§ 43-1311.03. Written independent living transition proposal; development; contents; transition team; department; duties; information regarding Young Adult Bridge to Independence Act; notice; contents; out-of-home placement; hearing, when held.

(1) When a child placed in foster care turns fourteen years of age or enters foster care and is at least fourteen years of age, a written independent living transition proposal shall be developed by the Department of Health and Human Services at the direction and involvement of the child to prepare for the transition from foster care to successful adulthood. Any revision or addition to such proposal shall also be made in consultation with the child. The transition proposal shall be personalized based on the child's needs and shall describe the services needed for the child to transition to a successful adulthood as provided in the Nebraska Strengthening Families Act. The transition proposal shall include, but not be limited to, the following needs and the services needed for the child to transition to a successful adulthood as provided in the Nebraska Strengthening Families Act: (a) Education; (b) Employment services and other workforce support; (c) Health and health care coverage, including the child's potential eligibility for medicaid coverage under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 42 U.S.C. 1396a(a)(10)(A)(i)(IX), as such act and section existed on January 1, 2013; (d) Behavioral health treatment and support needs and access to such treatment and support; (e) Financial assistance, including education on credit card financing, banking, and other services; (f) Housing; (g) Relationship development and permanent connections; (h) Adult services, if the needs assessment indicates that the child is reasonably likely to need or be eligible for services or other support from the adult services system; and (i) Information, planning, and assistance to obtain a driver's license as allowed under state law and consistent with subdivision (9)(b)(iv) of this section, including, but not limited to, providing the child with a copy of a driver's manual, identifying driver safety courses and resources to access a driver safety course, and identifying potential means by which to access a motor vehicle for such purposes. (2) The transition proposal shall be developed and frequently reviewed by the department in collaboration with the child's transition team. The transition team shall be comprised of the child, the child's caseworker, the child's guardian ad litem, individuals selected by the child, and individuals who have knowledge of services available to the child. As provided in the Nebraska Strengthening Families Act, one of the individuals selected by the child may be designated as the child's advisor and, as necessary, advocate for the child with respect to the application of the reasonable and prudent parent standard and for the child on normalcy activities. The department may reject an individual selected by the child to be a member of the team if the department has good cause to believe the individual would not act in the best interests of the child. (3) The transition proposal shall be considered a working document and shall be, at the least, updated for and reviewed at every permanency or review hearing by the court. The court shall determine whether the transition proposal includes the services needed to assist the child to make the transition from foster care to a successful adulthood. (4) The transition proposal shall document what efforts were made to involve and engage the child in the development of the transition proposal and any revisions or additions to the transition proposal. As provided in the Nebraska Strengthening Families Act, the court shall ask the child, in an age or developmentally appropriate manner, about his or her involvement in the development of the transition proposal and any revisions or additions to such proposal. As provided in the Nebraska Strengthening Families Act, the court shall make a finding as to the child's involvement in the development of the transition proposal and any revisions or additions to such proposal. (5) The final transition proposal prior to the child's leaving foster care shall specifically identify how the need for housing will be addressed. (6) If the child is interested in pursuing higher education, the transition proposal shall provide for the process in applying for any applicable state, federal, or private aid. (7) The department shall provide without cost a copy of any consumer report as defined in 15 U.S.C. 1681a(d), as such section existed on January 1, 2016, pertaining to the child each year until the child is discharged from care and assistance, including when feasible, from the child's guardian ad litem, in interpreting and resolving any inaccuracies in the report as provided in the Nebraska Strengthening Families Act. (8)(a) Any child who is adjudicated to be a juvenile described in (i) subdivision (3)(a) of section 43-247 and who is in an out-of-home placement or (ii) subdivision (8) of section 43-247 and whose guardianship or state-funded adoption assistance agreement was disrupted or terminated after the child had attained the age of sixteen years, shall receive information regarding the Young Adult Bridge to Independence Act and the bridge to independence program available under the act. (b) The department shall create a clear and developmentally appropriate written notice discussing the rights of eligible young adults to participate in the program. The notice shall include information about eligibility and requirements to participate in the program, the extended services and support that young adults are eligible to receive under the program, and how young adults can be a part of the program. The notice shall also include information about the young adult's right to request a client-directed attorney to represent the young adult pursuant to section 43-4510 and the benefits and role of an attorney. (c) The department shall disseminate this information to any child who was adjudicated to be a juvenile described in subdivision (3)(a) of section 43-247 and who is in an out-of-home placement at sixteen years of age and any child who was adjudicated to be a juvenile under subdivision (8) of section 43-247 and whose guardianship or state-funded adoption assistance agreement was disrupted or terminated after the child had attained the age of sixteen years. The department shall disseminate this information to any such child yearly thereafter until such child attains the age of nineteen years and not later than ninety days prior to the child's last court review before attaining nineteen years of age or being discharged