Such planning should ensure that the youth have the support required to be independent, healthy, and productive adults. Since 1985 Federal law has recognized that older youth in foster care deserve special attention and programming. In that year, the Independent Living program was added to the Social Security Act. In 1999 the law was further amended by the Chafee Foster Care Independence Act (FCIA), which aims to correct weaknesses in the Independent Living program. These provisions are intended to address the circumstance in which many youth who leave foster care are not prepared to live independently because they have not attained the educational level and/or training to become employed for a living wage; some become homeless and dependent on public assistance. FCIA does not change the policy preference established in the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA), which is for permanency planning that includes reunification with the biological family, adoption, legal guardianship, or placement with a relative. In outlining questions judges should ask at permanency review hearings, this report suggests that judge's determine the features of a youth's permanency plan and the contents of his/her Independent Living plan. Other questions outlined for judges regarding foster-care youth are the nature of support services for independent living, features of the discharge plan, reasons for discharge from foster care, how health-care needs will be addressed, current educational services and achievement, support services for educational goals, and any disabilities that require special support services. Appended checklist for permanency hearings that involve youth ages 16-21