Teenagers/young adult and state help?

[kibba]

My understanding is that once a foster child is adopted they lose allot of benefits that the city/state offers. I know from reading that many teenagers want to be adopted and to have that permanent feeling of having a family. I'm wanting to start a scholarship to offer to these teenagers to be used towards college. Am I correct that once adopted they don't really recieve any college help/life help from the state and it all relys on the adoptive parents? If they stay in the system don't they get some sort of help. I am really clueless and I'm sure all of this varys by state.

[DTmama1]

In Indiana they do still get college tuition paid for. They have to be in care a certain amount of time after the age of 13? or 15?

[carol7906]

Kibba,
In Kentucky they get college paid for too.

[Roar]

I just replied to your post in teens. While it is true that in many areas adults leaving foster care do receive tuition support, there are still significant unmet needs. People aging out of foster care face so many challenges in college and graduation rates are very very low. It is hard for students to have enough for related expenses like books, for living, winter jacket, for places to stay when school is out of session, etc.

If you want to donate I would suggest looking into the Orphan Foundation of America programs. They have a good system set up for scholarship donations. http://orphan.org/what-you-can-do/ There is also a lot of good information on the site that is worth reading.

[bella99]

Well actually sometime in the last couple of years, a federal law was amended with regard to his very specific concern.  Unfortunately, I don't think many lawyers, workers, or foster parents were made aware of the changes.

Anyway, it's basically that anyone adopted on or after their 13th birthday, DOES NOT have to include their adoptive parents information or income when filling out financial aid forms, they fill out the forms as an independent student, the same as if they were still in foster care at the time they were filling out these forms.

It's called The Fostering Adoption to Further Student Achievement Act.  It was enacted as an amendment to the College Cost Reduction and Access Act.

In New York, where I work, children can stay in foster care through their 21st birthday, and depending on where they choose to go for college, can have all or most of their tuition covered.  

[heatherdeg]

Originally Posted by bella99 

Well actually sometime in the last couple of years, a federal law was amended with regard to his very specific concern.  Unfortunately, I don't think many lawyers, workers, or foster parents were made aware of the changes.

Anyway, it's basically that anyone adopted on or after their 13th birthday, DOES NOT have to include their adoptive parents information or income when filling out financial aid forms, they fill out the forms as an independent student, the same as if they were still in foster care at the time they were filling out these forms.

It's called The Fostering Adoption to Further Student Achievement Act.  It was enacted as an amendment to the College Cost Reduction and Access Act.

In New York, where I work, children can stay in foster care through their 21st birthday, and depending on where they choose to go for college, can have all or most of their tuition covered.  

But this looks like it wasn't passed...?

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s110-1488

And if you look at the "Helping Foster Youths and Wards of the Court Complete the FAFSA" page, it seems to say that they can only claim independent status if they were STILL wards AFTER 13yo...?

Do you have a link to information about kids adopted on or before 13yo being independent?

[bella99]

Originally Posted by heatherdeg 

But this looks like it wasn't passed...?

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s110-1488

And if you look at the "Helping Foster Youths and Wards of the Court Complete the FAFSA" page, it seems to say that they can only claim independent status if they were STILL wards AFTER 13yo...?

Do you have a link to information about kids adopted on or before 13yo being independent?

It was indeed passed.  I work in foster care and while the trickle down of the information took awhile, it most definitely was passed.  I can't find any government websites like the one you linked to, to confirm that it passed, but here are others.  It went into affect in the summer of 2009 for the 2009-2010 school year.

http://www.voice-for-adoption.org/assembled/advocacy_updates.html

http://foreverparents.com/2008/04/the-fostering-adoption-to-further-student-achievement-act-fafsa.html

http://www.mail-archive.com/[e-mail]/msg01079.html

I also think the wording on the FASFA form is confusing, but the law is basically that if someone was adopted on or after their 13th birthday, they fill out the form as independent students.  The FASFA even says at "anytime since you turned 13", which would include the actual date of birth.  So basically, if you're adopted the day before you turn 13, you can't, but if it's the day you turn 13 or anytime thereafter that you are adopted and no longer a ward of the state, you can.