Massachusetts State Adoption Assistance Program

Massachusetts Department of Children & Families:
https://www.mass.gov/adopt-from-dcf

Massachusetts-specific medical assistance information:
https://www.mass.gov/topics/masshealth

Massachusetts’s adoption subsidy information:
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/resources-for-adoptive-parents

General Laws of Massachusetts, Chapter 18B: Section 21, Adoption subsidy program:
https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleII/Chapter18B/Section21

Massachusetts’ regulations 110 CMR 7.209 Adoption Subsidy:
https://www.mass.gov/doc/110-cmr-7-services/download

In Massachusetts a child with special needs is defined as a child who has at least one of the following needs or circumstances that may be a barrier to adoption without financial assistance:

1. A member of a sibling group of three or more to be adopted together
2. A member of a sibling group of two to be adopted together when one of the children is eight years of age or older
3. Has one or more special needs as a result of a mental, emotional, or physical impairment, behavioral disorder, or medical condition diagnosed by a licensed professional who is qualified to make the diagnosis
4. A birth and/or family history that places the child at risk of having special needs but, due to the child’s age, a reasonable diagnosis cannot be made
5. The child is a member of an ethnic or cultural minority for whom reasonable, but unsuccessful, efforts to place the child in an adoptive home were made and documented

Specialized rates (called Parent and Children Together or PACT rates) may be paid for tasks or extenuating circumstances that require additional
service hours beyond routine care of a child. Each request must be pre-approved by the Subsidy Administrator and must specify the frequency with which the task must be performed, and the type of intervention required. The hourly rate paid for service hours is $7.50. All PACT hours must be documented by a professional provider. After adoption finalization, parents are responsible for providing the documentation from the professional who is monitoring the child’s treatments.

Massachusetts also offers what is known as supplemental reimbursements. If parents request payments for supplemental reimbursement in addition to the standard adoption assistance payment rate, the adoption social worker provides relevant documentation describing ongoing, additional expenses that are paid above the current foster care rate and that are not expected to be absorbed by other resources, services, or third party payments following adoption. The need must be documented in the adoption assistance agreement.

For Policy on PACT and Supplemental Reimbursement, visit https://www.mass.gov/doc/supplemental-reimbursement-policy/downloadOpens in a new tabOpens in a new tabOpens in a new tabOpens in a new tab

Massachusetts may also pay a quarterly clothing allowance in addition to the adoption assistance rate. For more information, parents should contact their adoption assistance worker at 800-835-0838.

Adoption assistance benefits approved beyond the child’s 18th birthday, if the child continues to have a documented special need(s), will end on the child’s 22nd birthday or earlier if the child is no longer eligible for the adoption assistance program.

Massachusetts requires that an adoption assistance application be submitted for every child being adopted through DCF. The Subsidy Unit may determine that a deferred adoption assistance is the appropriate benefit given the child’s circumstances. With a deferred agreement, Medicaid will be provided, but no daily rate is approved.

To request voluntary residential treatment services, families should contact the DCF office that covers their city. If a child is placed out of the home, the family and the placement social workers are expected to inform the Subsidy Unit. All Title IV-E adoption subsidy agreements will be renegotiated at that time. State-funded adoption subsidy agreements are suspended until the adopted child returns home.

DCF funds post-adoption services through a contract with Adoption Journeys. Services are available to all adopted children in Massachusetts.

For more information, parents should contact Adoption Journeys at 800-972-2734 or visit their website, https://cfservices.org/services-need-help/adoption-2/adoption-journeys/.

MSPCC has two programs to support foster, adoptive and kinship families. These programs are Kid’s Net and Massachusetts Alliance for Foster Families. For more information, visit https://www.mspcc.org/kidsnet/Opens in a new tabOpens in a new tabOpens in a new tabOpens in a new tab

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts provides both a IV-E and a state-funded guardianship subsidy for children who are placed with an approved resource, in DCF custody and sponsored by DCF. The program is administered through the Adoption Subsidy Unit. The child must be under the age of 18, and continue to reside with the guardian sponsored by DCF. Families must complete and return annual re-evaluation forms. The amount of the assistance cannot be more than the child would have received in family-based foster care.

The DCF Adopted Child Tuition Waiver and Fee Assistance Program is designed to lessen the financial burden on adopting parents in the Commonwealth. This waiver extends eligibility to all children and young adults, age twenty-four or under, adopted through DCF by state employees or eligible Massachusetts residents, regardless of the date of adoption. The tuition and fee waiver encompasses 100% of tuition and fees for state-supported courses, subject to budgetary appropriation, at all of the Massachusetts public institutions of higher education, excluding graduate courses and courses in the MD program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. For more information, visit https://www.mass.edu/osfa/programs/dcfadopted.asp.

If the child does not return to DCF care, DCF will attempt to provide financial support to legal guardians on a case-by-case basis.