Running Head: FOSTER CARE INDEPENDENCE ACT OF 1999 1

Foster Care Independence Act of 1999:

The Extension of Foster Youth Assistance Age Requirements

Kaitlyn Olsen

University of Cincinnati

SW 3031 002

Submitted April 5, 2017

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Overview

The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999, enacted on December 14, 1999, was created

to extend the age for foster care benefits in an effort to decrease the number of foster youth who

were ill prepared when becoming completely independent at age 18. The Act also gave way for

the use of educational vouchers to pay for postsecondary education and formed a formal

program, the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program, in which benefits would be given to

qualifying foster youth. Before this Act, foster youth were no longer eligible for any type of

assistance and guidance once they turned 18; assistance meaning health care, education, housing,

and more. Now, foster youth can receive those benefits until age 21 (NICWA). The "Origins"

section below includes information on research that shows some of the specific needs for this Act

were related to a general lack of skills required when living independently and the likelihood of

living in poverty as adults. In the "Opponents and Proponents" section, there is information

regarding the unanimous vote for this Act. As well as its primary sponsor, Rep. Nancy Johnson

and other supporters. Under the "Consequences" title, the reader will find that the Act ignited

progress for further legislation regarding the wellbeing of older foster youth. Lastly, the
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"Reaction" section includes the writer's personal opinions on the Act.

Origins

According to "Children and Youth Services Review" of 1994, many young adults who

were foster youth and had aged out of the foster system were lacking "...social, academic and

financial..." skills to be successful in the "...adult world..." This review shows research on foster

youth who did not experience any training on independence; specifically in areas such as

education, employment, and finances (English et al, 1994, pp. 147-158). Out of 500 randomly

sampled foster youth, the study found that, "One in five youth had completed high school or a

GED." The study also found that, "Three out of four of these youth had held at least one job in

the past, with the majority (46%) holding more than one job," and "The majority of youths at this

stage of the study relied on earned wages (38%) for support, with the next highest percent

relying on allowance from alternate caregivers (30%)," (English et al, 1994, pp. 147-158).

The next motivation for this Act addresses that foster youth who aged out of the system

were much more likely to live in poverty. A study conducted by the University of Nevada Las

Vegas, confirmed that foster youth were more likely to live in poverty without additional

preparation for independent life. The study found that, "34% earned less than $5000 and 60%

earned less than $10000 in 1999." (Graf, 2002). The Federal Poverty Guidelines, published by
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the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, stated that any one person making or

making less than $8,240 for the year of 1999 was considered to be living in poverty (U.S.

Department of HHS, 2017). From that statistic, it is apparent that 34% of foster youth were under

federal poverty guidelines and more when considering that 60% had income less than $10,000.

The problems associated with the young adults being discussed are not limited to their

own poverty. This population affects the communities that they live in as well because those who

are not financially stable may use welfare programs for assistance with basic needs. Some of

these government programs are Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid, and

housing vouchers. These programs are funded by tax dollars collected from citizens via state

income taxes (Karger & Stoesz, 2014). In other words, citizen tax dollars are partially used to

support other citizens living in poverty. In fact, states on average spend 16% of their tax payers

money on health care for needy individuals through programs like Medicaid and CHIP

(Children's Health Insurance Program). Another 1% goes to other public assistance needs and

4% to criminal corrections (CBPP, 2015). Therefore, communities have a vested interest I

finding a solution for the foster youth that are living in poverty and using citizen tax dollars.

In an attempt to find proper preparation for foster youth, The National Evaluation of Title

IV-E Independent Living Programs for Youth in Foster Care tested a group of foster youth that

had completed independence training to determine if it was effective. They looked into seven

individual aspects such as "Ability to Maintain a Job for at Least 1 Year" and "Cost to

Community" (English et al, 1994, pp. 147-158). Then, they assessed the "Composite Measure of

Independent Living" where all seven traits were compiled into one category. Within the

Composite Measure, the research showed 57% of the youth scoring positively for four or more of

the outcome measures (English et al, 1994, pp. 147-158).

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The studies and statistics above were able to measure and show that the majority of foster

youth were not ready for independence. By taking this information, communities and grassroots

organizations were able to recognize the social problems regarding ill prepared foster youth who

aged into adults. From there, politicians were able to formulate the Foster Care Independence Act

of 1999.

