Effective: October 17, 2019
Latest Legislation: House Bill 166 - 133rd General Assembly
(A)(1) The director of job and family services shall, not later than nine months after September 13, 2016, the effective date of H.B. 50 of the 131st general assembly, submit an amendment to the state plan required by 42 U.S.C. 671 to the United States secretary of health and human services to implement 42 U.S.C. 675(8) to make federal payments for foster care under Title IV-E directly to, or on behalf of, any emancipated young adult who meets the following requirements:
(a) The emancipated young adult signs a voluntary participation agreement.
(b) The emancipated young adult satisfies division (C) of this section.
(2) Any emancipated young adult who meets the requirements of division (A)(1) of this section may apply for foster care payments and make the appropriate application at any time.
(B)(1) The director of job and family services shall, not later than nine months after September 13, 2016, the effective date of H.B. 50 of the 131st general assembly, submit an amendment to the state plan required by 42 U.S.C. 671 to the United States secretary of health and human services to implement 42 U.S.C. 675(8) to make federal payments for adoption assistance under Title IV-E available to any parent who meets all of the following requirements:
(a) The parent adopted a person who is an adopted young adult and the parent entered into an adoption assistance agreement under 42 U.S.C. 673 while the adopted person was age sixteen or seventeen.
(b) The parent maintains parental responsibility for the adopted young adult.
(c) The adopted young adult satisfies division (C) of this section.
(2) Any parent who meets the requirements of division (B)(1) of this section that are applicable to a parent may request an extension of adoption assistance payments at any time before the adopted young adult reaches age twenty-one.
(3) An adopted young adult who is eligible to receive adoption assistance payments is not considered an emancipated young adult and is therefore not eligible to receive payment under division (A) of this section.
(C) In addition to other requirements, an adopted or emancipated young adult must meet at least one of the following criteria:
(1) Is completing secondary education or a program leading to an equivalent credential;
(2) Is enrolled in an institution that provides post-secondary or vocational education;
(3) Is participating in a program or activity designed to promote, or remove barriers to, employment;
(4) Is employed for at least eighty hours per month;
(5) Is incapable of doing any of the activities described in divisions (C)(1) to (4) of this section due to a physical or mental condition, which incapacity is supported by regularly updated information in the person's case record or plan.
(D) Any emancipated young adult described in division (A)(1) of this section who is directly receiving foster care payments, or on whose behalf such foster care payments are received, or any parent receiving adoption assistance payments, may refuse the payments at any time.
(E)(1) An emancipated young adult described in division (A)(1) of this section who is directly receiving foster care payments, or on whose behalf such foster care payments are received, or a parent receiving adoption assistance payments and the adopted young adult shall be eligible for services set forth in the federal, "Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008," P.L. 110-351, 122 Stat. 3949.
(2) An emancipated young adult described in division (A)(1) of this section who is directly receiving foster care payments, or on whose behalf such foster care payments are received, pursuant to this section, may be eligible to reside in a supervised independent living setting, including apartment living, room and board arrangements, college or university dormitories, host homes, and shared roommate settings.
(F) Any determination by the department that denies or terminates foster care or adoption assistance payments shall be subject to a state hearing pursuant to section 5101.35 of the Revised Code.