State Rep. Hannah Kelly, a Republican from Mountain Grove (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications).
Missouri’s practice of taking millions of dollars in Social Security benefits owed to foster kids to defray the cost of providing care could come to an end under legislation debated last week in a House committee.
The state took at least $6.1 million in foster kids’ benefits last year — generally Social Security benefits for those with disabilities or whose parents have died — to reimburse itself for agency costs.
It’s a decades-long practice that has come under increased scrutiny across the country over the last few years. Several states, including Arizona , New Mexico and Oregon , have stopped the practice.
The bill , sponsored by Republican state Rep. Hannah Kelly of Mountain Grove, would prohibit the state from using those federal benefits to pay itself back for routine foster care expenses.
Instead the division could use the funds for the child’s “unmet needs” beyond what the division is obligated to pay, such as housing as the child prepares to age out of foster care. The state would also be required to ensure the account in which the child’s benefits are deposited is set up in a way that doesn’t interfere with federal asset limits.