Oklahoma Post-Adoption Services

Did you know that when adopting a child from state custody, there are resources out there to assist an adoptive family if certain criteria is met? For example:

• Medicaid: a child is eligible for the Oklahoma Medicaid Program or the Medicaid program in the state of residence if the child is Title IV-E eligible. All necessary medical and dental care under the scope of that program are compensable at the usual and customary charges.
• College Assistance: the Oklahoma Promise Scholarship applies special income provisions for students who were adopted while in the permanent custody of DHS or in the court-ordered custody of a licensed agency or federally recognized tribe. For these students, no income verification is required at the time of the ninth or tenth grade. Adopted students are subject to a second income limit while the student is enrolled in college. For students adopted between the ages of birth and 12, the second income limit will be $150,000. For students adopted between the ages of 13 and 17, the second income limit will be $200,000. Parents of adopted children who do not fall under this provision of the law are still subject to the $55,000 initial income limit at the time of application and the $100,000 second income limit while the student is in college.
• Monthly Assistance Payments: an adoption assistance payment available for children who meet the special needs criteria as defined by DHS. Adoption assistance can continue to age 18 or to age 19 if the child continues to reside in the home of the adoptive parents and has a documented serious mental or physical disability or continues to attend high school.
• Difficulty of Care Payments: some children may qualify for DOC rates. The DOC descriptions are guidelines from which the most appropriate DOC rate is determined for the eligible child. Not every situation will clearly fit into a DOC category.
• Special Services: special services are used to meet the child’s needs that cannot be met by the adoptive parents and that are not covered under any other program for which the child would qualify. A special services payment is usually made to purchase medically or physically necessary equipment (e.g. leg braces, prostheses, wheelchair).
• Child Care Services: employment-related services for children under the age of five.
• Tax Credit: if you receive an adoption assistance payment you are likely eligible for an adoption tax credit in the amount of $13,570 per child.
• Attorney Payment: one-time payment to an attorney of your choice of $1,200 per child adopted. A list of attorneys can be provided to you by DHS, but you are free to select any attorney you choose. Although some attorneys charge more than the subsidy, Beloved Adoption Law accepts the subsidy as full payment leaving you with little to no out-of-pocket costs.

Questions? Are you considering or in the process of adopting a child in DHS custody? Beloved Adoption Law is committed to ensuring each child receives every benefit to which they are entitled.