Governor Braun signs order to preserve survivor benefits for foster children and joins Home for Every Child initiative

Governor Braun signed an executive order directing the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) to preserve federal survivor benefits owed to children in foster care so those funds are conserved for the child rather than used to reimburse the state.

The order requires DCS to screen children for eligibility, notify the child and their representatives, and identify an independent representative payee whenever possible. It instructs DCS to place conserved funds in appropriate accounts—such as ABLE accounts or personal needs/savings accounts—and to release those funds when the youth leaves DCS custody "according to applicable federal rules," the governor said. "Survivor benefits belong to children, not the government," he added.

The proclamation signed alongside the order affirms Indiana’s commitment to improving child safety, permanency and well-being through a new program improvement plan; the governor also noted the state expanded parental leave for foster parents earlier this year.

Dr. Alex Adams, identified in the event as the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Administration for Children and Families, said Indiana is the 20th state to join the Home for Every Child initiative, a federal effort to reduce administrative burdens on states in exchange for more frequent data reporting. "Nationally, if we have 100 foster kids come into the system, we only have 57 homes to care for them," Adams said, using that ratio to underline the program’s goals of expanding foster-home capacity.

Adams said states that join the initiative will receive red tape relief—reporting requirements will be streamlined so state teams can focus on direct child-welfare improvements—and that the federal government will publish a monthly website comparing partner states on metrics such as foster-home-to-child ratios starting this summer.

Adams also criticized the practice of some states using survivors’ benefits to offset state costs, calling it an "orphan tax," and commended the governor’s executive action to end that practice in Indiana. "Too many states tax orphans in the most literal sense," he said, urging other states to follow Indiana’s example.

What the order does and does not specify: the directive tasks DCS with screening, notification and identification of representative payees and specifies account types for conservation (ABLE accounts and similar savings vehicles), but it does not change federal eligibility rules or state reporting deadlines; the release of conserved funds is subject to applicable federal rules, according to the governor’s remarks.

The governor said he would sign the documents and then take questions; the recorded remarks concluded with applause.

Next steps: the executive order directs DCS to implement the screening and preservation procedures described; the Home for Every Child initiative will begin monthly public reporting this summer. No formal vote or legislative action was reported at the event.