HB 26-1347

HB 26-1347, also known as "Federal Disability Benefits for Foster Care Youth," is a Colorado bill that extends existing requirements for county departments of human or social services to help foster care youth apply for federal supplemental security income (SSI) benefits if they have disabilities and limited resources. The bill requires these departments to identify and document any disabilities the children might have, manage SSI funds in special savings accounts, and track how this money is spent. This legislation will take effect starting July 1, 2028, and it aims to provide better support for foster care youth with disabilities by ensuring they receive necessary financial assistance. The bill has been signed into law, meaning that the provisions described above are now official state requirements that county departments must follow when dealing with foster care youth who may be eligible for SSI benefits.

Official Summary

Under current law, a county department of human or social services (county department) is required, beginning on or before July 1, 2027, to determine whether a child or youth who is in foster care (child or youth) and who has a deceased parent may be eligible to receive federal survivor benefits and to apply for and manage those benefits under certain circumstances. Current law sets forth various survivor benefit application, accounting, and notice requirements for county departments, which must save survivor benefit money in an account for the individual child or youth in some cases.     The bill extends, beginning on or before July 1, 2028, certain application, accounting, and notice provisions already in place for survivor benefits to federal supplemental security income benefits (SSI), which are monthly payments awarded to a child or youth with a disability and limited resources. The bill adds requirements related to identifying and documenting the disability of a child or youth in the child welfare system. A county department must deposit amounts above the countable resource threshold for SSI eligibility in a savings account specifically for individuals with disabilities, established and maintained for the child or youth in foster care. If a child or youth is receiving SSI, the county department must document how the money is spent in the state's welfare case management system.(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

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