12 2 STA T .395 3 PUBLIC LA W 11 0– 351 —O CT. 7, 200 8perman en t a l ternat iv et o le g alg u ar d ian sh ip and , in the c ase o f a relative foster parent w ho has chosen not to pursue adoption, documentation of the reasons therefor
and ‘ ‘ ( vi ) the efforts made by the S tate agency to dis - cuss with the child ’ s parent or parents the k inship guardianship assistance arrangement, or the reasons why the efforts were not made . ’’. ( 5 )S ECTIONH E AD IN G A M ENDMENT. —T he section heading for section 473 of such A ct (4 2U .S. C . 6 73) is amended by inserting ‘‘AND G U A R DIAN S HI P ’’ after ‘‘ADOPTION’’. (d) CONTINUED SER V ICES UNDER W AIVER.—Section 474 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 674) is amended by adding at the end the following
‘‘(g) F or purposes of this part, after the termination of a dem- onstration pro j ect relating to guardianship conducted by a State under section 1 13 0 , thee x penditures of the State for the provision, to children who, as of September 30, 200 8 , were receiving assistance or services under the project, of the same assistance and services under the same terms and conditions that applied during the con- duct of the project, are deemed to be expenditures under the State plan approved under this part.’’. (e) EL IGI B ILIT YF OR I NDEPENDENT L IVING SERVICES AND EDU- CATION AND TRAINING V OUCHERS FOR CHILDREN WHO E X IT FOSTER CARE FOR R ELATIVE G UARDIANSHIP OR ADOPTION AFTER AGE 16.— (1) INDEPENDENT LIVING SERVICES.—Section 477(a) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 677(a)) is amended— (A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph (5); ( B ) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (6) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and (C) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(7) to provide the services referred to in this subsection to children who, after attaining 16 years of age, have left foster care for kinship guardianship or adoption.’’. (2) EDUCATION AND TRAINING VOUCHERS.—Section 477(i)(2) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 677(i)(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘adopted from foster care after attaining age 16’’ and inserting ‘‘who, after attaining 16 years of age, are adopted from, or enter kinship guardianship from, foster care’’. (f) CATEGORICAL ELIGIBILITY FOR M EDICAID.—Section 473(b)(3) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 673(b)(3)) is amended— (1) in subparagraph (A)(ii), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end; (2) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period and inserting ‘‘, or’’; and (3) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(C) with respect to whom kinship guardianship assistance payments are being made pursuant to subsection (d).’’. SEC.102 . FAMILY C ON NEC T ION GR ANTS. (a) IN GENERAL.— P art B of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 620 – 62 9 i) is amended by inserting after section 426 the following: ‘ ‘SEC. 4 2 7 . FAMILY CONNECTION GRANTS. ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of H ealth and Human Services may make matching grants to State, local, or tribal child welfare agencies, and private nonprofit organi z ations that have experience in working with foster children or children in kinship care arrange- ments, for the purpose of helping children who are in, or at risk 42USC6 2 7.
�
