VirginiaFoster care; federal benefits, representative payees.
What it does
Foster care; federal benefits; representative payees. Requires local departments of social services to screen any child in foster care for eligibility for certain federal benefits and to apply for such benefits for which the child may be eligible. Under the bill, local departments are required to review existing representative payees to ensure that the representative payee is adequately representing the child's best interests and take appropriate actions necessary to appoint a different representative payee if necessary.
More detail
The bill specifies that a local department shall only serve as representative payee when no other suitable candidate is available. The bill places limitations on the use of such federal benefits by local departments. Under the bill, if the local department serves as representative payee, it is required to provide an annual accounting detailing the use of such benefits to the child and certain individuals. The bill requires the Department of Social Services to develop and provide training sessions for (i) representative payees serving children in foster care regarding fiduciary obligations associated with serving as a representative payee and (ii) children in foster care who are age 14 and older regarding accessing, managing, and using certain federal benefits.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Feb 18Left in Committee AppropriationsLatest
- Feb 11Subcommittee recommends laying on the table (7-Y 0-N)
- Vote recorded Subcommittee recommends laying on the table. Result: pass.Lower
- Feb 10Assigned HAPP sub: Health & Human ResourcesMinor
- Vote recorded Reported from Health and Human Services. Result: pass.Lower
- Feb 10Reported from Health and Human Services and referred to Appropriations (21-Y 1-N)Minor
- Feb 5Subcommittee recommends reporting and referring to Appropriations (8-Y 0-N)
- Vote recorded Subcommittee recommends reporting. Result: pass.Lower
- Feb 4Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB578)
- Jan 21Assigned sub: Social ServicesMinor
- Jan 13Referred to Committee on Health and Human ServicesMinor
- Jan 13Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26103251DIntroduced