AB 1080 California Assembly · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Foster care payments.

Summary

Existing law provides for the out-of-home placement, including foster care placement, of children who are unable to remain in the custody and care of their parents. Existing law, the federal Social Security Act, provides for benefits for eligible beneficiaries, including survivorship and disability benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for, among others, blind and disabled children. Existing law requires every youth who is in foster care to be screened by the county for potential eligibility for SSI and requires that screening to occur when the foster youth is at least 16 years of age and not older than 17 years of age. Existing law requires the county placing agency, for foster youth whose applications for federal Social Security Administration benefits have been denied, to file, or cause to be filed, a request for reconsideration with the federal Social Security Administration and, if the request for reconsideration is denied, to file an appeal, as specified. This bill would also require the county placing agency to take those actions for a foster youth for whom eligibility for federal Social Security Administration benefits has been terminated. Existing law requires a placing agency to act in accordance with specified guidelines and pursuant to certain requirements when acting as the representative payee or in any other fiduciary capacity for a child or youth receiving federal Social Security Administration survivors' benefits, including, among other requirements, monitoring any applicable federal asset, resource, or income limits for the child's benefits and ensure that the child's best interests are served by conserving the benefits in a way that avoids termination of those benefits as a result of exceeding the federal asset, resource, or income limits, including establishing and maintaining a dedicated account on behalf of the child and preserves eligibility for other benefits to which the child may be entitled. This bill would generally expand the application of the placing agency guidelines and requirements described above to all circumstances in which the placing agency acts as the representative payee or in any other fiduciary capacity for a foster youth who receives any type of benefit from the federal Social Security Administration, as specified. Existing law requires a county, when serving as representative payee for a child or nonminor dependent receiving federal Social Security Administration benefits, to use those benefits for, among other purposes, purposes determined by the county to be in the child's or nonminor's best interests. This bill would require the county to make that determination with input from the child's or nonminor dependent's child and family team. Existing law requires the county placing agency, for nonminor dependents who have been approved for SSI benefits, but who are receiving federally funded AFDC-FC benefits in an amount that exceeds the SSI payment, causing the SSI payment to be placed in suspense, to forego the federally funded AFDC-FC benefits during at least one month of every 12-month period, in order to permit the nonminor dependent to receive an SSI benefit during a single month in every 12-month benefit. This bill would expand that requirement to apply to all youth. This bill would also make various technical and conforming changes. By increasing county duties with respect to foster youth, 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Aug 2026

Assembly Passage

Jan 2026

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Feb 20, 2025 Last action Aug 13, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

01/22/26 - Amended Assembly → AB1080 · 1 edit

MINOR

This diff shows no substantive policy changes to AB 1080. The difference is purely presentational: the old version is the official legislative document format with line numbers, page headers, and column layout, while the new version is a clean web-based rendering of the identical bill text. All statutory provisions in Sections 13754, 13756, and 13757 of the Welfare and Institutions Code remain unchanged.

TECHNICAL

Formatting change only: the bill text was re-rendered from the official legislative document format (with line numbers, page breaks, and two-column layout) to a plain web page format. No words in the operative statutory text were added, removed, or altered.

04/22/25 - Amended Assembly → 01/22/26 - Amended Assembly · 7 edits · Jan 22, 2026

MODERATE

AB 1080 was amended to broaden the scope of federal Social Security Administration benefits covered from 'survivors' benefits' to all benefits under Title II of the federal Social Security Act, and to remove 'nonminor dependent' limitations in Section 13757(e) so that SSI suspense-month requirements apply to all youth in foster care, not just nonminor dependents. The bill also restructures certain provisions for clarity and corrects a duplicate section numbering error.

SCOPE

Replaced references to 'federal survivors' benefits' and 'Social Security Administration survivors' benefits' with 'benefits provided under Title II of the federal Social Security Act' throughout Sections 13754, 13756, and 13757. Title II covers a broader range of benefits (including disability and retirement) than just survivors' benefits, expanding which youth are covered by the conservation and representative payee requirements.

ELIGIBILITY

In Section 13757(e), removed the 'nonminor dependent' qualifier so that the requirement to forego federally funded AFDC-FC for at least one month per 12-month period (to allow SSI payments to be received) now applies to all youth in foster care, not just nonminor dependents.

TECHNICAL

Restructured Section 13754(c)(2) from a single paragraph into sub-paragraphs (A), (B), and (C) with 'do all of the following' language, clarifying the county's obligations when it serves as representative payee for a nonminor dependent.

Removed the phrase 'and the county's consideration of the child's best interests, consistent with federal guidance' from the end of Section 13756(b)(3) (accounting provision).

Corrected a duplicate section numbering error at the end of the bill where both 'SEC. 3.' and 'SEC. 4.' appeared; now only 'SEC. 4.' remains.

DEFINITION

In Section 13756(b)(2), changed 'a dedicated account' to 'an individual maintenance account' to align terminology with Section 13754(d)(1).

Removed the former subdivision (c) of Section 13756 that defined 'federal survivors' benefits' or 'Social Security Administration survivors' benefits' as benefits under Section 402(d) of Title 42 U.S.C. This definition is no longer needed since the bill now references Title II directly.

02/20/25 - Introduced → 04/22/25 - Amended Assembly · 8 edits · Apr 22, 2025

MODERATE

The amended version of AB 1080 significantly expands the bill's scope by adding a new Section 13757 that requires counties to screen foster youth (including nonminor dependents ages 18-21) for federal Social Security Administration benefits eligibility, file applications, and pursue appeals when benefits are denied or terminated. The amendment also broadens existing provisions from covering only 'survivors' benefits' to all federal SSA benefits, adds a requirement that child and family teams provide input on how conserved funds are used, and expands the requirement to forego federally funded AFDC-FC payments so youth can receive SSI in at least one month per 12-month period from nonminor dependents to all youth.

SCOPE

New Section 13757 added requiring counties to screen every foster youth over 16 for potential SSA benefits eligibility, submit applications for those likely eligible, and time applications so determinations occur before the youth's 18th birthday when possible.

References throughout Sections 13754 and 13756 changed from 'federal survivors' benefits' to 'federal Social Security Administration benefits,' expanding the bill's coverage from only survivors' benefits to all types of SSA benefits (including SSI, SSDI, etc.).

ELIGIBILITY

New screening triggers for nonminor dependents (ages 18-21) including: missed pre-18 screening, change of circumstance such as a medical condition expected to last over one year, approval for regional center services, request by the youth or their attorney or child and family team, juvenile court order, or county determination based on a physical or mental impairment limiting work ability.

REQUIREMENT

Counties must now file a request for reconsideration with the SSA when a foster youth's benefits application is denied, and if that is also denied, file an appeal to the Appeals Council. The county is excused only if it lacks supporting information after making efforts to obtain it, or for other documented reasons.

The requirement for counties to forego federally funded AFDC-FC benefits so a youth can receive an SSI payment in at least one month per 12-month period is expanded from applying only to nonminor dependents to applying to all youth in foster care.

Section 13754(d)(2)(B) now requires the county to determine purposes for using conserved funds 'with input from the child's or nonminor dependent's child and family team' rather than making that determination unilaterally.

New provision in Section 13756(c)(2) requiring counties to provide information and documentation, upon request, to the child, their attorney, and parents or guardians regarding whether the child is currently receiving, entitled to receive, or has established eligibility for any federal SSA benefits.

TECHNICAL

Section 13754(a) changed 'in foster care' to 'while the youth is a nonminor dependent' when describing the intent that counties ensure SSI payments are received at least once per 12-month period, narrowing that specific intent statement to nonminor dependents.

Floor votes · Assembly Jan 29, 2026

How they voted

74–0

Passed · 5 other

Total votes 79

Jan 29, 2026

D Democratic59

54 Yea 5

91% Yea

R Republican20

20 Yea

100% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Aug 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

In committee: Held under submission.

upper

Jun 15, 2026

Committee

In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.

upper

Jun 2, 2026

Upper · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (June 1). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

upper

May 6, 2026

Committee

Referred to Com. on HUMAN S.

upper

Jan 29, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 75. Noes 0. Page 3875.)

lower

Jan 22, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.

lower

Jan 22, 2026

Introduced

From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (January 22).

lower

Jan 22, 2026

Committee

In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file.

lower

Apr 30, 2025

Lower · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (April 29). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

lower

Apr 23, 2025

Committee

Re-referred to Com. on HUM. S.

lower

Apr 22, 2025

Introduced

From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on HUM. S. Read second time and amended.

lower

Apr 8, 2025

Lower · Passed

In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.

lower

Mar 10, 2025

Committee

Referred to Com. on HUM. S.

lower

Feb 21, 2025

Lower · Passed

From printer. May be heard in committee March 23.

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors