,,ii  #aahth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #bhcf  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,september #ai1
 #bjbc,mr4 ,casey introduced the        
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on ,finance 
,a ,,bill  ,to amend subpart #a of part 
,b of title ,,iv of the ,social         
,security ,act to support the mental    
health and well-being of children and   
youth in1 and formerly in1 foster care1 
and for other purposes4  #a4 ,short     
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,foster ,youth ,mental ,health ,act of  
#bjbc4  #b4 ,national navigation program
 to support the mental health and       
well-being of children and youth in1 and
 formerly in1 foster care ,section #dbf 
of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db      
,u4,s4,c4 #fbf7 is amended-- 7#a7 in the
 section heading1 by inserting special  
projects1 after training12  7#b7 in     
subsection 7a7-- 7,a7 in paragraph      
7#a77;,c71 by striking and after the    
semicolon2  7,b7 in paragraph 7#b71 by  

striking the period at the end and      
inserting 2 and2 and  7,c7 by inserting 
after paragraph 7#b71 the following new 
paragraph3  7#c7 for grants by the      
,secretary1 or contracts or cooperative 
arrangements1 for the operation of a    
national navigation program to support  
the mental health and well-being of     
children and youth in1 and formerly in1 
foster care that includes a #bd-;hour   
text line and toll-free hotline by which
 children and youth in foster care1     
youth who are aging out of foster care1 
children and youth formerly in foster   
care who have not yet reached their     
#bhth birthday1 foster and adoptive     
parents1 kinship guardians1 and parents 
of children in foster care may request  
information on support for foster and   
adopted youth mental health and         
well-being that is staffed by youth who 
were formerly in foster care and        
individuals with expertise in helping   
such populations navigate and access    
resources to support their mental health

 and well-being1 including with respect 
to mental health and substance use      
disorder treatments and services1       
insurance coverage and renewal1 housing1
 childcare1 skills training and         
education1 extracurricular activities1  
and other critical services for children
 and youth in foster care and youth who 
are aging out of foster care4  2 and    
7#c7 by adding at the end the following 
new subsection3  7d7 ,national          
navigation program ,to support the      
mental health and well-,being of        
children in1 and formerly in1 foster    
care  7#a7 ,funding requirement         
,beginning with the first fiscal year   
after fiscal year #bjbc for which the   
amount appropriated for the fiscal year 
to carry out this section exceeds the   
amount appropriated for such purpose for
 fiscal year #bjbc by at least          
#e1jjj1jjj1 the ,secretary shall make   
grants1 or enter into contracts or      
cooperative arrangements1 to carry out  
the national navigation program to      

support the mental health and well-being
 of children in1 and formerly in1 foster
 care in accordance with subsection     
7a77#c74  7#b7 ,utilization ,the        
,secretary shall evaluate the           
demographics of the children and parents
 who use or request information from the
 national navigation program carried out
 in accordance with subsection 7a77#c7  
and shall identify the demographics of  
children and parents who are not        
accessing the program and increase      
outreach to make such children and      
parents aware of the program4  4  #c4   
,comprehensive mental health systems to 
support the mental health and well-being
 of foster care youth ,section          
#dbb7;b77#ae7 of the ,social ,security  
,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #fbb7;b77#ae77 is   
amended-- 7#a7 in subparagraph 7,a7--   
7,a7 in the matter preceding clause 7i71
 by striking provides and inserting     
provide2 and  7,b7 in clause 7viii71 by 
striking and after the semicolon2  7#b7 
by redesignating subparagraph 7,b7 as   

subparagraph 7,c72  7#c7 in subparagraph
 7,c7 7as redesignated by paragraph 7#b7
 of this section71 by striking          
subparagraph 7,a7 and inserting         
subparagraphs 7,a7 and 7,b72 and  7#d7  
by inserting after subparagraph 7,a71   
the following new subparagraph3  7,b7   
contain assurances that not less than   
#aj percent of expenditures for services
 and activities the ,state will fund    
under the ,state program carried out    
pursuant to this subpart shall be for   
developing and providing ongoing support
 for a comprehensive mental health      
system for youth in a foster care       
placement that meets the requirements of
 subparagraph 7,a7 and-- 7i7 is         
established through partnerships with   
pediatricians1 mental health            
professionals1 child-serving agencies1  
child advocates1 family groups1 housing 
services1 alternative programs that     
support mental health and well-being1   
and other key organizations to ensure   
youth in a foster care placement have   