Opponents and Proponents

Prior to the Foster Care Independence Act, there was a large push for foster parents and

communities to assist foster youth by focusing on independence education on a mezzo level. For

example, the Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service and the National Resource Center

published a 154 page document, entitled Promising Practices, regarding the best practices for

foster parents to use when teaching independence (Zanghi). This publication, which can be found

on Michigan's government site, contains references from over 100 different sources in various

states and agencies. This document was written after the passage of the Act. However, many of

the sources used were developed long beforehand.

One of the references used in Promising Practices, is one of the Social Work in

Education journals, specifically the 17th volume and number 4. This was published in 1995.

Another article, Predicting Success for New Foster Parents, which was included in a journal,

Social Work, volume 20, was published in 1975. Other sources used were written in 1978, 1983,

and 1985 (Zanghi). Therefore, it should be noted that researchers, organizations, and
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professionals were aware of the need for independence training and general assistance programs

more than a decade before the legislation was passed.

As for media coverage, there were a few publications regarding President Clinton's

signing of the Act. In Clinton's news conference in June of 1999, he mentions that the bill had

just passed in the House and that he was "very pleased" (Government Publishing, 1999). Also, he

expressed his gratitude to the Congressional sponsors of the bill and to Hillary Clinton for her

work regarding the issue (Government Publishing, 1999).

When being voted on by Congress in November of 1999, the Foster Care Independence

Act was largely supported. It received unanimous support in both the House and Senate. Then,

put into action by President Clinton in December of that same year (Graf, 2002). Below is a

listing of major supporters of this Act; because it was voted on unanimously, there are no

opponents to report.

As mentioned above this Act was supported by numerous parties. The most obvious party

is Senator John H. Chafee, whom the bill's alternate name, the Chafee Act, is derived. He was a

Republican from Rhode Island until 1999 and served as the Senate Majority Whip. Surprisingly,

he did not sponsor many bills on social welfare issues except in this case (GovTrack). Another

large supporter was Nancy Johnson. She was a Republican from Connecticut who served in the

House from 1983 to 2006. Nancy Johnson was the primary sponsor of this Act and introduced it

as a bill, along with Benjamin Cardin. Of the bills that Johnson sponsored, 10% involved social

welfare topics like the Social Services Block Grant Restoration Act which was sent to committee

in 2003. Benjamin Cardin was involved as a co-sponsor for this Act. In the very first copy of the

bill, Johnson states the she is presenting it along with Cardin. Cardin was a Senator and
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Democrat which makes him stand out from this list. He served from 1987 to 2006, was reelected

in 2007 and currently serves at least until the next election to be held in 2018. Cardin primarily

sponsors bills regarding international affairs (GovTrack). The last proponent to be mention in

this discussion is Representative Tom DeLay of Texas. DeLay was a Republican who served

from 1985 to 2006. Of the bills he sponsored, 7% were regarding social welfare issues. Many of

those social welfare bills involved foster care, including the Safe and Timely Interstate

Placement of Foster Children Act of 2006 (GovTrack).

Consequences

The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 has led a successful legacy. After being put

into action, the Act was responsible for many positive consequences. Some of the results include

creating a formal program and increasing benefits for foster youth.

As mentioned above, the Act allowed for the creation of the Chafee Foster Care

Independence Program (CFCIP). The Program was able to extend the benefits of the Act to the

foster youth who qualified. In other words, the CFCIP program acted as a "middle man" between

the Act and the older foster youth. The program was able to, "...help current and former foster

care youths achieve self-sufficiency. Grants are offered to States and Tribes who submit a plan to

assist youth in a wide variety of areas designed to support a successful transition to adulthood.

Activities and programs include, but are not limited to, help with education, employment,

financial management, housing, emotional support and assured connections to caring adults for

older youth in foster care." (Children's Bureau, 2012). The "older youth" mentioned includes,

"...youth who are likely to remain in foster care until age 18, youth who, after attaining 16 years
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of age, have left foster care for kinship guardianship or adoption, and young adults ages 18-21

who have "aged out" of the foster care system." (Children's Bureau, 2012).

