Additional Resources for Adoptive Families
Michigan Post Adoption Resource Centers (PARC)
NACAC

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About Adoption Subsidy

"Parents who are thinking about or are in the process of adopting a child with special needs from foster care should know about adoption assistance (also known as adoption subsidy). Federal (Title IV-E) and state (often called non-IV-E) adoption assistance programs are designed to help parents meet their adopted children’s varied, and often costly, needs.

Who Is Eligible for Adoption Assistance/Subsidy?The requirements for eligibility for adoption subsidy are: 
  1. The child is under 18 years old
  2. The child’s parental rights have been terminated (exceptions to this requirement are made for tribal customary adoptions)
  3. The child has one of the following specific factors or conditions:
    • The children is eligible for SSI based solely on the medical and disability requirements, as determined by the Social Security Administration
    • The child has a  documented difficulty of care determination of Level II or higher that is supported by the current foster care updated service plan.
    • The child is three years of age or older.
    • The child is being adopted by a relative.
    • The child is being adopted to join an already adopted sibling.
    • The child is a member of a sibling group being adopted together and at least one sibling has been determined eligible for adoption support subsidy as an individual.​"

More questions about the subsidy application process? Check out this presentation given by the Adoption Subsidy Office

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Medical Subsidy Documentation Cheat Sheet

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Medical Subsidy Orthodontia Coverage

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Did you adopt from Michigan's foster care system? Have you heard about the benefits of Adoption Medical Subsidy? If your child has a diagnosis, they may qualify for services such as therapy, summer camps, tutoring, orthodontic braces, eyeglasses, prescriptions and more.  Apply here or call the subsidy office for more information.

Click here for the Michigan Adoption and Guardian Assistance Office contact information

Adoption and Guardian Assistance Office Out of Home Placement Policy

Michigan Adoption subsidy has a program referred to as "Out of home placements." This program offers limited funding for therapeutic activities lasting 24-72 hours, up to 16 days per calendar year. This is different from a traditional respite program, because a therapeutic requirement is necessary, so families can’t access these funds simply to take a vacation, or time off.
We know many families feel discouraged from applying for subsidy funds, but we have recently heard that the adoption subsidy office is now encouraging families to use these funds as they are underutilized. One of our parent members, has provided us with steps they successfully used to access these funds:
Step 1) Have child’s therapist write into their treatment plan "<Name> needs out of home placement monthly in a therapeutic environment that will help with the following skills: (Here list things such as socialization skills with peers, working on daily living skills, etc. obviously it depends on the child)
Step 2) Identify where the child will receive out of home placement and the dates (for example St. Francis)
Step 3) Send the treatment plan and location information to your subsidy worker for approval.
Step 4) Register the child for camp
If Adoption Subsidy funds are approved, the camp may be able to bill subsidy directly for their portion of approved funds. Please contact your Adoption Subsidy representative for additional information. 
We know of the following camps offering respite programs. These providers may be used for the “Out of Home Placements” subsidy funding or for general respite:
Saint Francis Camp on the Lake - http://www.saintfranciscamp.org/respite-care The Fowler Center - http://www.thefowlercenter.org/weekend-respite-camps.htm Eagle Village - http://indiantrailscamp.org/respites