Subsidy… Did you know?

After finalization, there is more work to be done…

There are nearly 8,000 adoption subsidy cases being managed by a staff of 5 processing technicians (in addition to over 3,000 guardianship cases). Technicians are assigned cases based on the first letter of the child’s last name.

As soon as the child’s adoption or guardianship has been finalized, it is important to have the record sent to the subsidy unit so the processing technicians can set up the child’s subsidy file.  Adoptive parents are eager to start using the child’s new adoptive name at doctors’ offices and pharmacies but need to continue using the birth name/medical until the new medical coverage is processed which can take several months.

Families should be told to expect a gap in the initial subsidy payment due to the case being converted in LINK to a subsidy case and the following month the subsidy payment will be caught up.  Direct deposit is highly recommended to avoid lost checks.  It takes 6-8 weeks for the direct deposit to begin.  It is important to notify the subsidy unit of any address changes.

The processing technicians send weekly reports to Revenue Enhancement for medical insurance changes.  The child will receive a new medical card/number under the new name.

Processing technicians conduct 300-400 biennial reviews every month (in addition to guardianship reviews). Families are asked to sign an updated adoption agreement every 2 years (every year for guardianship) and have the agreement notarized. 

Adoptive parents obtain the new birth certificate from the town hall where the child was born.  Adoptive parents should then contact their local social security office for a card with the new name.

The processing technicians review all medically complex cases for continued eligibility.