“We are all going to die someday so what is the point of trying in life?” I was so angry,” said Miranda, now 17 and about to start her senior year. “In the beginning, I didn’t care about school. He moved back home from Fresno to take over responsibilities like paying the mortgage and making sure his sister Miranda got to high school on time. Overnight, Martin, now 27, was in charge of his family. Basulto, 44, and Garcia Cortez, 46, were taken to a local hospital and within weeks they were both dead. Their mother, Rosa Garcia Cortez, who worked as a front desk receptionist at a local hotel, got sick after taking care of their dad. Their father, Martin Basulto, a truck driver, thought he was exposed to COVID-19 at work. In the Central Valley agricultural town of Coalinga, Martin, Angel and Miranda Basulto felt lost after both of their parents died in January of 2021. “It will make it so that people who are in the most need, who’ve lost a parent or caregiver to COVID, will have a little bit of extra help.” Emily Walton, policy director of COVID Survivors for Change Amounts deposited are expected to reflect the age of the child and how long before that person turns 18. Advocates say eligibility will most likely be tied to enrollment in Medi-Cal, the state’s health insurance system for low-income Californians. The details of the plan will be laid out later this summer in one of several trailer bills, which add specifics to the state budget. “The lack of several thousand dollars could stop a child from jumping on to the next thing and getting an education or getting a job in a place where they know they can be successful.” “It will make it so that people who are in the most need, who’ve lost a parent or caregiver to COVID, will have a little bit of extra help,” said Emily Walton, policy director of COVID Survivors for Change, a national organization advocating for benefits for Americans impacted by COVID-19. At that time, the young person would be able to access the fund for housing, education or other expenses. The funds, known as “baby bonds,” would be started with state money and allowed to grow until the child turns 18. Trust funds will also be created for long-term foster youth. The state has allocated $100 million in its recently adopted budget for the Hope, Opportunity, Perseverance, and Empowerment for Children Trust Account Fund, which will seed trust funds for low-income children who lost a parent or primary caregiver to COVID-19. Now, California has become the first state to create a financial safety net for some COVID orphans when they reach adulthood. In California, 32,000 children under 18 have experienced the death of a parent or primary caregiver from COVID-19, according to research by the Global Reference Group for Children Affected by COVID-19. Those children - so-called “COVID orphans” - are likely to face not just financial hardship but a lifetime of mental health, educational, relational and emotional challenges, researchers say. Their deaths made the oldest son a pseudo-parent to his teenage siblings overnight and forced the brothers and sister to figure out a future without their mom and dad. In a small town in California’s Central Valley, a trio of siblings lost both their parents to COVID-19 within two weeks of each other in 2021. The state has set aside $100 million for trust funds for children who are in low-income families to access when they turn 18 for school, housing or other expenses. In California, 32,000 children under 18 have experienced the death of a parent or primary caregiver from COVID-19.
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