Foster youth should benefit from their benefits. Disabled foster youth and those who have lost a parent constitute some of our nation’s most vulnerable children. Approximately 40,000-80,000 children and youth in foster care are eligible for or receiving Social Security disability, survivor, or other benefits, which can amount to over $900 per month. Federal law requires these benefits be used in the child’s best interest for unmet needs. For this subset of foster youth who face tremendous obstacles when they leave or age out of care, these assets can serve as a lifeline to cover housing, food, health care, and transportation.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of foster youth beneficiaries will never see a dollar of their money, or even know that someone has applied for their benefits. Most foster care agencies routinely screen and apply for benefits on behalf of youth. They then routinely request to have the benefit checks sent directly to them. After receiving the child’s check, foster care agencies almost uniformly intercept the full amount of the check to reimburse themselves for that child’s foster care.
Is this a problem here in Michigan? If so we should probably fix it.
