Informing Grand­fam­i­lies Act

II 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. 4747 To amend title IV of the Social Security Act to require States to provide information about available benefits and services to kinship caregivers. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 Mr. CASEY (for himself and Mr. YOUNG) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance A BILL To amend title IV of the Social Security Act to require States to provide information about available benefits and services to kinship caregivers. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Informing Grandfami- 4 lies Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. STATE NOTIFICATIONS TO KINSHIP CAREGIVERS 6 OF CHILD TANF RECIPIENTS. 7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(a) of the Social Secu- 8 rity Act (42 U.S.C. 608(a)) is amended by adding at the 9 end the following: 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:26 Oct 17, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4747.IS S4747 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •S 4747 IS ‘‘(13) STATE REQUIREMENTS REGARDING NO- 1 TICE AND GUIDANCE TO KINSHIP CAREGIVERS.— 2 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A State to which a 3 grant is made under section 403 shall ensure 4 that the State agency provides to any kinship 5 caregiver, including grandparents and other rel- 6 ative caregivers, of a minor child if the child is 7 a recipient of assistance under the State pro- 8 gram funded under this part (or under a State 9 program funded with qualified State expendi- 10 tures (as defined in section 409(a)(7)(B)(i))), 11 written notice that— 12 ‘‘(i) explains the options of the kin- 13 ship caregiver under Federal, State, and 14 local law to participate in the care and 15 placement of the child, including the finan- 16 cial ramifications of the options and any 17 options that may be lost by choosing cer- 18 tain benefits; 19 ‘‘(ii) describes the requirements under 20 section 471(a)(10) to become a foster fam- 21 ily home and the additional services and 22 supports that are available for a child 23 placed in such a home; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:26 Oct 17, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4747.IS S4747 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •S 4747 IS ‘‘(iii) if the State has elected the op- 1 tion to make guardianship assistance pay- 2 ments under section 471(a)(28), describes 3 how the kinship caregiver may enter into 4 an agreement with the State to receive the 5 payments; 6 ‘‘(iv) describes policies under the 7 State program funded under this part that 8 may help kinship caregivers and the rel- 9 ative children they care for; and 10 ‘‘(v) provides direct contact informa- 11 tion for kinship navigator programs de- 12 scribed in section 427(a)(1) or other agen- 13 cies and community organizations that 14 provide resources and assistance, such as 15 housing, supplemental nutrition assistance, 16 health care, and child care. 17 ‘‘(B) TIMING OF NOTICE.—The notice re- 18 quired under subparagraph (A)— 19 ‘‘(i) shall be provided to a kinship 20 caregiver of a minor child at the time that 21 the kinship caregiver attends an eligibility 22 interview for assistance (either on the kin- 23 ship caregiver’s own behalf or on behalf of 24 the child) under the State program funded 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:26 Oct 17, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4747.IS S4747 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •S 4747 IS under this part (or under a State program 1 funded with qualified State expenditures 2 (as defined in section 409(a)(7)(B)(i))); or 3 ‘‘(ii) if the kinship caregiver (or the 4 minor child) is already receiving assistance 5 under such a program on the date of en- 6 actment of this paragraph, shall be sent to 7 the kinship caregiver as soon as practicable 8 after such date. 9 ‘‘(C) PROVISION OF GUIDANCE TO KINSHIP 10 CAREGIVERS.—A State to which a grant is 11 made under section 403 shall ensure that the 12 State agency responsible for administering the 13 State program funded under this part employs 14 a resource employee who is trained to provide 15 guidance to kinship caregivers, including grand- 16 parents and other relative caregivers, of a 17 minor child if the child is a recipient of assist- 18 ance under the program (or under a State pro- 19 gram funded with qualified State expenditures 20 (as defined in section 409(a)(7)(B)(i))), on 21 legal options regarding custody and guardian- 22 ship of the child, including explaining to the 23 kinship caregiver how each legal option cor- 24 responds to the availability of benefits and serv- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:26 Oct 17, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4747.IS S4747 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •S 4747 IS ices, and who serves as a liaison with other 1 agencies and community organizations that pro- 2 vide resources and assistance to kinship care- 3 givers.’’. 4 (b) INCLUSION IN STATE PLAN.—Section 5 402(a)(1)(B) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 602(a)(1)(B)) is 6 amended by adding at the end the following: 7 ‘‘(vi) The document shall provide a 8 detailed explanation of how the State in- 9 tends to comply with section 408(a)(13).’’. 10 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:26 Oct 17, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\S4747.IS S4747 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS