Family Connections
Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles Raising Their Grandchildren, Nieces and Nephews
Kinship Care
Service for Agencies, Schools and Community Groups
Upcoming events and group meetings
Connecting with other Families
INFORMATION FOR MAINE
HEALTH
YOUR HEALTH 
One of the challenges for a
caregiver is to maintain your own health while you take care of others.
Not only do you need to get yourself to the doctor for a checkup, you
also need to eat right and get enough sleep, exercise and relaxation.
It is difficult to make time for these things if you have a two-year old
in the house or if you are working full time and trying to get to a kid's
evening basketball game. Remember, your family is depending on you to
take care of yourself so you can continue to take care of them!
Look after your mental health as well. You and the child have experienced enormous change. Sometimes it is hard to deal with all that is expected of you. You may need a break from the whole family.
Counseling may be very helpful. Some people think counseling suggests a weakness. Actually, it is a strength to recognize the limits of what you know how to do. You are facing a new and difficult situation. A counselor may help you to find the best way to deal with your new challenges. It may take time to find the right counselor. Ask lots of questions and choose someone with whom you feel comfortable.
What if I need time off
from work?
If you work, it may
be a challenge to get time off to attend to all the family responsibilities.
Find out your company's policies regarding use of sick days, vacation
time, and personal days. If you run out of paid leave, unpaid leave may
be an option. Talk to your employer and try to problem-solve together.
Maine's Family Medical Leave Law requires employers with 15 or more employees to allow up to 10 weeks unpaid leave. This is available when the employee has a child placed in connection with an adoption by the employee. The federal Family and Medical Leave Act requires employers with 50+ employees to allow up to 12 weeks unpaid leave when the employee begins parenting a foster or adopted child. Both the state and federal laws allow time off to care for a seriously ill member of the employee's immediate family.
THE CHILD'S HEALTH
How do I get medical care?
When a child comes
to live with you, take him or her to the doctor as soon as possible. You
will want to have the doctor look for possible past injuries to the child
or medical conditions. You will also want to make sure the child is up-to-date
on immunizations.
Find out where the child got medical care in the past. It may be very helpful if you can take the child to the same provider. If not, ask the new doctor's office to request the medical records from the past provider(s).
In order to provide medical
care, the medical provider may require documents to prove you are the
child's legal guardian or that you have power of attorney. If this is
not the case, you will need a letter from the legal guardian or parent
giving permission to sign for medical care. The letter must state the
time frame for the permission. For example, it might give permission for
Mary or Tom Smith to consent to Jane Brown's medical care from January
2004 to July 2004. If the child is in the state custody, talk to the child's
caseworker about getting routine medical care. 
How do I know if the child
is growing normally?
Each child grows
in his or her own unique way. It is important to keep an eye on your child's
development. There are ways you can encourage healthy development in your
child. If your child is struggling in some areas it may be that your child
has special needs. Early intervention can make a big difference. It may
be a short term problem or a long term problem as the child adjusts to
the changes in his or her life.
There are many great resources
to learn about child development. Check out your local library, web sites
and pamphlets at social service agencies. Contact the Child Development
Services Program in your area. You can receive free photocopies of "The
Growing Years" a series of fact sheets on child development. Call the
Maine Cooperative 
Extension
Service at 1-800-287-0274 and request the order form.
Does the child need counseling?
Like you, the child
has experienced enormous change and will probably be struggling.
Here are some signs that counseling may be needed:
- Sudden mood changes
- Feeling unhappy for long periods of time
- Often loses temper over small things
- Physical pain with no physical cause
- Dropping grades or poor work performance
- Often angry
- Difficulty getting along with peers
- Very easily distracted
You need to find a counselor who will work with you as well as the child. Try to find someone with whom you are both comfortable.
Is my child eligible for
in-home behavior services?
Sometimes families need a behavior specialist to assist a child with
behavioral challenges. To qualify for this assistance a child needs to
have a mental health diagnosis or a medical diagnosis. A Behavioral Specialist
(BS1) can work with your child at home or in the community on areas you
feel he or she could improve upon. If you feel your child would benefit
from having a BS1, you will need to contact the Maine State Department
of Behavioral and Developmental Services in the region where you live,
or you can call Family Connections for assistance with a referral.
How do I pay for the child's health care?
Medical benefits may be the single most important benefit you can
get for a child who is living with you. The child may be covered by a
parent's insurance or by your insurance. Most children living
with relatives are eligible for MaineCare.
MaineCare provides comprehensive health coverage to low-income and disabled people. If you have few assets and your income is not more than 150% of the poverty level ($2,102 for a family of three until Spring 2006), you and the child may both be MaineCare eligible at no monthly cost. If your income is below 200% of the poverty level ($2862 for a family of three until Spring 2006), you may qualify for low-cost coverage ($6 - $40 per month.) These income guidelines increase a little each year, usually in March.
Your child may be eligible for MaineCare even if you are not. If you are not the child's parent, you can choose to apply to MaineCare for the child only. Your income and assets will not be counted. If you are the child's parent and your child has severe emotional disturbances, your child may be eligible for MaineCare services under the Katie Beckett option. This provides MaineCare coverage to children with specific types of handicaps. A disabled child getting Supplemental Security Income (SSI) automatically qualifies for MaineCare.
In addition to medical services,
MaineCare may provide for some non-medical therapeutic services. For example,
MaineCare pays for dental work, other therapies, counseling, therapeutic
day care or therapeutic horseback riding. If you think your child needs
other kinds of therapeutic services, talk to you child's doctor or counselor.
MaineCare will pay grandparents,
aunts and uncles 15 cents a mile to transport their children to and from
medical appointments. Contact your local transportation provider to obtain the forms necessary for mileage reimbursement. Family Connections may be able to provide you with the phone number for the transportation provider in your area. A transportation provider in your area may also be able to provide transportation for your child to his/her medical appointments.
How do I apply for MaineCare?
Call 1-877-543-7669 or go to the nearest Department of Human Services
office. You may need:
- Social Security numbers
- Proof of relationship to child( for example, a birth certificate)
- Proof of income (if applying for yourself as well)
For more
information about MaineCare for children, call the Covering Kids and Families
Campaign Helpline: 1-800-965 -7476 or go to www.mejp.org/medicaid.htm.