County departments screen foster children for disability benefits and track spending

County departments must screen children and youth in foster care for possible federal disability benefits and apply when they may qualify. These duties apply when a county department receives custody of, or authority for out-of-home placement of, a child or youth. For children under six, the department must refer them for developmental screening within 45 days after out-of-home placement. For children age six or older, the initial medical intake must assess issues relevant to possible eligibility. If a child may qualify and the federal agency is accepting applications, the department must start the application within 45 days after receiving the screening information and required documents. If the department is not the appropriate payee, it must tell the identified prospective payee how to apply. These requirements begin on or before July 1, 2028. The screening referral is due within 45 days after placement; the application must start within 45 days after the department receives the screening information and required documents.

County departments must review children's possible eligibility for federal disability benefits and explain certain decisions. These duties concern county departments assessing children and youth in foster care for federal Supplemental Security Income, a federal disability benefit. When a department finds a child unlikely to qualify, it must document why if it also identifies the child as having a disability for state or federal reporting. When a department finds a child likely to qualify, it must identify the child as having a disability for those reporting requirements. These requirements begin on or before July 1, 2028. Reviews must occur when new relevant information arrives and at least annually as part of the child's annual medical exam.

County departments serving as benefit payees must track spending and give children and their legal representatives yearly accountings. These duties apply when the county department serves as representative payee or fiduciary for a child's or youth's federal Supplemental Security Income. The department must document spending made on the child's behalf by type of need and funding source. The department must share the annual accounting with the child and the child's legal representative. A county department that is not the payee or fiduciary is not responsible for maintaining the account or providing this accounting. These requirements for Supplemental Security Income begin on or before July 1, 2028. The accounting must be provided annually.