timely access to non-pharmaceutical     
mental health and substance use disorder
 treatments and services2  7ii7 includes
 services and activities for youth in a 
foster care placement who are at risk of
 developing1 or have1 a mental health or
 substance use disorder1 at the         
prevention1 early intervention1 and     
treatment stages2  7iii7 includes       
processes for-- 7,i7 recruiting1 hiring1
 supervision1 or training of individuals
 with lived experience to serve as peer 
specialists who deliver services to     
youth in a foster care placement as they
 navigate the child welfare system and  
other health and social services        
programs and who check in with such     
youth weekly2  7,,ii7 training of       
caseworkers and other staff working     
within the child welfare system with a  
series of trauma-informed and           
addiction-based professional development
 training sessions to better connect    
youth with resources for treatment and  
services as they enter the child welfare

 system1 including the therapeutic      
supports and community-based resources  
developed and implemented in accordance 
with subclause 7,,iii72 and  7,,iii7 the
 development and implementation of      
protocols for assisting youth in a      
foster care placement with accessing    
therapeutic supports1 including         
navigation to peer support1 family      
therapy1 and alternative therapies such 
as music or art therapy1 play therapy1  
sports1 mobile or virtual therapy1 as   
well as community-based resources1 such 
as parenting classes1 community-provided
 financial and in-kind material support1
 behavioral health care1 and community  
engagement opportunities2  7iv7 has     
procedures to address privacy concerns  
which include requirements for private  
space to be made available for mental   
health sessions1 requirements for the   
use of platforms with end-to-end        
encryption for the exchange of sensitive
 health information that comply with the
 regulations promulgated under section  

#bfd7;c7 of the ,health ,insurance      
,portability and ,accountability ,act of
 #aiif1 requirements for youth in a     
foster care placement to be informed of 
confidentiality agreements with         
counselors1 therapists1 and             
psychiatrists1 and provided with        
information regarding where and how to  
file a grievance about each member of   
their care team1 and requirements to    
retrain mental health1 child welfare1 or
 juvenile justice professionals who have
 violated such confidentiality          
agreements on upholding these           
requirements2 and  7v7 requires that1 in
 the case of a youth in a foster care   
placement who needs treatment for a     
mental health condition or substance use
 disorder-- 7,i7 the health and         
education information required for the  
youth's case plan under section         
#dge7a77;,c7 includes documentation     
evidencing having discussed with the    
youth the youth's options for treatment 
of the mental health condition or       

substance use disorder and a plan for   
the delivery of such treatments1 prior  
to1 or as soon as practicable after1 the
 start of treatment2  7,,ii7 procedures 
are in place to ensure continuity of    
care for a youth in a foster care       
placement who is being treated for a    
mental health condition or substance use
 disorder if the youth is moved to      
another placement setting1 the youth's  
treatment is transferred to another     
provider1 or the type of treatment is   
changed2  7,,iii7 the components of the 
transition plan development process     
required under section #dge7e77;,h7 that
 relate to the health care needs of     
children aging out of foster care1      
includes a plan for continuity of care  
when a youth in a foster care placement 
who is being treated for a mental health
 condition or substance use disorder    
leaves foster care2 and  7,,iv7 systems 
are in place to follow up with youth to 
ensure receipt and adequacy of needed   
mental health or substance use disorder 

services1 with protocols to respond to  
concerns identified by foster youth and 
assist youth with accessing additional  
care as recommended by a health care    
professional2 and  4  #d4 ,effective    
date  7a7 ,in general ,the amendments   
made by this ,act shall take effect on  
the date of enactment of this ,act and  
shall apply to payments under subpart #a
 of part ,b of title ,,iv of the ,social
 ,security ,act for calendar quarters   
beginning on or after such date1 and    
without regard to whether regulations to
 implement the amendments are           
promulgated by such date4  7b7          
,exception for state plans requiring    
state law amendments ,in the case of a  
,state plan under subpart #a of part ,b 
of title ,,iv of the ,social ,security  
,act which the ,secretary determines    
requires ,state legislation in order for
 the plan to meet the additional        
requirements imposed by the amendments  
made by this ,act1 the effective date of
 the amendments imposing the additional 

requirements shall be #c months after   
the first day of the first calendar     
quarter beginning after the close of the
 first regular session of the ,state    
legislature that begins after the date  
of the enactment of this ,act4 ,for     
purposes of the preceding sentence1 in  
the case of a ,state that has a #b-year 
legislative session1 each year of the   
session shall be considered to be a     
separate regular session of the ,state  
legislature4