5 Things To Do At Or After Finalization

Once you have your finalization documents and your new birth certificate, you’ll need to apply for a new Social Security card with your child’s new name. You will need both the adoption decree and the birth certificate, but it’s always a good idea to call your local social security office ahead of time to confirm what you need. Depending on your situation, your child may already have been given a social security number. If this is the case, you’ll want to discuss with your lawyer whether you need to also apply for a new social security number. Sometimes this is necessary, sometimes not.

Make sure to call your insurance to update the information they have. You’ll likely need a new insurance card with your child’s new name. If your child has been receiving Medicaid, you’ll need to let them know that the adoption has been finalized, because depending on your area this may result in Medicaid being terminated.

Take your adoption decree in so that your child’s various doctors’ offices can update their records. Our daughter has specialists in two hospital systems, so we had multiple offices to update, plus our local early intervention office needed the records too. If you have a school-age child, you’ll also need to take finalization documents to the board of education office to update his or her school records.

If you didn’t have a will already, now is the time to create one! And if you did have a will, now it’s time to update it. You’ll also want to update your insurance and retirement accounts so that your child is listed as a beneficiary.