Congressman Dennis Cardoza
18th Congressional District of California

 

Studies indicate that youth who have "aged out" of foster care fare poorly relative to their counterparts in the general population on outcome measures related to employment, education, homelessness, mental health, medical insurance coverage, involvement with the criminal justice system, early pregnancy, and poverty.  For example, research suggests that one in four youths suffer from homelessness after they are discharged from foster care and over half lack health coverage.

 

Congressman Cardoza has introduced legislation that would extend Medicaid coverage for foster children who have aged out of the system by authorizing state health coverage through the age of 21. The “Medicaid Foster Care Coverage Act of 2007” would guarantee health coverage for emancipated foster children – many of whom face serious psychological problems – as they transition to adult life.

 

Mr. Cardoza’s testimony before the committee is below.

 

 

“Thank you for giving me this opportunity to testify at this important hearing on the problems facing foster kids as they age out of the system. I have a written statement that I have also submitted for the record.

 

I have a very personal interest in this issue. Seven years ago, my wife and I adopted two foster children. Since then, I have advocated on behalf of adoption and foster children in the California Assembly and in Congress. 

 

Too many children in foster care sit waiting for permanent families. There are about 118,000 children in foster care waiting to be adopted and numerous barriers keep them in limbo. Children often bounce from one system to another – from child welfare, to juvenile justice, to mental health – as their needs intensify. 

 

Moreover, each year about 20,000 children age out of foster care, without being adopted or reunified with their parents. Often these youths have no permanent connection to a caring adult. 

 

When children turn 18, society considers them adults. For children lucky enough to have loving and caring parents, they have the luxury of turning to their parents for financial and emotional support during this time. Unfortunately, foster children who have aged out of the system do not have this luxury. These children often have no one they can rely on as they make this difficult transition to adulthood.

 

Foster care studies have shown that in just four years after leaving foster care, nationwide 25 percent of aged-out youth have been homeless, 42 percent have become parents themselves, fewer than 20 percent are able to support themselves, and only 46 percent have graduated from high school. Because they lack the support systems most young adults take for granted, aged-out foster care teens are at high risk for substance abuse, domestic violence and poverty.

 

In the face of these daunting statistics and challenges, the problem can seem overwhelming. However, there are concrete steps we can take to help improve the lives of these at-risk youth.

 

One of the first bills I introduced this session of Congress is H.R. 1376, a bill which would extend Medicaid coverage for foster children who have aged out of the system by encouraging state health coverage through the age of 21. The “Medicaid Foster Care Coverage Act of 2007” would provide health coverage for emancipated foster children—many of whom face daunting physical and emotional problems—as they transition to adult life. 

 

In addition, I am currently working on legislation to ensure that every child has a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). CASA are trained community volunteers to speak for the best interests of abused and neglected children in court. All too often the needs of children can get lost in judicial proceedings and CASA volunteers are there to ensure that the best interests of the child are safeguarded in court proceedings.

 

Moreover, other Members have introduced thoughtful pieces of legislation that address other aspects of the problems facing these disconnected youth: homelessness, helping runaways, lack of educational opportunities, and the other myriad challenges encountered by foster youth. 

 

However, the problem will not be solved by legislation alone. There has to be a broader societal shift and understanding that we simply cannot neglect these children any longer. Until we start to think of these children as OUR children, progress will be stymied.   Unless we embrace these children as our own and start to think of their problems as OUR problems, we will be tackling this problem with one arm tied behind our back.

 

There are things we can do as policymakers and in our everyday lives to make the lives of these children just a little bit better.

 

First and foremost, we must do everything possible to encourage adoption. There is simply no substitute for ensuring that these children are placed in stable and loving homes. We should support policies that enhance our ability to find qualified people to become adoptive parents and, moreover, we should find ways to financially help these parents who are willing to assume this responsibility.

 

For the children we cannot place in permanent homes, we should do more to encourage people to be mentors. Mentoring relationships begun while foster care kids are in their mid-teens can be beneficial as the kids become more independent.

 

The challenge of helping foster youth is vast and daunting. However, if we can provide these children with the health care they desperately need; if we do everything in our power to place them in stable and loving homes or, in the alternative, help them find a mentor who they can look up to and learn from, we can make the lives of these children just a little bit better.

 

There is no time to wait; these children need our help now. We must act now if we want to help ensure these kids a bright future and reverse some of these alarming and burgeoning social ills.