S 7778: Requires commissioners of local social services districts to screen, apply for, and use and conserve retirement, survivors and disability insurance, supplemental security income, veterans' or any other federal social security benefits on behalf of children placed in foster care; provides for responsibilities of local commissioners of social services appointed to serve as the representative payee for a child; provides for technical assistance and financial literacy for foster children; makes related provisions.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 7778 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE May 6, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. BRISPORT -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Children and Families AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to requiring commissioners of local social services districts to screen, apply for, and use and conserve retirement, survivors and disability insurance, supplemental security income, veterans' and other federal social secu- rity benefits on behalf of children placed in foster care The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 6 of section 398 of the social services law is 2 amended by adding three new paragraphs (q), (r) and (s) to read as 3 follows: 4 (q) For all children in foster care, a commissioner shall: (i) Screen 5 for potential eligibility for retirement, survivors and disability 6 insurance, supplemental security income, veterans', or any other federal 7 social security benefits and apply for such benefits on behalf of any 8 child determined to be potentially eligible within sixty days of such 9 child entering foster care. 10 (ii) Rescreen all children in foster care annually for eligibility for 11 all federal benefits, and within thirty days of receipt of any new 12 information tending to indicate that a child may be eligible for bene- 13 fits and apply for such benefits on behalf of any such child within 14 sixty days of the determination of such potential eligibility. 15 (iii) Provide notice to a child, such child's attorney, and such 16 child's parent or parents or legal guardian or guardians of any applica- 17 tion, decision, communication, or appeal related to such child's retire- 18 ment, survivors and disability insurance, supplemental security income, 19 veterans' or any other federal social security benefits. 20 (iv) For each child the commissioner determines may potentially be 21 eligible for benefits, identify an appropriate representative payee, in 22 cooperation with such child, such child's family, and the attorney for 23 such child, pursuant to the established categories of preferred payees 24 in 20 C.F.R. §§ 404.2021 and 416.621. The commissioner shall seek to be 25 appointed as the representative payee only when there is no other appro- EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD11060-02-5 
 S. 7778 2 1 priate preferred payee available who agrees to use and preserve the 2 benefits in the interest of a child. 3 (r) For each child for whom a commissioner is appointed to serve as 4 the representative payee, such commissioner shall: (i) Meet regularly 5 with any child who is developmentally able to participate in financial 6 planning and such child's attorney to develop a plan to use and conserve 7 the benefits. 8 (ii) Use the payments to meet the child's specific immediate unmet 9 needs, as determined in cooperation with such child, such child's care- 10 taker, and such child's attorney. Benefits may be used to meet such 11 child's needs for goods or services not provided through the foster care 12 system and that are not covered by such child's health insurance, 13 including but not limited to, disability aids, school tuition, a car, or 14 tools of the trade for employed youth. 15 (iii) Monitor the federal and state asset limitations on federal bene- 16 fits, and deposit any benefits that are subject to such asset limitation 17 and are not used to meet the child's immediate needs in a special needs 18 trust, a pooled special needs trust, an achieving a better life experi- 19 ence (ABLE) account under 26 U.S. Code § 529A, or other trust account or 20 legal mechanism that will allow a child to save in excess of any federal 21 and state asset limitations, in accordance with 20 C.F.R. § 416.645. 22 (iv) Provide the child and the attorney for such child with an annual 23 accounting of the use or conservation of such child's benefits. 24 (v) Upon discharge from foster care, transfer all conserved funds to 25 the new representative payee or the child, as appropriate. 26 (vi) Decline to use a child's benefits to reimburse the local social 27 services district for the costs associated with maintaining any child in 28 the care and custody or the custody and guardianship of the commission- 29 er, including the administrative costs associated with foster care. 30 (s) For all children in foster care, a commissioner shall: (i) Provide 31 all representative payees and beneficiaries with information about what 32 is legally required under law regarding the use and conservation of 33 federal benefits. 34 (ii) Assist any child who may qualify to be their own payee in 35 completing an application to become the payee for such child's benefits. 36 (iii) Assist any child who needs to be re-certified to remain eligible 37 for a benefit after reaching the age of majority to be re-certified far 38 enough in advance of such child reaching the age of majority to avoid a 39 gap in the provision of such benefit. 40 (iv) For any child who the commissioner anticipates will be discharged 41 from care within three months, and who is not able to serve as such 42 child's own representative payee, identify an appropriate representative 43 payee, in cooperation with such child, such child's family, and the 44 attorney for such child, pursuant to the established categories of 45 preferred payees in 20 C.F.R. §§ 404.2021 and 416.621, and assist the 46 identified individual in processing an application to become the repre- 47 sentative payee. 48 (v) Provide at least five hours of developmentally appropriate finan- 49 cial literacy and skill building annually for all children age fourteen 50 or older, and for all family members who will serve as a representative 51 payee for a child. Such training shall include skill building around 52 proper use and conservation of benefits, including the use of special- 53 ized accounts enumerated in subparagraph (iii) of paragraph (r) of this 54 subdivision. 55 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.