[mollyejo]

Hello we are planning to adopt my niece's baby. She is on medi-cal. My question is, does anyone know if medi-cal will help with the adoption process?

[lisa in venice]

How would Medi-Cal help with the adoption process? The offer medical insurance, that's all. For the adoption process you will need an agency or attorney. Since you have matched with an expectant mom already you can probably get a discounted rate for the services you recieve but there is no way around using qualified ADOPTION professionals if you want to be safe and make sure that everyones rights are protected.

lisa

[rlight]

It might be more cost effective to just hire a good adoption attorney rather than employing an agency who then hires an attorney - I would check all the cost associated. Just my opinion.

[mollyejo]

How do you know that medi-cal won't help with the adoption process? My niece is on Medi-cal and I know for a fact that medi-cal pays all of the fees when a person is adopting a foster child already in the system. It's on the state of california social services medi-cal adoptions website. Why would I hire an attorney without first looking into programs that can ease the financial burden?

My post is in hopes that someone with knowledge of the medi-cal adoption program will be able to steer me in the right direction.

[lisa in venice]

The department of family and children's services CAN help with an adoption at very little cost (no cost if it is determined to be a dependency matter like foster/adopt) However that is NOT Medi-Cal. Medi-Cal will pay all medical expenses for the expectant mom but not for the baby, your insurance should pick that up. It would be like asking your insurance company to do your legal work for you, to provide counseling etc. Maybe the Medi-Cal worker will contact the county office of DCFS but it is that agency that you will have to deal with. They do adoptions but foster/adopt and independent adoptions are two different animals.

The problem from what I have heard from several people and in my own experience is that DCFS is hard to work with in independent adoptions. They are great for the homestudy (I have used them twice for homestudy) the relinqushment and terminations are difficult thru them. You can have them do the relinquishments then you file the petions and terminations in court. We used an attorney to do the relinquishments and terminations but we filed the petition and will file for the finalization ourselves. The petition to adopt is just a form that you can download from your local court but it must be filed with a whole host of other documents including the relinquishments. If you go thru DCFS without an agency or attorney you have to do all of this yourself. We only did part of it ourselves and while it saved us quite a bit but let me tell you I am literally drowning in paperwork.

The other problem is that when you get the relinquishment, with a regular agency or attorney they come to you. In other words the expectant mom can choose the time and place she signs, usually in the hospital or even better in her own home surrounded by family. With the county DCFS office you have to make an appointment and the only gurantee of a time is "within 10 working days of the request" and you must meet in their office. If you don't have BOTH birthparents right there you might have a problem. Where an agency will go out and track down a birthfather the county expects you to bring him in. In our first independent adoption the birth father was trying not to found and in the second birthfather was unknown. We could not have brought them in to get a signature. In the first case our attorney tracked him down and got the signature and in the second the guy couldn't be tracked down so the attorney had to go to court to terminate his rights.

Now if you go thru the child protection or dependency side (foster/adopt)there will be no cost but the process is muuuuuch longer and will most likely involve a reunification plan for the next few months. If she is already in the system it will not be a problem. Has she had children removed from her custody? Is she already getting other social services that prove she is unfit? They have a very heavy case load and no longer do staight adoptions.

It is possible to do it all thru state agencies but be aware that unlike hiring an attorney the state agency is not your advocate. You are not their client, the mom and baby are and their interest is in protecting that family not yours.

lisa

[mollyejo]

OK thank you very much. Today my niece is visiting her ob/gyn for the first time with this pregnancy. We will find out the due date, she suspects she is 7 months pregnant. I will meet with an attorney A.S.A.P. Based upon your very thorough advice.

Maybe you can help with one other question? I have heard that when adopting within the family a person doesn't have to complete a homestudy. I have heard alot of things however so I don't know if this is accurate.

I am very excited and very nervous. We are in such a small time frame and I am starting with absolutely no knowledge. My sister adopted her nephew 16 years ago through foster after the child was taken due to abuse/neglect. That's where I got the info. about Medi-Cal but my sister has her own issues so it's very likely that she was mistaken. Plus as per your information I definately don't want a bunch of paperwork and retoric.

Thank you again, any further advice/support is greatly appreciated. Mollye

[savoy6]

We are just completing the adoption of our nephew. We did it thru dept. of social services and we were required to have 2 homestudies. We did not need an attorney. You can call the California dept of social services and request the adoption specialist. She provided us with the neccessary paperwork and info. When we filed the request for adoption with our county courthouse we were assigned a case number and then a social worker contacted us and walked us thru the next 7 months of the process. It was going to cost almost $3000 but we got a hardship waiver. Adopting a close blood relative is supposed to be easier, but it still is a process that has to be done in a specific order. If you would like more specific info and the name and number of the state adoption specialist please email me privately.

[maricela414]

Hi,

I don't know how it works w/private adoption but when you adopt through DCSF, your child will be able to get Medi-Cal till he/she turns 18. Both my children were adopted through DCSF & both have Medi-Cal.

We paid $350.00 for each adoptions and that was reinbursed because our children were considered "special needs".

It wouldn't hurt to call DCSF for info.

[Tphagans]

When we were matched with the birthmom, she came out from Florida to California. She applied and was accepted for medi-cal. They only pay for doctor and the hospital when she delivers. You have to tell them up front it's an adoption situation. They do not pay for anything pertaining to the adoption finances. Your attorney should explain everything to you.