Vol. 2, No. 2 • Spring 1998
Does my Child Qualify
for Adoption Assistance?
by Esther High
Adoption assistance is a federal and state program which supports special needs children in adoptive homes. Eligibility for assistance is determined by the status of the child and that child's special needs, not of the adopting parents. Therefore, there are no eligibility requirements for adopting parents. Eligibility is determined for the child prior to an adoptive placement, but can be determined after the adoptive placement if the adoptive parents appeal an agency's denial of assistance to the child or an agency's failure to inform them of the availability of assistance for the child.A child is considered to have special needs if there exists a specific factor or condition that would prevent the child from being placed in an adoptive home without the provision of adoption assistance or medical assistance. These factors include:
- Known and diagnosed medical, mental, or emotional conditions that will require periodic treatment or therapy of a medical or remedial nature.
- Child's situation--being a member of a family group placed together, membership in certain minority groups, and age of child.
- Need for placement with a known and approved family that would find the child's care an undue financial burden without adoption assistance. This includes relatives--other than biological parents--with whom a child has close attachments, foster parents with whom a child has established a positive psychological bond and emotional tie, or other approved adoptive applicants deemed well-suited to meet all but the financial components of the child's needs.
- Potential handicapping condition which may happen as a result of a hereditary condition, congenital problems or other documented high risk factor leading to substantial risk for future disability of the child. When this is the only basis for the child's eligibility of assistance, benefits may begin only at the point of the manifestation of the handicapping condition.
Adoption assistance includes monthly cash payments, Medicaid (for most children), and vendor payments for medical and therapeutic services or treatment for handicapping conditions which existed prior to the time of the child's placement for adoption. The cash payments are usually the same as the foster care payments, and the vendor payments are $1,200/year for medical services and $1,200/year for therapeutic services. Sometimes a child may not qualify for Medicaid if he or she does not meet federal guidelines for eligibility and has an income, such as Social Security benefits, which puts him or her above the allowable income for Medicaid. In there cases, the child must meet a deductible before Medicaid can be authorized.
Parents adopting special needs children are eligible for reimbursement of nonrecurring costs of the adoption. Reimbursable costs include court costs, attorney fees, and other expenses that are directly related to the legal adoption of a child with special needs. It also includes adoption fees, but there should be no adoption fees charged by agencies for a child who is adopted from the foster care system.
Adoption assistance is only available to special needs children who are in the custody of a public or private agency. It is not available to children who were privately placed for adoption or were adopted from foreign countries.
If you have questions about Adoption Assistance in North Carolina, please contact your County DSS Adoption Social Worker.
Copyright � 2000 Jordan Institute for Families
