2.5.6 Medical Assistance Northstar Care for Children (Archive)

Beginning January 1, 2015, children entering foster care or placed in permanent homes through adoption or kinship arrangements may be eligible for Northstar Care for Children (Northstar).

Northstar includes three programs:

• Northstar Adoption Assistance

• Northstar Foster Care

• Northstar Kinship Assistance

Northstar will gradually replace pre-Northstar programs as children age out of the legacy programs including:

• Adoption Assistance

• Foster Care

• Relative Custody Assistance (RCA)

Each Northstar program has two different funding streams. The federal government funds Title IV-E Adoption Assistance, Foster Care and Kinship Assistance. State funds are used for children who are not eligible for Title IV-E Adoption Assistance, Foster Care and Kinship Assistance (non-Title IV-E).

Most children who receive Northstar are eligible for Medical Assistance (MA). Both the type of program and the funding source affect MA eligibility.

This chapter includes MA eligibility policies that apply to each type of Northstar Care for Children.

1. MA Northstar Adoption Assistance

2. MA Northstar Title IV-E Foster Care and Title IV-E Kinship Assistance

3. MA Northstar Non-Title IV-E Foster Care and Non-Title IV-E Kinship Assistance

Legal Citations

Code of Federal Regulations, title 42, section 435.145

Code of Federal Regulations, title 42, section 435.227

Minnesota Statutes, section 256B.055

Minnesota Statutes, section 256N

Published:  June 1, 2016

Archived: January 1, 2023