Adoption subsidy consists of the following components:
Monthly maintenance payments at 100 percent of the approved foster care board rate
Medicaid coverage
Legal (attorney) fees for adoption finalization
Subsidy may also include payment for special services required by the child. Special service funds are limited and so are reserved for the most challenging situations.
Eligibility is based on the following "hard-to-place" criteria:
Children over the age of 2 who are of an ethnic group for whom adoptive homes are not readily available
Children over the age of 5 - living with their foster family for at least 12 months - who will be adopted by their foster family
Sibling groups of 3 or more children
Children 10 years of age or older
Children of any age with significant physical, psychological, or medical handicaps
Eligibility for the subsidy program is approved by DYFS prior to the adoption finalization. Staff of the Adoption Resource Centers work with the child's caretaker to secure all available documentation to support the subsidy application. The majority of children adopted through DYFS do meet the "hard-to-place" criteria.
Frequently Asked Question:
Since the subsidy program has specific age requirements, do drug exposed infants qualify?
Often not as many have not been diagnosed with significant medical problems. The DYFS Director may approve subsidy for an individual child if high-risk background factors create a barrier to adoption. Additionally, adoptive families may later apply for subsidy if the child develops a "significant physical, psychological, or medical handicap" related to their heredity or background.
Law Guardians:
Children in foster care may be represented by a court-appointed attorney known as a Law Guardian, depending on what type of a docket has been filed with the court in their case.
All children who enter foster care are assigned an FC (Children in Court) docket number, regardless of whether they were placed voluntarily or by court order.If they are placed voluntarily, it is authorized by either a 15-day or 6-month voluntary placement agreement, which has been signed by the legal parents.In cases of voluntary placement, a Law Guardian is generally not assigned, since there are no regular court reviews of the case.
If a child is initially placed pursuant to a court order, granting DYFS custody of the child, the case is also assigned an FN (Abuse and Neglect) docket number.A case may also become an FN docket upon expiration of a voluntary agreement, and a petition from DYFS to continue the placement against the wishes of the legal parents.In either case, whenever a child’s case is assigned an FN docket type, a Law Guardian is appointed, and there is generally a court review of the case about every 3 months.
If a petition is filed with the court to terminate parental rights in a child’s case, it is given an FG (Guardianship) docket number, which culminates in a guardianship trial.Law Guardians continue to represent a child through the completion of the trial.
Effective January 1, 2004, all children covered by the DYFS Medicaid program are required to be enrolled in an HMO. This change was made so that children are afforded greater accessibility to providers through these HMOs.
AmeriGroup New Jersey, Inc. 399 Thornall Street Edison, NJ 08837 Member Services: 1-800-600-4441 Provider (Doctor) Relations: 1-800-454-3730 Counties: Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union, Warren
Health Net of New Jersey, Inc. CNA Building 3501 State Highway 66 Neptune, NJ 07754 Member Services: 1-800-555-2604 Provider (Doctor) Relations: 1-800-963-6286 Counties: Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex, Ocean, Passaic, Salem, Somerset, Union
AmeriChoice of New Jersey, Inc. Two Gateway Center, 13th Floor Newark, NJ 07102 Member Services: 1-800-941-4647 1-800-943-4647 (en Español) Provider (Doctor) Relations: 1-888-362-3368 Counties: Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Salem, Somerset, Sussex, Union, Warren
Horizon NJ Health 210 Silva Street Trenton, NJ 08628 Member Services: 1-877-765-4325 Provider (Doctor) Relations: 1-800-682-9091 Counties: Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Salem, Somerset, Sussex, Union, Warren
University Health Plans, Inc. 550 Broad Street, 17th Floor Newark, NJ 07102 Member Services: 1-800-564-6847 Provider (Doctor) Relations: 1-800-780-2438 Counties: Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Salem, Somerset, Sussex, Union, Warren
Name
Phone Number
DYFS Emergency Line (OCAC), In-state
877-NJ-ABUSE
(877-652-2873)
DYFS Emergency Line (OCAC), Out-of-state
609-292-8799
DYFS Director’s Hotline
800-331-3937
Foster and Adoptive Family Services
800-222-0047
DYFS Resource Family Support Unit - Morris/Sussex
973-538-2679
Poison Control Hotline
800-222-1222
DYFS Bayonne District Office
800-982-7396
DYFS Bergen District Office
800-531-1096
DYFS Central Passaic District Office
800-531-1260
DYFS Jersey City District Office
800-982-7397
DYFS Morris District Office
800-392-9518
DYFS North Hudson District Office
800-982-7401
DYFS North Passaic District Office
800-847-1743
DYFS Sussex District Office
800-392-2654
DYFS Warren District Office
800-531-1229
WIC (Supplemental Nutrition for Women Infants & Children)
800-328-3838
Dental Clinic – Morristown Memorial Hospital
973-971-4059
Dental Clinic – Newton
973-383-7001
NJ Medicaid – General
800-356-1561
NJ Medicaid – Dental Referrals
800-782-0181
Northern Adoption Resource Center (ARC)
800-392-2658
Morris County Child Placement Review
973-656-4316
Sussex County Child Placement Review
973-579-0630
Warren County Child Placement Review
908-475-6157
Supplemental Nutrition for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
WIC services are provided at more than 200 locations throughout the State. For more information, call toll-free 1-800-328-3838 or check one of the numbers listed below for the WIC program nearest you. WIC also has a website at:
