relative to the department of health and human services management of social security payments, supplemental security income payments, and veterans benefits for children in foster care.

HB 661 requires New Hampshire's Department of Health and Human Services to manage social security payments, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and veterans benefits for children in foster care. The department must determine eligibility within 60 days of a child entering foster care, apply for benefits on the child's behalf, and properly manage these funds until the child turns 18 or leaves foster care. The bill prohibits using the child's benefits to cover foster care costs but allows using them for the child's unmet needs, and mandates annual accounting to the child, their representative, and parents. The bill appropriates $1 for the 2026-2027 biennium with estimated annual costs of $2.9 million starting in 2027 to implement these changes.