Gov. Mike Braun signed an executive order on May 13 directing the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) to preserve federal earned benefits for eligible youth in foster care.
This proclamation arrives during National Foster Care Month.
The executive order ensures that federal survivors’ benefits belonging to children in care are conserved for the child rather than used to reimburse the state for the cost of care. Benefits may include payments administered by the Social Security Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Railroad Retirement Board.
“It is very simple, survivor benefits belong to the child as intended, not the government. This executive order improves DCS services for Hoosier families and makes sure those dollars are protected and used to support young Hoosiers as they prepare for adulthood,” Braun said in a press release.
Braun also signed a joint proclamation with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families affirming Indiana’s commitment to “A Home for Every Child.” This initiative aimed at improving child safety, permanency and well-being outcomes through a new Program Improvement Plan.
Braun was joined for the signing by Alex Adams, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Administration for Children and Families.
The order requires DCS to screen children in care for eligibility, provide written notice to children and representatives, identify an independent representative payee whenever possible and preserve funds in accounts such as ABLE accounts, personal needs accounts or other savings vehicles.
The order also directs DCS to provide annual accounting, financial literacy education beginning no later than age 14, and procedures for youth to request distribution of funds while in care. Upon leaving DCS custody, preserved funds will be released according to applicable federal rules.
The order took effect immediately, with agencies directed to comply as soon as practicable.
For more information visit in.gov.
Contact Staff Writer Malik Simon at 317-762-7847.
Malik Simon is a Staff Writer for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Memphis, TN, he graduated from Mississippi Valley State University with a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies concentrating on journalism. Before joining the Recorder, he wrote for the Devil’s Gazette newspaper at MVSU and served as a freelance content and video editor. He seeks to use media to help communities flourish through literacy and factual reporting.
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