This week, ✅ LB275, Senator Megan Hunt’s priority bill to protect foster youth’s access to their social security benefits, officially became state law. This policy will have a huge impact on young people throughout the state!
For years, youth in Nebraska’s foster care system who receive social security benefits have had their benefits taken by the state to pay for their foster care – without their consent or opportunity to object.
Just last year, Nebraska took over $4 million in foster youth’s benefits.
LB275 will provide more transparency, opportunities for engagement, and access to benefits for these youth, allowing them to have more say in what happens to their benefits and automatically adding almost a million more dollars back into the pockets of foster youth each year to help them prepare for adulthood.
We are grateful to Senator Megan Hunt for introducing and prioritizing this bill, and to all the senators that voted to see it become law. These are children’s benefits – NOT the government’s.
Thank you for your advocacy and for being a part of seeing this critical bill become law!