For any youth who is aging out of DFPS conservatorship, regardless of placement, the youth’s caseworker must ask the court, at the review hearing held before the youth turns 18, to approve a 12-month trial period of independence beginning on the date that the youth leaves foster care after turning 18. Trial independence applies to all young adults who turn 18 while in DFPS conservatorship, including those on runaway status or living in a non-paid placement. Twelve months is the maximum period of trial independence (TI).

Requesting the maximum period:

  •   allows the young adult to request a court’s assistance for up to one year after leaving foster care, if the young adult experiences problems obtaining transitional living services; and

  •   allows the state to claim Title IV-E funding to cover the costs of a young adult’s extended foster care, if the young adult decides to re-enter extended foster care after turning 18.

Although a young adult can still choose to re-enter extended foster care after the trial independence period has ended, the state can no longer claim Title IV-E funding to cover any period of extended foster care that begins after trial independence has ended.

A young adult is not limited to a single trial independence period. A new period begins each time a young adult leaves extended foster care, up to the young adult’s 21st birthday.