues to meet, the requirements of paragraph (2).