from foster care to independent living. In addition to providing the written notice, not later than ninety days prior to the child's last court review before attaining nineteen years of age or being discharged from foster care to independent living, a representative of the department shall explain the information contained in the notice to the child in person and the timeline necessary to avoid a lapse in services and support. (d)(i) On and after January 1, 2025, a child adjudicated to be a juvenile as described in subdivision (1), (2), or (3)(b) of section 43-247 and who is in a court-ordered out-of-home placement in the six months prior to attaining nineteen years of age shall receive information regarding the Young Adult Bridge to Independence Act and the bridge to independence program available under the act. The Office of Probation Administration shall identify any such juvenile and provide the juvenile with information regarding the Young Adult Bridge to Independence Act and the bridge to independence program available under the act. (ii) Any party to such juvenile's court case, or the court upon its own motion, may request a hearing in the six months prior to the juvenile attaining nineteen years of age for the court to consider whether it is necessary for the juvenile to remain in the court-ordered out-of-home placement if the requesting party or the court believes it would be contrary to the juvenile's welfare to return to the family home. The following factors may guide the court in finding whether or not return to the family home would be contrary to the juvenile's welfare: (A) Whether the juvenile is disconnected from family support that would assist the juvenile in transitioning to adulthood; (B) Whether the juvenile faces the risk of homelessness upon closure of the juvenile court case; or (C) Whether the Office of Probation Administration has made reasonable efforts to return the juvenile to the family home prior to the juvenile's nineteenth birthday. (iii) The court shall set forth its finding in a written order. If the court finds that return to the family home would be contrary to the juvenile's welfare, the Office of Probation Administration shall notify the Department of Health and Human Services within ten days after such finding is made. As soon as practicable thereafter and prior to the child's nineteenth birthday, a representative of the department shall explain the information contained in the written notice described in this subsection to the juvenile in person and the timeline necessary to avoid a lapse in services and support. If the juvenile remains in a court-ordered out-of-home placement upon attaining nineteen years of age pursuant to a court order as described in section 43-4504, the department shall proceed pursuant to sections 43-4506 and 43-4508. (iv) A juvenile with a current pending motion to revoke probation before the court at the time of the hearing shall not be eligible for the Young Adult Bridge to Independence Act. (9)(a) The department shall provide the child with the documents, information, records, and other materials described in subdivision (9)(b) of this section, (i) if the child is leaving foster care, on or before the date the child reaches eighteen or nineteen years of age or twenty-one years of age if the child participates in the bridge to independence program, and (ii) at the age or as otherwise prescribed in subdivision (9)(b) of this section. (b) The department shall provide the child with: (i) A certified copy of the child's birth certificate and facilitate securing a federal social security card when the child is eligible for such card; (ii) Health insurance information and all documentation required for enrollment in medicaid coverage for former foster care children as available under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 42 U.S.C. 1396a(a)(10)(A)(i)(IX), as such act and section existed on January 1, 2013; (iii) A copy of the child's medical records; (iv) A driver's license or identification card issued by a state in accordance with the requirements of section 202 of the REAL ID Act of 2005, as such section existed on January 1, 2016, and when requested by a child fourteen years of age or older, all documents necessary to obtain such license or card; (v) A copy of the child's educational records; (vi) A credit report check; (vii) Contact information, with permission, for family members, including siblings, with whom the child can maintain a safe and appropriate relationship, and other supportive adults; (viii) A list of local community resources, including, but not limited to, support groups, health clinics, mental and behavioral health and substance abuse treatment services and support, pregnancy and parenting resources, and employment and housing agencies; (ix) Written information, including, but not limited to, contact information, for disability resources or benefits that may assist the child as an adult, specifically including information regarding state programs established pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 677, as such section existed on January 1, 2016, and disability benefits, including supplemental security income pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 1382 et seq., as such sections existed on January 1, 2016, or social security disability insurance pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 423, as such section existed on January 1, 2016, if the child may be eligible as an adult; (x) An application for public assistance and information on how to access the system to determine public assistance eligibility; (xi) A letter prepared by the department that verifies the child's name and date of birth, dates the child was in foster care, and whether the child was in foster care on his or her eighteenth, nineteenth, or twenty-first birthday and enrolled in medicaid while in foster care; (xii) Written information about the child's Indian heritage or tribal connection, if any; and (xiii) Written information on how to access personal documents in the future. (c) All fees associated with securing the certified copy of the child's birth certificate or obtaining a driver's license or a state identification card shall be waived by the state. (d) The transition proposal shall document that the child was provided all of the documents listed in this subsection. The court shall make a finding as to whether the child has received the documents as part of the independence hearing as provided in subdivision (2)(d) of section 43-285. History: Laws 2011, LB177, § 8; Laws 2013, LB216, § 17; Laws 2013, LB269, § 3; Laws 2014, LB853, § 25; Laws 2016, LB746, § 19; Laws 2019, LB600, § 2; Laws 2020, LB219, § 1; Laws 2023, LB50, § 24.