(SACRAMENTO, CA) Late last night, the State Legislature passed a bill authored by Assemblymember Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa), Chair of the Assembly Democratic Caucus, to help provide a safety net to severely disabled foster youth reaching adulthood.

Assembly Bill (AB) 1331 passed with an Assembly concurrence vote of 77-0 on Senate amendments.  It passed the Senate on September 10th with a 29-11 vote.  It now goes to the Governor for his signature or veto.

“Foster youth need our support while transitioning out of state care, especially those living with severe disabilities,” said Evans.  “At a minimum, we must assure that they get the assistance already available to them.  This bill will help us do that.”

Sponsored by the John Burton Foundation, the County Welfare Directors Association, the Public Interest Law Project and the Alliance for Children’s Rights, AB 1331 requires county child welfare agencies to screen all foster youth between ages 16½ and 17½ for a mental or physical disability and assist them in applying for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), a federal income supplement program for the disabled which provides a monthly cash benefit.  The goal of the bill is to have SSI in place for eligible youth upon emancipation from the foster care system.  To help meet this goal, the bill allows youth with pending SSI applications to remain in foster care past their 18th birthday until their applications are processed.

“Disabled foster youth are entitled to receive this assistance,” added Evans.  “They need our help applying for it.”

An estimated 15 percent of foster youth live with a serious physical or mental disability.  There are nearly 80,000 children in California’s foster care system.  Each year, over 4,000 youth age out of foster care when they turn age 18.

“Without these benefits, disabled foster youth are at significantly greater risk for homelessness, unemployment, and chronic physical and mental health problems,” concluded Evans.

SSI benefits are designed to provide a minimum level of monthly income to disabled persons and families with disabled children who have limited incomes.  The federal monthly grant for an individual is $623.  SSI eligibility triggers a State Supplemental Payment (SSP) benefit of $223 for an individual, for a total of $856 per month.

Sixty five percent of foster youth emancipate from state care without a place to live.  Fifty one percent are unemployed.  Less than 3 percent attend college.  Foster youth with disabilities are particularly vulnerable and at greater risk.

Further information about AB 1331 is available online at http://www.leginfo.ca.gov.