The bridge to independence program is available on a voluntary basis to a young adult who meets the listed eligibility conditions.
The bridge to independence program is available, on a voluntary basis, to a young adult: (1) Who has attained the age of eligibility; (2) Who was adjudicated to be a juvenile described in: (a) Subdivision (3)(a) of section 43-247 or the equivalent under tribal law and (i) who, upon attaining the age of eligibility, was in an out-of-home placement or had been discharged to independent living or (ii) with respect to whom a kinship guardianship assistance agreement or an adoption assistance agreement was in effect pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 673, if the young adult had attained sixteen years of age before the agreement became effective, or with respect to whom a state-funded guardianship assistance agreement or a state-funded adoption assistance agreement was in effect if the young adult had attained sixteen years of age before the agreement became effective; (b) Subdivision (8) of section 43-247 or the equivalent under tribal law if the young adult's guardianship or state-funded adoption assistance agreement was disrupted or terminated after he or she had attained the age of sixteen years and (i) who, upon attaining the age of eligibility, was in an out-of-home placement or had been discharged to independent living or (ii) with respect to whom a kinship guardianship assistance agreement or an adoption assistance agreement was in effect pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 673, if the young adult had attained sixteen years of age before the agreement became effective, or with respect to whom a state-funded guardianship assistance agreement or a state-funded adoption assistance agreement was in effect if the young adult had attained sixteen years of age before the agreement became effective; or (c) Subdivision (1), (2), or (3)(b) of section 43-247 and (i) after January 1, 2025, upon one day prior to attaining nineteen years of age or the age of majority under relevant tribal law, was in a court-ordered out-of-home placement and (ii) such placement had been authorized or reauthorized in the six months prior to the juvenile attaining nineteen years of age or the age of majority under relevant tribal law in a court order finding that it would be contrary to the welfare of the juvenile to remain in or return to the juvenile's family home; (3) Who is: (a) Completing secondary education or an educational program leading to an equivalent credential; (b) Enrolled in an institution which provides postsecondary or vocational education; (c) Employed for at least eighty hours per month; (d) Participating in a program or activity designed to promote employment or remove barriers to employment; or (e) Incapable of doing any of the activities described in subdivisions (3)(a) through (d) of this section due to a medical condition, which incapacity is supported by regularly updated information in the case plan of the young adult; (4) Who is a Nebraska resident, except that this requirement shall not disqualify a young adult who was a Nebraska resident but was placed outside Nebraska pursuant to the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children; and (5) Who does not meet the level of care for a nursing facility as defined in section 71-424, for a skilled nursing facility as defined in section 71-429, or for an intermediate care facility for persons with developmental disabilities as defined in section 71-421. History: Laws 2013, LB216, § 4; Laws 2014, LB853, § 33; Laws 2015, LB243, § 16; Laws 2019, LB600, § 11; Laws 2020, LB848, § 5; Laws 2023, LB50, § 26; Laws 2026, LB867, § 6.