Nonminor dependents: transitional independent living case plans.

Existing law provides aid and services to children placed in out-of-home care through various social service programs, including California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) , Aid to Families with Dependent Children-Foster Care (AFDC-FC) , Kinship Guardianship Assistance Payment Program (Kin-Gap) , and the Adoption Assistance Program. Under existing law, a nonminor dependent, defined to mean a person between 18 and 21 years of age who is still within the jurisdiction or transitional jurisdiction of the juvenile court under specified placement and care responsibility and who has a transitional independent living case plan, continues to be eligible for those social service programs until 21 years of age if the nonminor dependent is otherwise eligible for that program and one or more other specified conditions are met, including that the nonminor is employed for at least 80 hours per month or enrolled in an institution that provides postsecondary or vocational education. Existing law defines transitional independent living case plan to mean the nonminor dependent's case plan, updated every 6 months, that describes the goals and objectives of how the nonminor will make progress in the transition to living independently, among other things, and requires all case planning to be a collaborative effort between the nonminor dependent and the social worker, probation officer, or Indian tribe. This bill would provide that a nonminor dependent's inability to participate in the development of a transitional independent living case plan due to incompetency, disability, or a medical condition shall not prevent the nonminor dependent from receiving the above-described benefits. In cases in which the court finds a nonminor dependent is unable to participate in the development of a transitional independent living case plan due to one of those reasons, the bill would require the social worker, probation officer, or tribal entity to instead develop the transitional independent living case plan in consultation with the nonminor dependent's counsel, conservator, guardian ad litem, caregiver, developmental services decisionmaker, and persons identified as important in the nonminor dependent's life, as applicable. By imposing a higher level of service on county officials, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.