Miss. Code Ann. § 93-17-61: Agreement with Department of Human Services; commencement of benefits; duration; certification of need.

(1) When parents are found and approved for adoption of a child certified as eligible for supplemental benefits, and before the final decree of adoption is issued, there shall be executed a written agreement between the family entering into the adoption and the Department of Human Services. In individual cases, supplemental benefits may commence with the adoptive placement or at the appropriate time after the adoption decree and will vary with the needs of the child as well as the availability of other resources to meet the child’s needs. The supplemental benefits may be for special services only or for money payments as allowed under Section 43-13-115, Mississippi Code of 1972, and either for a limited period, for a long-term not exceeding the child’s eighteenth birthday, or for any combination of the foregoing. The amount of the time-limited, long-term supplemental benefits may in no case exceed that which would be currently allowable for such child under the Mississippi Medicaid Law.

(2) When supplemental benefits last for more than one (1) year, the adoptive parents shall present an annual written certification that the child remains under the parents’ care and that the child’s need for supplemental benefits continues. Based on investigation by the agency and available funds, the agency may approve continued supplemental benefits. These benefits shall be extended so long as the parents remain legally responsible for and are providing support for the child. The agency shall continue paying benefits until a child reaches twenty-one (21) years of age if the child meets the criteria stated in Section 93-17-67(1) for continuation of Medicaid coverage.

(3) A child who is a resident of Mississippi when eligibility for supplemental benefits is certified shall remain eligible and receive supplemental benefits, if necessary for adoption, regardless of the domicile or residence of the adopting parents at the time of application for adoption, placement, legal decree of adoption or thereafter.