SECTION 340:75-15-128. Adoption Assistance Program

(a)   The Adoption Assistance Program secures and supports safe and permanent adoptive families for children with special needs, as defined in Public Law 96-272 in Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) custody. Adoption assistance provides adoptive families of any socio-economic status with social services and medical and financial support to care for children considered difficult to place. The Adoption Assistance Program supplements the adoptive family's resources,as adoptive parents are responsible for the child's support.

(b)   DHS promotes the availability of adoption assistance for eligible children with special needs by providing information to families who apply for adoption through DHS.

(1)   DHS provides information to licensed, in-state, child-placing agencies and federally-recognized Indian tribes about the availability of adoption assistance for eligible children with special needs.

(2)   DHS is not responsible for seeking out and informing individuals who are unknown to DHS about the possibility of adoption assistance for children with special needs who are also unknown to DHS.

(c)   The federal adoption assistance program provides assistance to eligible children with special needs. When the child is not eligible for federally-funded adoption assistance, he or she may be eligible state-funded assistance, per the Oklahoma Adoption Assistance Act, Section 7510-1.3 of Title 10 of the Oklahoma Statutes.

[Source: Added at 11 Ok Reg 651, eff 11-15-93 (emergency); Added at 11 Ok Reg 3281, eff 6-27-94; Amended at 12 Ok Reg 3456, eff 7-1-95 (emergency); Amended at 13 Ok Reg 2199, eff 6-14-96; Amended at 14 Ok Reg 998, eff 1-24-97 (emergency); Amended at 14 Ok Reg 2288, eff 6-12-97; Amended at 15 Ok Reg 417, eff 11-1-97 (emergency); Amended at 15 Ok Reg 1663, eff 5-11-98; Amended at 15 Ok Reg 2106, eff 5-20-98 (emergency); Amended at 16 Ok Reg 102, eff 10-13-98 (preemptive); Amended at 16 Ok Reg 2740, eff 4-14-99 (emergency); Amended at 17 Ok Reg 445, eff 10-19-99 (emergency); Amended at 17 Ok Reg 1311, eff 5-11-00; Amended at 17 Ok Reg 3097, eff 6-7-00 (emergency); Amended at 17 Ok Reg 3531, eff 9-7-00 (emergency); Amended at 18 Ok Reg 2128, eff 6-11-01; Amended at 18 Ok Reg 3322, eff 6-19-01 (emergency); Amended at 19 Ok Reg 1129, eff 5-13-02; Amended at 20 Ok Reg 302, eff 12-5-02 (emergency); Amended at 20 Ok Reg 921, eff 5-12-03; Amended at 28 Ok Reg 894, eff 7-1-11; Amended at 35 Ok Reg 1695, eff 9-17-18]