a. For the purposes of this section the following terms shall have the following meanings:
1. "Another Planned Permanent Living Arrangement (APPLA)" means a permanency planning goal for young people in foster care who are over the age of fourteen that seeks to assist foster care youth in their transition to self-sufficiency by connecting the youth to an adult permanency resource, equipping the youth with life skills and, upon discharge, connecting the youth with any needed community and/or specialized services.
2. "Discharge Checklist" is a form completed by the ACS contracted foster care agency in consultation with a young person leaving foster care that is intended to guide discussions about the youth's plans after leaving care. The document is intended to develop and document a discharge plan that is youth-driven, is as detailed as the youth elects and enables the young person to address any outstanding topics prior to discharge.
3. "Government-issued personal identification" shall mean a birth certificate, social security card, state-issued driver's license or non-driver identification card, United States permanent resident card, individual taxpayer identification number, municipal identification card, consular identification card, or passport.
4. "Preparing Youth for Adulthood (PYA) Checklist" is a form completed by the ACS contracted foster care agency in consultation with a young person transitioning from foster care that is intended to guide discussions about the youth's plans after leaving care. The document is intended to assess and document a transition plan that is youth-driven and enables the young person to address any outstanding barriers to the successful transition to independence.
b. Beginning no later than January 31, 2015, and no later than every January 31 thereafter, the commissioner shall submit to the speaker of the council and post on ACS' website an annual report for the prior calendar year that includes the following information:
1. the number of youth in foster care who are aged seventeen or older; and the total number of youth in foster care who are aged seventeen or older and have a form of government-issued personal identification, disaggregated by birth certificate, social security card, state-issued identification, municipal identification, passport or other form of government-issued personal identification, the number of such youth who only possess one form of government-issued personal identification, disaggregated by the type of identification and the number of youth in foster care who obtained such identification with assistance from ACS; provided, however, that the information relating to municipal identification, passports or other forms of government-issued personal identification required by this paragraph shall be included in such report only upon required New York state approval of changes to the Discharge Checklist and PYA Checklist in a manner that reasonably allows for the collection of such information beginning with the report for the second calendar year following such approval;
2. the number of youth in foster care who were discharged with an APPLA goal; and the total number of youth with an APPLA goal who were in possession of a birth certificate, social security card, state-issued identification, municipal identification or passport at the time of discharge from foster care, disaggregated by the type of identification and the number of such youth who only possess one form of government-issued personal identification at the point of discharge, disaggregated by the type of identification; provided, however, that the information relating to municipal identification and passports required by this paragraph shall be included in such report only upon required New York state approval of changes to the Discharge Checklist and PYA Checklist in a manner that reasonably allows for the collection of such information beginning with the report for the second calendar year following such approval; and
3. a description of the actions ACS has taken in the prior calendar year to assist youth in foster care in obtaining the kinds of government-issued personal identification described in the report required by this subdivision. The reports required pursuant to this section shall remain permanently accessible on ACS' website.
(Am. L.L. 2016/141, 11/16/2016, eff. 11/16/2016)