1. A. Overview of Program Purpose

   1. 1. The Subsidized Adoption Program enables the Department of Children and Family Services to make payments to adoptive parents on behalf of a child who otherwise might not be adopted because of special needs or circumstances. Subsidy payments shall be limited to a child(ren) for whom adoption is indicated but placement through existing resources is unavailable because of the child's physical or mental condition, race, age, membership in a sibling group which should not be separated, or other serious impediments or special needs. The adoption subsidy applies to a special needs child for whom the Department of Children and Family Services holds full and permanent custody prior to the adoptive placement or to a special needs child, SSI or AFDC eligible, for whom a private nonprofit agency holds custody and to nonrecurring adoption expenses only for special needs children who are adopted independently. The adoption subsidy may be extended for children who were adopted from foster care and initially began receiving the subsidy after age 16, but prior to age 18, if the adoptive parents remain financially responsible for the child, and the child meets the same eligibility criteria as children eligible for the department's Extended Foster Care program. No child may have an adoption subsidy initiated for the first time after age 18. The adoption laws of the state of Louisiana shall be adhered to, and the granting of a subsidy shall not affect the legal status of the child nor the rights and responsibilities of the adoptive parents.
   2. 2. The prospective adoptive family must meet basic adoption eligibility requirements in all respects except for the ability to assume complete financial responsibility for the child's care.

2. B. Types of Subsidy. The child may be subsidized for the following services up to age 18, or up to age 21 if eligible for an extension of the adoption subsidy.

   1. 1. Maintenance. The maintenance subsidy includes basic living expenses such as board, room, clothing, spending money, and ordinary medical and dental costs. The maintenance supplement may be ongoing, but must be renewed on a yearly basis. An extension of an adoption subsidy for youth who have turned 18 must be reviewed quarterly to ensure ongoing eligibility, but only needs to be renewed annually as long as eligibility criteria continue to be met. The amount of payment shall not exceed 80 percent of the state's regular foster care board rate based on the monthly flat rate payments for the corresponding age group. Changes in the maintenance subsidy rate care may occur once a year and the adjustment is made at the time of a change in the child's age group. The monthly maintenance shall not be based on specialized foster care arrangements such as subsidized foster care, alternate family care, or therapeutic foster care.

   2. 2. Special Board Rate

      1. a. Foster parents adopting a foster child for whom a special board rate was received may request up to a maximum of 80 percent of the special board rate amount of $300. This includes adoptive parents who were not previously certified as the child's foster parent(s), if the care and needs of the child in the adoptive home warrant this same special board rate. Therefore, under the Adoption Subsidy Program, the special board component for these type homes shall not exceed $240. The continued need for the special board rate shall be reviewed at the time of the annual review for children under age 18. At age 18, the extension of an adoption subsidy shall be reviewed a minimum of quarterly.
      2. b. For the child placed in a Subsidized Foster Home, Alternate Family Care facility, or a Therapeutic Family Care facility, the maximum amount of the special board component of the adoption subsidy shall not exceed $258. This amount equals the Flexible Family Fund (monitored by the Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities and the Office of Behavioral Health and administered by the 10 human service districts/authorities) authorized for the care of children with severe emotional disturbance or severe intellectual/developmental disabilities who are in their own homes.

   3. 3. Special Services

      1. a. The special services subsidy is time limited and in some cases may be a one time payment. It is the special assistance given to handle an anticipated expense when no other family or community resource is available. If needed, it can be offered in addition to the maintenance subsidy. Special services subsidies include the following type needs:

         1. i. special medical costs for the child in connection with any physical or mental condition which existed prior to the date of the initial judgment of adoption;
         2. ii. psychiatric, or psychological expenses, special equipment, prosthetic devices, or speech therapy;
         3. iii. other services determined to be medically necessary for the care, training and education of the child; and
         4. iv. legal and court costs of adoption under special circumstances.
      2. b. Assessment must be made of the adopting family's medical insurance and of other public and voluntary community services to determine whether the costs of treatment and related costs can be covered in part or in whole by insurance and by other community services.
      3. c. Reimbursement for special services will be limited to the usual and customary fee in the community where such services are rendered.

3. C. Exploration of Adoptive Resources

   1. 1. Before a child is certified by the Division of Child Welfare as eligible for a subsidy, resources for adoptive placement without such benefits must be explored by the adoption worker. This will include recruitment of adoptive parents, registrations for a reasonable period on state, regional, and/or national adoption resources exchanges, and referral to appropriate specialized adoption agencies.
   2. 2. Whenever an eligible child has been available for adoption for at least six months and every reasonable effort has been made to place the child for adoption with Louisiana residents, adoptive parents from other states shall be eligible for a subsidy under the same conditions as Louisiana residents, except where the other state has a Subsidized Adoption Program that is available to such non-resident parents.

