The regional program administrators for CPS are responsible for designating staff members to negotiate adoption assistance agreements.

When a family has been determined to be eligible but does not yet have an agreement, the negotiators are responsible for doing the following:

• Contacting the family within two days after receiving notice that the family is preliminarily or actually eligible for assistance, in order to make an appointment to discuss adoption assistance benefits and to negotiate the adoption assistance agreement. Negotiators meet face-to-face with the family when possible; otherwise, contact may be made by phone. If the meeting is face-to-face, it may occur in the adoptive home or the DFPS office, whichever is suitable to both parties.
• Reviewing the following before meeting with the adoptive family:
  • The child’s records, to help identify the child’s needs.
  • Information in the adoptive family’s records, including information about their circumstances, the adoption home study, and adoption assistance worksheets.
• Giving the prospective adoptive family information about the Medicaid program and how to access benefits in Texas and other states. See 1730 Medicaid Coverage, the Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical Assistance, and Adoption Assistance.
• Giving the prospective adoptive family information about possible adoption tax credit.
• Giving the prospective adoptive family information about the educational requirements described in 1715.6 Education Requirements.
• Negotiating an adoption assistance agreement for a new adoptive placement before or shortly after the adoptive placement agreement is signed. See 1715.3 Considerations during Negotiations.
• Determining the appropriate payment ceiling (maximum) for monthly payments (see 1715.5 Determining the Payment Ceiling for Adoption Assistance) and communicating it to the family.
• Informing the family that they will lose eligibility for adoption assistance if the adoption assistance agreement is not negotiated and signed before consummation of the adoption, with very limited exceptions as explained in Texas Administrative Code §700.881.External Li. See 1719.2 Adoption Assistance Agreement Was Not Signed before the Adoption’s Consummation.
• Completing and executing Form 2253C Adoption Assistance AgreementWord Document. The family keeps a copy of the agreement, and the negotiator sends the original agreement to the adoption assistance eligibility specialist, in addition to providing the notice of any changes to the monthly payment amount (see 1715.2 Ongoing Responsibilities of Negotiators). The adoptive parents have the following options for how to sign the agreement:
  • Sign electronically (for example, using DocuSign) and email the signed agreement to the negotiator.
  • Sign a paper copy and mail it to the negotiator.
  • Sign a paper copy, scan it, and email it to the negotiator.
• Notifying the child’s primary caseworker and the eligibility specialist by email that the agreement has been executed, so that the caseworker can proceed with making an adoptive placement if one has not yet been made.