Bill > SB0018

This bill establishes comprehensive guidelines for managing state and federal benefits for children in foster care in Michigan. The bill requires the department to screen foster children for potential benefit eligibility within 90 days of entering foster care and annually thereafter, consulting with parents or guardians ad litem to make benefit-related decisions in the child's best interests. It prohibits using a foster child's benefits or assets as reimbursement for care costs, with limited exceptions for special needs services that are not otherwise provided. The department must help identify or serve as a representative payee for benefits, and when doing so, must conserve and manage these benefits responsibly, providing annual accountings to the child and their guardian ad litem. For foster children 14 and older, the department must provide financial literacy training. The bill mandates notification to the child or guardian ad litem about benefit applications, decisions, and appeals. When a foster child is discharged or reaches 18, the department must facilitate the transfer of any accumulated assets or income to the child, and if the child dies while in foster care, to their heirs. The bill defines "federal benefits" as Social Security and Veterans Affairs benefits, and "state benefits" as state supplemental payments for federal supplemental security income recipients. The provisions are set to take effect on October 1, 2026.

Housing and Urban Affairs, Military Affairs and Security

https://legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2025-SB-0018