Minnesota Statutes 259A.40 – Assignment of Adoption Assistance Agreement
Subdivision 1.Continuing child’s eligibility for title IV-E adoption assistance in a subsequent adoption.
(a) The child maintains eligibility for title IV-E adoption assistance in a subsequent adoption if the following criteria are met:
Terms Used In Minnesota Statutes 259A.40
- Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Person: may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, and to partnerships and other unincorporated associations. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
- state: extends to and includes the District of Columbia and the several territories. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
(1) the child is determined to be a child with special needs as outlined in section 259A.10, subdivision 2; and
(2) the subsequent adoptive parent resides in Minnesota.
(b) If the child had a title IV-E adoption assistance agreement prior to the death of the adoptive parent or dissolution of the adoption, and the subsequent adoptive parent resides outside of Minnesota, the state is not responsible for determining whether the child meets the definition of special needs, entering into the adoption assistance agreement, and making any adoption assistance payments outlined in the new agreement unless a state agency in Minnesota has responsibility for placement and care of the child at the time of the subsequent adoption. If there is no state agency in Minnesota that has responsibility for placement and care of the child at the time of the subsequent adoption, it is the public child welfare agency in the subsequent adoptive parent’s residence that is responsible for determining whether the child meets the definition of special needs and entering into the adoption assistance agreement.
Subd. 2.Assigning a child’s adoption assistance to a court-appointed guardian.
(a) State-funded adoption assistance may be continued with the written consent of the commissioner to an individual who is a guardian appointed by a court for the child upon the death of both the adoptive parents in the case of a two-parent adoption, or the sole adoptive parent in the case of a single-parent adoption, unless the child is under the custody of a child-placing agency.
(b) Temporary assignment of adoption assistance may be approved by the commissioner for a maximum of six consecutive months from the death of the parent or parents and must adhere to the requirements and procedures prescribed by the commissioner. If, within six months, the child has not been adopted by a person agreed upon by the commissioner, or if a court has not appointed a legal guardian under either section 260C.325 or 524.5-313, or similar law of another jurisdiction, the adoption assistance shall terminate. Upon assignment of payments pursuant to this subdivision, funding shall be from state funds only.