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Every state has its own definition of "special needs," some more generous than others. Title IV-E is tricky; the child did not qualify for fed dollars during foster care because the parents were supposed to pay support and provide insurance, etc. But if the child is being adopted and there has been a TPR, NOW the child is a "household of one" and should be eligible, kwim? At the least, the child should qualify for Medicaid. ETA: Most states also provide subsidy for special needs children out of state pool funds if, indeed, they are not Title IV-E eligible...NACAC is a good source of info on what is available in your state.
You simply cannot sit back and let them tell you what the child does or doesn't qualify for and how the sytem works in your state. You need to find out for yourself and advocate. Enlist the child's GAL, do all this BEFORE signing the adoption placement agreement and adoption assistance application/agreement. Get your own lawyer if you need to--an extra $1000 now will save a lot later. You will be paying the lawyer and court fees for filing, anyway, so a lawyer you've hired to do that may help with the pre-work for at a lower rate or roll it in.
If you do negotiate an adoption assistance, try to list as many existing, suspected, and possible issues as possible--e.g., unknown prenatal healthcare, suspected drug abuse by either parent, etc.--as many agreements state that assistance will be provided for pre-existing conditions and conditions arising from the child's removal and foster care experience. I don't know how much protection such stuff is in real life (indy would know better), but personally I'm hoping it's better than nothing if you are not sure what is going to come up.
I hope all works well. No matter what we do, it's a leap of love.
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