87R10542 MM-F
 
  By: Toth H.B. No. 4244
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the appointment of a representative payee or fiduciary
  for a child in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and
  Protective Services.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 264, Family Code, is
  amended by adding Section 264.0112 to read as follows:
         Sec. 264.0112.  APPOINTMENT OF REPRESENTATIVE PAYEE OR
  FIDUCIARY FOR CHILD. (a) In this section, "legal representative"
  means the child's attorney, the child's attorney ad litem, or
  another individual appointed by a court to represent the legal
  interests of the child.
         (b)  For a child in the department's conservatorship who
  receives or is eligible to receive benefits or services for which a
  representative payee or fiduciary is required, the department
  shall, in cooperation with the child's legal representative, select
  an appropriate individual to serve as the child's representative
  payee or fiduciary in accordance with the requirements of 20 C.F.R.
  Section 404.2021. If the department and the child's legal
  representative do not agree on a representative payee or fiduciary,
  the department shall request a hearing to determine an appropriate
  individual. The court shall consider the appointment of the child's
  relative and other designated caregivers. If the court does not
  identify an appropriate individual, the court may name the
  department as the representative payee or fiduciary.
         (c)  In accordance with federal law, if the department serves
  as the representative payee or in any other fiduciary capacity for a
  child receiving United States Department of Veterans Affairs
  benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits under 42
  U.S.C. Section 1381 et seq., or Social Security Disability
  Insurance (SSDI) benefits under 42 U.S.C. Section 401 et seq., the
  department shall:
               (1)  from the date the child turns 14 years of age until
  the date the department no longer serves as the child's
  representative payee or fiduciary, reserve the following minimum
  percentage of the child's benefits for use by the child:
                     (A)  for a child who is at least 14 years of age
  but younger than 16 years of age, at least 40 percent;
                     (B)  for a child who is at least 16 years of age
  but younger than 18 years of age, at least 80 percent; and
                     (C)  for a child who is at least 18 years of age,
  100 percent;
               (2)  exercise discretion in accordance with federal law
  and in the best interest of the child when making decisions to use
  or save the child's benefits or resources that are less than or not
  subject to asset or resource limits under federal law, including
  using the benefits to address the child's special needs and saving
  the benefits for the child's reasonably foreseeable future needs;
               (3)  appropriately monitor federal asset or resource
  limits for the child's benefits and ensure that the child's best
  interest is served by using or saving the benefits in a manner that
  avoids violating federal asset or resource limits that would
  negatively affect the child's eligibility to receive the benefits,
  including by using:
                     (A)  a Social Security Administration Plan to
  Achieve Self-Support account for the child and determining whether
  it is in the best interest of the child to save all or part of the
  child's benefits in the account;
                     (B)  an ABLE account authorized by Section 529A,
  Internal Revenue Code of 1986, for the child and conserving the
  child's benefits in that account in a manner that appropriately
  avoids any federal asset or resource limits;
                     (C)  an individual development account for the
  child and conserving the child's benefits in that account in a
  manner that appropriately avoids any federal asset or resource
  limits;
                     (D)  a special needs trust for the child and
  conserving the child's benefits in the trust in a manner that is
  consistent with federal requirements for special needs trusts and
  that appropriately avoids any federal asset or resource limits;
                     (E)  the benefits to pay for the child's special
  needs not otherwise provided by the department if the department
  determines it is in the best interest of the child; 
                     (F)  a dedicated account, if federal law requires
  certain back payments of benefits to be placed in a dedicated
  account, that complies with the requirements for dedicated accounts
  under 20 C.F.R. Section 416.640(e); and
                     (G)  any other exclusions from federal asset or
  resource limits available under federal law and using or conserving
  the child's benefits in a manner that appropriately avoids any
  federal asset or resource limits;
               (4)  provide an annual accounting to the child and the
  child's legal representative regarding the use or saving of the
  child's resources in accordance with this section; and
               (5)  provide financial literacy training for each child
  who is at least 14 years of age. 
         (d)  The department shall immediately provide notice to the
  child through the child's legal representative regarding:
               (1)  any application for United States Department of
  Veterans Affairs benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
  benefits under 42 U.S.C. Section 1381 et seq., or Social Security
  Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits under 42 U.S.C. Section 401 et
  seq. made on the child's behalf;
               (2)  if the department is identified as the
  representative payee under Subsection (b), any application to
  become representative payee for the child's United States
  Department of Veterans Affairs benefits, Supplemental Security
  Income (SSI) benefits under 42 U.S.C. Section 1381 et seq., or
  Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits under 42
  U.S.C. Section 401 et seq.;
               (3)  any decisions or communications from the United
  States Department of Veterans Affairs or the Social Security
  Administration regarding an application described by Subdivision
  (1); and
               (4)  any appeal or other action requested by the
  department regarding an application for benefits described by
  Subdivision (1).
         (e)  If the department serves as the representative payee or
  otherwise receives United States Department of Veterans Affairs
  benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits under 42
  U.S.C. Section 1381 et seq., or Social Security Disability
  Insurance (SSDI) benefits under 42 U.S.C. Section 401 et seq. on the
  child's behalf, the department shall provide notice to the child
  through the child's legal representative of the following before
  each placement review hearing:
               (1)  the amount of benefit funds received on the child's
  behalf since the most recent notification to the child's legal
  representative and the date the benefits were received;
               (2)  information regarding the child's assets and
  resources, including the child's benefits, insurance, cash assets,
  trust accounts, earnings, and other resources;
               (3)  an accounting of the disbursement of benefit
  funds, including the date, amount, and identification of the payee;
  and
               (4)  information regarding each request by the court
  appointed special advocate for the child, the child's legal
  representative, or the child's caregiver for disbursement of funds
  and a statement regarding the department's reason for not granting
  the request if the request was not granted.
         SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.