4. D. Eligibility Criteria

   1. 1. Non IV-E Placements

      1. a. The income scale determining eligibility for the non IV-E maintenance subsidy shall be utilized by the Department of Children and Family Services, Division of Child Welfare to determine eligibility for non IV-E benefits. The scale is based on 60 percent of Louisiana's median income for a family of four, adjusted for family size as published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Figures in the column on the left refer to the number of family members, including the adoptive child(ren). Figures in the column on the right refer to family gross income. Persons living in the household who are not dependent on the adoptive family's income even though related, are not counted. Families whose income falls below the figures in the right column may apply for subsidy.
      2. b. The Division of Child Welfare, Adoption Subsidy Program, will determine the appropriateness of subsidy benefits, the type of subsidy, and the level of the subsidy. An agreement form between the Division of Child Welfare and the prospective adoptive parents with clearly delineated terms must be signed prior to the granting of the final decree.

      3. c. Income Chart

         Family Size	Gross Annual Income
         1 person	$23,371
         2 persons	$30,562
         3 persons	$37,753
         4 persons	$44,944
         5 persons	$52,135
         6 persons	$59,326
         7 persons	$60,674
         8 persons	$62,022
         9 persons	$63,371
         10 persons	$64,719
         11 persons	$66,067
         12 persons	$67,416
         13 persons	$68,764
         14 persons	$70,112

      4. d. For each additional family member above six persons, add three percentage points to the percentage for a six-person household (132 percent), and multiply the new percentage by 60 percent of the state’s estimated median income for a four-person household.
   2. 2. IV-E Placements. Federal regulations prohibit the use of an income eligibility requirement (means test) for prospective adoptive parents in determining the availability of payments or other types of adoption assistance. The eligible child who has met the "special needs" requirements in Section 473(c) of the Social Security Act will be eligible for payments and other types of services and assistance under the Title IV-E Adoption Assistance Program. Parents with whom such a child is placed for adoption are eligible to receive Title IV-E payments and other assistance on behalf of that child, under an agreement with the state agency.
   3. 3. A child adopted from foster care after age 16 but prior to age 18 and receiving an adoption subsidy already may be allowed an extension of the adoption subsidy if requested by the family for the adoptive family to continue receiving the adoption subsidy payments on behalf of the child after the child turns 18 and up to age 21 as long as the family retains financial responsibility for the child, the child meets the same eligibility criteria as children eligible for the department’s Extended Foster Care program and all other eligibility criteria for the original subsidy remain in effect. Ongoing eligibility must be reassessed by DCFS/CW quarterly, but renewal of the subsidy only completed annually. If notified by the family the child and family are no longer eligible or interested in receiving the extended subsidy; or, if at reassessment it is determined the child and family are no longer eligible for the extended subsidy, the subsidy shall be ended immediately.

5. E. Effects of Deaths of Adoptive Parents on Adoption Subsidy

   1. 1. Where an adoption subsidy agreement is in effect and the adoptive parents die prior to the adopted child reaching the age of majority, the duly designated tutor or guardian of the child may continue to receive subsidy payments on behalf of the child provided that the tutor or guardian is capable of providing a permanent home for the child in all respects other than financial, and the child's needs are beyond the resources of the tutor or guardian. In these situations, the child who was Title IV-E eligible prior to the death of the adoptive parent(s) shall cease being eligible for these federal benefits. The child's medicaid certification as a Title IV-E adoption subsidy child shall be closed and re-opened as a non IV-E adoption subsidy child. The tutor or guardian should be encouraged to apply for survivors benefits for the child and/or AFDC.
   2. 2. It is extremely important to note that if the child is Title IV-E eligible, Section 473(a)(i) of the Social Security Act (the Act) prohibits the transfer of this benefit to the guardian. The Act makes no provision for payments to be made to the child or others, such as a tutor/guardian. Therefore, in these situations, the payments made by the Adoption Subsidy Program are funded with all state dollars.

Authority Note

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 46:1790-1792 and P.L. 96-272 (Title IV-E).

Historical Note

HISTORICAL NOTE: Promulgated by the Department of Health and Human Resources, Office of Human Development, LR 4:388 (October 1978), repealed by the Department of Social Services, Office of Community Services, LR 18:79 (January 1992), promulgated and amended LR 18:966 (September 1992), amended by the Department of Children and Family Services, Division of Child Welfare, LR 46:11 (January 2020), effective February 1, 2020.