Parents aggrieved by a denial or a possible reduction or termination of any subsidy may file an appeal with the Adoption Subsidy Review Board. If the Department determines that a subsidy should be reduced or terminated, the adoptive parents shall be notified of the decision in writing and be advised in the same letter of their right to request a hearing before the Adoption Subsidy Review Board. Parents have 30 days from the date of the Department's mailing a notice of denial, reduction, or termination to request a hearing. Families may request a subsidy after the finalization of an adoption under certain circumstances. Below is the process by which families access a subsidy after finalization.
Families make a written application stating the reasons for the subsidy.
In the case of a private agency adoption, DCF requests records from the closed file. If the adoption is through DCF, the records are retrieved from a DCF storage facility. DCF reviews records to determine if the child's condition is related to circumstances present prior to the finalization. This means that both policy and eligibility decisions are made by personnel at the state office. All subsidy cases are centrally administered.