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FGA Applauds Indiana Governor Mike Braun and Secretary Gloria Sachdev for Their Work to Protect Foster Youth Survivor Benefits

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) released the following statement applauding Indiana Governor Mike Braun and Secretary of Health and Family Services Gloria Sachdev for their swift action to safeguard vulnerable foster youth by reforming how the state handles Social Security survivor benefits.

In December 2025, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) notified Indiana and 38 other states that their foster care programs were diverting earned Social Security survivor benefits and using them to offset state expenses for their care—a policy dubbed an “orphan tax.” Governor Braun and Secretary Sachdev wasted no time changing how Indiana handles survivor benefits, and the state is now partnering directly with HHS and ACF to implement reform, ensuring children who lost their parents receive the benefits they are owed, not using them to reimburse government agencies for care they are already legally obligated to provide.

“Children in foster care need all the help they can get to launch successfully into adulthood, and that includes not having their earned survivor benefits siphoned away by the state,” said Emma Garelick, State Government Affairs Director at FGA. “Governor Braun and Secretary Sachdev are once again demonstrating true leadership by acting quickly to protect Indiana’s foster youth.”

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Additional Information

This prompt, decisive action to change the status quo in Indiana is the type of leadership Hoosiers have come to expect from their executive, and is one of the many reasons why FGA named Governor Braun its 2025 Governor of the Year.

The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) is a non-profit, multi-state think tank that specializes in welfare, health care, and election integrity reform. FGA works with policymakers across the country in pursuit of freedom, opportunity, and prosperity for all Americans. To learn more, visit TheFGA.org.

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