LINCOLN- A bill that would mandate the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to screen state wards for Social Security benefit eligibility advanced Thursday to the second round of debate in the Legislature. Legislative Bill 275, which State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha named her priority legislation, moved forward on a 34-0 vote.

DHHS currently intercepts the Social Security benefits belonging to children in foster care and uses those funds to offset the costs of the youths’ care, according to Hunt’s statement of intent. Her bill would “bring Nebraska in line with federal law to provide further accountability, transparency, and conservation of a portion of the funds in a trust account for the youth’s own use when they exit state care.”

There was little to no debate surrounding the bill Thursday, except for some questioning of its financial impact on the state’s general funds by two Republican lawmakers. Hunt insisted that her amended bill would impact the state budget less than her original proposal, but that it would still give kids in foster care access to more of their Social Security money than they have today.

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