The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) sent letters to 39 governors Thursday calling for “immediate action to protect vulnerable foster youth” from having their federal benefits seized by local governments and used to pay for their care and custody.
The widely critiqued practice amounts to children forfeiting their own money to pay for their expenses in foster care.
“These letters highlight the pressing issue of state child welfare agencies diverting foster youths’ earned Social Security survivor benefits,” the government’s press release states. “ACF has notified all 39 governors who allow this practice and aims to work with states to end it. The goal is to ensure these earned benefits are no longer taken from foster youth and are instead preserved to support them as they transition out of state care.”
The funds in question are often used by state child welfare agencies without the foster child’s knowledge. The intercepted federal benefits include Social Security survivor benefits that they are eligible for due to a deceased parent’s lifetime contributions that are intended for a child in foster care. Agencies then use these funds to reimburse their own costs.
“Every earned benefit dollar belongs to these foster youth, not the government agencies or bureaucrats,” stated newly named ACF Assistant Secretary Alex Adams. “Protecting children is the core mission of child welfare, and we will keep the best interests of the child front and center in all our efforts.”
In his prior role leading Idaho’s Department of Health and Welfare, Adams ended the practice in his state, one of a growing number of states to take such action. His state now requires that foster youths’ survivor benefits be used for their unmet needs, preserving the remaining balance for future use.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services — which oversees the Administration for Children and Families — described the move as part of his team’s larger goals.
“Our guiding principle is simple: every child deserves a home and a fair chance to thrive. But when state agencies stack the deck against children, we step in,” Kennedy said. “In the Trump Administration, we are committed to ensuring every child in America has the chance to reach their full potential.”
To date, 12 states have enacted policies to stop the interception of Social Security survivor benefits and to conserve the funds for the child’s unmet needs. Adams’ administration pledged to “provide resources, in addition to existing technical assistance, to help the remaining 39 states change this practice.”
The announcement features one well-known former foster youth, Scott Matlock — an Idaho native and current NFL fullback for the Los Angeles Chargers. Matlock entered Idaho’s foster care system at age 13 after both his parents died.
“I commend President Trump, Secretary Kennedy, and Assistant Secretary Adams for taking decisive action to encourage states to protect children and ensure foster youth have a strong financial foundation,” Matlock stated in the press release. “My hope is the next kid coming through foster care gets every penny he or she deserves, no matter what state they live in.”