State of Oregon: Adoption - Adoption and Guardianship Assistance Programs

The Adoption Assistance Program and Guardianship Assistance Program are federal- and state-funded programs that may include medical assistance, reimbursement for costs incurred to legally finalize the adoption or guardianship, or financial assistance paid on behalf of an eligible child to an adoptive parent or guardian.

Types of assistance

Agreement only
No cash subsidy or medical insurance needed at this time. Agreement required assuring assistance if needed in the future.
Medical only
Medical coverage is provided through Oregon or the child’s state of residence. It may be possible to use the medical card as a supplement to private insurance.
Payment only
A negotiated monthly cash subsidy plus level-of-care payment, if applicable, have been established with no medical coverage provided.
Cash and medical
A negotiated monthly cash subsidy plus current level-of-care payment, if applicable, with medical coverage through Oregon or the child’s state of residence.
Non-recurring expense payment
One-time payment for costs incurred in legally finalizing the adoption or guardianship.

Note: Non-recurring costs are those expenses directly related to legally finalizing the adoption or guardianship, such as attorney legal fees, court costs and pre-placement visits. A maximum of $2,000 per child is allowed. Receipts for costs must be received and a signed agreement in place before the adoption or guardianship is finalized. The expenses will be reimbursed after finalization.

Application and negotiation process

Once determined eligible for adoption or guardianship assistance, your caseworker will discuss your child’s needs and review your family circumstances in order to assist you with completing the application for adoption or guardianship assistance. Your request for adoption or guardianship assistance is based on your current out of pocket expenses incurred to meet your child’s needs. Specific expenses must be listed on the application form.

Things to consider when requesting adoption or guardianship assistance benefits:

What are the ordinary and special needs of the child?
What items or services are the parents currently providing to meet the needs of their child and what is the cost to provide each item?
Examples include extracurricular activities that are intended to address the child’s special needs by building social skills, motor skills or enhancing self-esteem; adaptive equipment recommended by treatment providers for children with particular needs (weighted vests, orthopedic shoes, special foods or utensils).
How much financial support are you able to provide for your child?
How much financial support are you requesting from the Adoption or Guardianship Assistance Program?
Adoption or guardianship assistance benefits must be negotiated and agreed upon before the adoption finalizes.
Federal law mandates that adoption or guardianship assistance cannot exceed the foster care maintenance payment a child is receiving or would receive in a foster family home. The foster care payment is determined by the child's age combined with, if applicable, the level of care payment as determined by a CANS screening.
The Adoption or Guardianship Assistance Program is not intended to reimburse parents/guardians for being parents. Rather, financial assistance focuses on helping families provide for the needs of the child that the family would have difficulty providing without financial assistance. It is not intended to fully cover the cost of raising a child.
There are no automatic or annual increases in the Adoption or Guardianship Assistance Program such as cost of living increases.
The family can request a renegotiation of the adoption or guardianship assistance subsidy payment amount if the family’s circumstances or the child’s needs change. However, the same process and subsidy limitation as described above will apply in negotiating the new subsidy.
The Adoption or Guardianship Assistance Agreement automatically expires when the child reaches the age of 18. A new agreement extending adoption/guardianship assistance past age 18 is only possible if the adoption/guardianship assistance became effective after the child’s 16th birthday and the child is involved in a qualifying activity, or for child with a disability who is eligible for developmental disability services or Social Security income at the time they are turning age 18. The extension is only possible under these circumstances and ends on or before the young adult’s 21st birthday.
In some cases, the adoption or guardianship assistance subsidy might affect other state and federal benefits the adoptive parent/guardian is receiving. If you have questions about continued eligibility or if the benefits you are receiving will be affected by the adoption/guardianship assistance subsidy, contact the provider responsible for administering the other benefits.

There are federal, state and program requirements that restrict and define the Adoption Assistance and Guardianship Assistance Programs. Within those guidelines, the adoption or guardianship assistance coordinator works with each family to help offset out-of-pocket expenses incurred to incorporate the special needs child into the family.

Specific information about each program

Forms

Direct Deposit Authorization Form

Adoption Assistance and Guardianship Assistance Application

Nonrecurring Expense form – must be submitted and processed prior to finalization

Resources

Oregon Post Adoption Resource Center (ORPARC)
A non-profit program contracted with Oregon Department of Human Services to offer services at no cost to:

ODHS adoptive families
Oregon Assisted Guardianship families
Oregon families who have adopted through any state’s child welfare system

Local Child Welfare office

Adoptive parents and guardians may be eligible for Family Support Services through their local child welfare office when a goal-oriented, time-limited, individualized plan for the child and the child's family is needed to identify and address the child's needs and service goals in order to achieve safety and well being.

Contact information

Adoption Assistance and Guardianship Assistance Program

Oregon Department of Human Services
Adoption Assistance and Guardianship Assistance Program
500 Summer Street NE, E-71
Salem, Oregon 97301-1068
Phone: 503-947-1134
Fax: 503-378-8424

Post Adoption Services Manager

First Name	Last Name	Email	Telephone
Lorri	Harris	Lorri.L.Harris@dhsoha.state.or.us	503-449-3232

Intake Coordinator

Coordinates and assigns new applications based on the last name of the guardian/adoptive family

First Name	Last Name	Email	Telephone
Courtney	Nichols	Courtney.R.Nichols@dhsoha.state.or.us	971-283-4929

Adoption/Guardianship Assistance Coordinators

First Name	Last Name	Email	Telephone	Family Last Name
Brenda	Weitman	Brenda.Weitman@dhsoha.state.or.us	971-283-1307	A - C
Mike	Plumb	Michael.Plumb@dhsoha.state.or.us	971-283-1892	D - I
Liz	Tyson	Elizabeth.K.Tyson@dhsoha.state.or.us	971-283-1825	J - N
Cathy	Reeves	Cathy.R.Reeves@dhsoha.state.or.us	971-283-1124	O - R
Lindsay	Williams	Lindsay.K.Williams@dhsoha.state.or.us	971-707-2848	S - Z

Adoption/Guardianship Assistance Support Staff

First Name	Last Name	Email	Telephone	Family Last Name
Katrin	Hood	Katrin.A.Hood@dhsoha.state.or.us	971-283-4422	A - G
Samantha	Van Den Broeke	Samantha.VanDenBroeke@dhsoha.state.or.us	971-501-0931	H - O
Alicia	Bishop	Alicia.Bishop@dhsoha.state.or.us	971-380-0477	P - Z

Adoption

Adoption and Guardianship Assistance Programs

Types of as​​sistance

​​Application and negotiation process

Specific information about eac​h program

For​ms

Res​​ources