Secondly, this Act increased the budget benefits for older foster youth. In 1999, it created

$70 million dollars for foster youth. However, in 2002, The Educational and Training Vouchers

Program was partnered with the Act. When this occurred, the budget for these young adults

doubled. This federal budget was taken from $70 million to $140 million to be offered by the

CFCIP. Also, another $60 million was allotted to be given to states and tribes for educational

costs of foster youth after high school (Children's Bureau, 2012). Because of this large increase

in funds, "This program makes available vouchers of up to $5,000 per year per youth for

postsecondary education and training for eligible youth." (Children's Bureau, 2012). In 2006, the

budget remained set at $140 million with "...$46.2 million in discretionary funds for the voucher

program." (Fernandes, 2006).

Unfortunately, there are still struggles for foster youth who age out of the foster care

system, but for different reasons not covered by the Act or CFCIP. Thankfully, this Act was the

beginning of progress to solve those problems. After this legislation, others were passed to

ensure further assistance to foster youth of all ages. For example, the Fostering Connections to

Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 mandates education stability. Many states used

Fostering Connections and the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to create more

specific legislation for education stability within their borders (ChildWelfareSPARC, 2014).
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Reaction

Overall, I am extremely pleased with the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999. From

the research above explaining the need for this Act, it's obvious to me that this was a great step in

the right direction. In 2007, "...States reported that approximately 29,000 young adults

exited/emancipated from foster care." (Children's Bureau, 2012). Fortunately for those

individuals, they could receive the benefits of the Act. This Act was intended to be an assistance

program, but ultimately became a much needed service.

My only request would be for the Act and CFCIP to be more comprehensive. For

example, full coverage on postsecondary education instead of $5,000 per voucher (Fernandes,

2006). However, I am aware that this was an enormous accomplishment as it stands. I'm also

aware that this was the first Act of its kind, but not the last. In 2005, the Act was improved by the

Strengthening the Chafee Foster Care Independence Act (Fernandes,2006). More legislation has

been achieved and I certainly hope that there's even more to come.
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References

Children's Bureau. (2012, June 28). John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program.

Retrieved April 2, 2017, from https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/resource/chafee-foster-care-

program

English, D. J., Kouidou-Giles, S., & Plocke, M. (1994). Index to children and youth services

review, volume 16, 1994. Children and Youth Services Review, 16(3-4), 147-158.

doi:10.1016/0190-7409(94)90039-6

Fernandes, A. L. (2006, September 6). CRS Report for Congress (Rep.). Retrieved April 2,

2017, from National Independent Laboratory Association website:

http://www.nilausa.org/membersonly/Chafee%20Report%20RS22501.pdf
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Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 - P.L. 106-169. (n.d.). Retrieved February 22, 2017, from

http://www.nicwa.org/law/fcia/

Graf, B. (n.d.). Information Packet: Foster Care Independence Act - 1999 [Review of the pdf

Foster Care Independence Act of 1999]. Retrieved February 22, 2017, from

http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/socwork/nrcfcpp/downloads/information_packets/foster_care

_independence_act-pkt.pdf

How Can State Law Support School Continuity (Rep.). (2014, October). Retrieved April 3,

2017, from ChildWelfareSPARC website: http://childwelfaresparc.org/wp-

content/uploads/2014/10/How-Can-State-Law-Support-School-Continuity-and-Success-

for-Students-in-Foster-Care.pdf

Karger, H. J., & Stoesz, D. (2014). American social welfare policy: a pluralist approach

(7th ed.). Pearson.

Members of Congress. (n.d.). Retrieved April 03, 2017, from

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members

Policy Basics: Where Do Our State Tax Dollars Go? (2015, July 24). Retrieved April 02, 2017,

from http://www.cbpp.org/research/policy-basics-where-do-our-state-tax-dollars-go?

fa=view&id=2783
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Prior HHS Poverty Guidelines and Federal Register References. (2017, January 27). Retrieved

March 27, 2017, from https://aspe.hhs.gov/prior-hhs-poverty-guidelines-and-federal-

register-references

United States, Government Publishing Office. (1999, July 5). Weekly Compilation of

Presidential Documents. Retrieved April 4, 2017, from

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/WCPD-1999-07-05/pdf/WCPD-1999-07-05.pdf

Zanghi, M. (n.d.). Promising Practices (Rep.). Retrieved April 1, 2017, from

https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdhhs/promising_practices2_507724_7.pdf