This bill extends foster care support and services to young adults up to age 21 or 22, depending on what each state chooses, and removes restrictions based on their parents' eligibility for welfare benefits. The legislation also allows young adults who have already left foster care to voluntarily re-enter the system to access support services. The bill affects current foster youth, young adults aging out of care, and state child welfare agencies that must implement these new options. The changes take effect on the first day of the first fiscal year after the bill becomes law, with states given additional time if they need to change state laws to comply. Research cited in the bill shows that each additional year in extended foster care improves outcomes including high school completion, college enrollment, employment, financial stability, and reduces homelessness, food insecurity, and arrest rates among former foster youth.
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