This document discusses ways to improve access to four major public benefit programs for children in foster care and young people transitioning from foster care. It recommends that child welfare advocates work to ensure foster children are included in outreach efforts and that states adopt policies screening foster youth for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), free school meals, and Medicaid eligibility. Key policies discussed include directly certifying foster children for free school meals, adopting procedures to enroll former foster youth in SNAP and screen them for SSI as they transition from care, and extending Medicaid eligibility to former foster youth up to age 26.

1. Improving the Economic Security of Children in Foster Care and
Young People Transitioning from Foster Care
Shawn Fremstad
Consultant and Senior Research
Associate,
Center for Economic and Policy
Research

2. Overview of Presentation
o How to improve access to four major public programs providing
food, disability benefits, and health insurance
o Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
o Free School Meals
o Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
o Medicaid
o Focus is on children in foster care as well as young people who
have “aged out” or been emancipated from foster care.

3. Role of Child Welfare Advocates
o Active efforts underway in many states to improve benefit
access for low-income people generally through outreach and
systems change.
o Child welfare advocates can make sure outreach efforts include
foster children.
o Child welfare advocates can push for specific policies and
procedures that increase access by addressing special issues
foster children face

4. Greater Health Needs

5. Lower Educational Attainment and
Employment
Source: Midwestern Study, Chapin Hall at University of Chicago

6. SNAP: Foster Family Eligibility and
Access
o Foster children not eligible on their own, but can benefit
indirectly if they live with a foster family that is eligible.
o Foster care maintenance payments are not counted toward
SNAP income test (so don’t reduce family’s benefits), unless
foster family affirmatively asks to include foster child in SNAP
eligibility unit. This is generally not a good idea.
—SNAP applications should ask if children are foster children
o Massachusetts advocates have produced a fact sheet on SNAP
for foster families.

7. SNAP: Former Foster Youth
o Vast majority of former foster youth are financially eligible for
SNAP, but available data suggests most do not receive
benefits.
o In three-state Midwestern Study, less than one in four former
foster youth received SNAP at age 19.
o Big gender difference: At age 21, half of young women who had
aged out of care receiving SNAP, but only 10 percent of young
men.

8. Increasing SNAP Enrollment of Former Foster
Youth
o States and local agencies should adopt policies and procedures
that ensure that youth leaving foster care are 1) screened for
SNAP eligibility as part of the transition planning process; and
2) if found eligible (if living independently, they will be in most
cases), enrolled so that nutrition assistance is available
immediately when they leave care.
o California provides a good model. Statewide policy adopted in
2009 requires child welfare and SNAP staff to “work
collaboratively to ensure that all youth receive an opportunity to
apply for SNAP benefits.” SNAP enrollment has since
increased from 5 percent to 23 percent

9. Increasing SNAP Enrollment of Former Foster
Youth
o Santa Clara County (CA) Policy:
o Waives face-to-face interview with SNAP staff
o Before youth leaves care, youth’s independent living
caseworker sends completed but undated application to
SNAP staff
o SNAP eligibility worker dates the application on the same
day youth leaves care
o Expedited process means SNAP benefits can be available
immediately

11. Other SNAP Issues for Former Foster
Youth
o Employment, Training, and Education Requirements: Former
foster care youth will generally be subject to them. Brief
discusses ways to make sure they help rather than hinder.
o Three-Month Time Limit for Certain Adults: Waived in many
places right now because of high employment. Where limits
apply, exemptions, if properly implemented, can impact on
former foster youth.

12. Free School Meals
o Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 made children in foster
care automatically (“categorically”) eligible for free school meals
regardless of income.
o Foster parent need only check a box on application indicating
child is in foster care. (Make sure applications have this box).

13. Free School Meals
o States/school districts can also enroll foster children without even requiring
an application (“direct certification”). Even if a child moves out of foster care
status at some point during the school year, they remain eligible for free
lunches for the entire school year, and for up to 30 days into the next school
year.
o To directly certify, school districts can electronically match a database of all
children in foster care against a database of all students. Direct certification
can also be done based on information provided by child welfare worker or
foster family.
o States that directly certify or plan to include: Alabama, Delaware, Illinois,
Indiana, and Washington.

14. Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
o According to HHS:
o About 21 percent of foster children are potentially eligible for
SSI.
o But less than 5 percent receive it.
o Reasons for under-enrollment include:
o IV-E maintenance payments are counted as income
(however, non-IV-E maintenance payments are excluded)
o When foster children receive SSI, state child welfare
agencies typically use benefits to reimburse themselves
o Asset restrictions limit amount of SSI benefits that can be
saved

15. SSI for Former Foster Youth with
Disabilities: California’s Approach
o Screen foster youth between ages of 16½ and 17½ for
disabilities.
o If likely to be eligible, submit application on child’s behalf.
o Application should be timed to allow SSA to determine
eligibility prior to youth leaving care.
o If foster care maintenance payments would make them
financially ineligible for SSI, switch foster child to non-IV-E
funds for the month of application.

16. Conclusion: Top Three
Recommendations
o Adopt screening and enrollment policies for former foster youth
in SNAP and SSI.
o Implement direct certification option statewide for Free School
Meals
o Outreach to former foster youth up to age 26 on Medicaid
eligibility

17. Medicaid
o Children in foster care automatically eligible for Medicaid.
o However, for youth who have aged out of care, Medicaid
eligibility currently depends on options and waivers
implemented by their state.
o Among former foster youth in the three-state Midwest
Evaluation, only about only about 51 percent were insured at
age 21, compared to 76 percent of youth overall at this age.
Nearly one out of every three former foster youth with coverage
received it through Medicaid or CHIP.
o Affordable Care Act requires all states to extend Medicaid to
former foster youth up to age 26 starting in 2014.

18. Thank you www.firstfocus.net
Shawn Fremstad
Consultant and Senior Research
Associate,
Center for Economic and Policy
Research