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Perhaps the most important change is the expansion of Medicaid health insurance to cover all 18 and 19-year-olds who have aged out of foster care. That expansion will eliminate gaps in coverage for young people receiving transition and aftercare services. The new law includes $2.8 million in general revenue funds and $3.9 million from the Medicaid Trust Fund to cover the additional young adults by Medicaid. The law keeps in place the current Medicaid coverage for young adults eligible for the Road to Independence program until their 21st birthdays. The "Road to Independence" program amounts to a monthly stipend to help with rent and living expenses for those in school.
The new law also expands eligibility for the Road to Independence program to youth adopted or placed in court-approved guardianships after age 16. The legislation, however, did not provide funding for this provision, meaning that in reality, this change will not take effect immediately. The Road to Independence program is chronically underfunded, so it's not clear when this provision will really take effect.
Other highlights of the new law:
- Requiring inclusion of educational and career plans in a child’s case plan after they turn 13.
- Adding financial literacy skills training to the aftercare support services.
- Permitting community-based care organizations to develop housing, employment and transportation services for young people.
- Creating the Office of Child Abuse Prevention within the executive office of the Governor.
Glorioso sent Gov. Jeb Bush a letter after the bill passed the legislature, urging the governor to sign it. He said he was motivated to work on the legislation after attending the Connected by 25 brunch last fall in Tampa, which Bush also attended. At that breakfast, young adults asked, "Will you open a door for me?" This new legislation, Glorioso wrote, "opens that door for young adults in foster care."
