Okla. Stat. tit. 10A, § 10A-1-9-107

A. This section shall be known and may be cited as the

"Successful Adulthood Act".

B. The purpose of the Successful Adulthood Act shall be:

1. To ensure that eligible individuals, who have been or are in

the foster care program of the Department of Human Services or a

federally recognized Indian tribe with whom the Department has a

contract, due to abuse or neglect, receive the protection and

support necessary to allow those individuals to become self-reliant

and productive citizens through the provision of requisite services

that include, but are not limited to, transitional planning,

housing, medical coverage, and education; provided, that eligibility

for tuition waivers shall be as set forth in Section 3230 of Title

70 of the Oklahoma Statutes;

2. To break the cycle of abuse and neglect that obligates the

state to assume custody of children; and

3. To help children who have experienced foster care at age

fourteen (14) or older achieve meaningful permanent connections with

a caring adult.

C. An individual is eligible to receive services for the

transition of the child to a successful adulthood from the age of

fourteen (14) until the age of eighteen (18), during the time the

individual is in the custody of the Department or a federally

recognized Indian tribe and in an out-of-home placement.

D. The permanency plan for the child in transition to a

successful adulthood shall be developed in consultation with the

child and, at the option of the child, with up to two members of the

permanency planning team to be chosen by the child, excluding the

foster parent and caseworker for the child, subject to the following

provisions:

1. One individual selected by the child may be designated to be

the advisor and, as necessary, advocate of the child, with respect

to the application of the reasonable and prudent parent standard to

the child; and

2. The Department may reject an individual selected by the

child to be a member of the permanency planning team at any time if

the Department has good cause to believe that the selected

individual would not act in the best interests of the child.

E. 1. Each child in foster care under the responsibility of

the Department or a federally recognized Indian tribe and in an out-

of-home placement, who has attained fourteen (14) years of age shall

be given a written Notice of Rights that describes the following

specific rights of the child:

a. the rights of the child with respect to education,

health, visitation, and court participation,

b. the right to be provided with the documents specified

in subsection F of this section, and

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 10A. Children and Juvenile Code Page 229

c. the right to stay safe and avoid exploitation.

2. The child shall sign an acknowledgment stating that the

child has been provided with a copy of the Notice of Rights and that

the rights described in the notice have been explained to the child

in an age-appropriate way.

F. A child about to leave foster care by reason of having

attained eighteen (18) years of age and who has been in foster care

for at least six (6) months shall be given the following documents

pertaining to the child:

1. An official or certified copy of the United States birth

certificate;

2. A Social Security card issued by the Commissioner of Social

Security;

3. Health insurance information;

4. A copy of the medical records of the child;

5. A state-issued driver license or identification card; and

6. Official documentation necessary to show that the child was

previously in foster care.

G. Successful adulthood services may continue to the age of

twenty-one (21), provided the individual is in the custody of the

Department or a federally recognized Indian tribe due to abuse or

neglect and is in an out-of-home placement at the time of the

individual's sixteenth birthday.

H. Individuals who are sixteen (16) years of age or older, who
at the child was

previously in foster care.

G. Successful adulthood services may continue to the age of

twenty-one (21), provided the individual is in the custody of the

Department or a federally recognized Indian tribe due to abuse or

neglect and is in an out-of-home placement at the time of the

individual's sixteenth birthday.

H. Individuals who are sixteen (16) years of age or older, who

have been released from the custody of the Department or federally

recognized Indian tribe due to the entry of an adoption decree or

guardianship order are eligible to receive successful adulthood

services until the age of twenty-one (21).

I. Individuals who are eligible for services pursuant to the

Successful Adulthood Act and who are between eighteen (18) and

twenty-one (21) years of age shall be eligible for Medicaid

coverage, provided such individuals were also in the custody of the

Department or a federally recognized Indian tribe on the date they

reached eighteen (18) years of age and meet Medicaid financial

eligibility guidelines.

J. The Department, in conjunction with the Oklahoma State

Regents for Higher Education, shall provide parents and legal

guardians of foster youth with information on the Oklahoma Higher

Learning Access Program (OHLAP) including, but not limited to,

eligibility, application guidelines, academic requirements, and any

other information required by the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access

Act for participation in the Program.