A. Local departments shall request the placement of a security freeze pursuant to the provisions of § 59.1-444.3 on the credit report or record of any child who is less than 16 years of age and has been in foster care for at least six months in order to prevent cases of identity theft and misuse of personal identifying information. The local department shall request removal of the security freeze (i) upon the child’s removal from foster care, (ii) upon the child’s request if the child is 16 years of age or older, or (iii) upon a determination by the local department that removal of the security freeze is in the best interest of the child.
B. Local departments shall conduct annual credit checks on all children 14 years of age or older but less than 18 years of age who are in foster care to identify cases of identity theft or misuse of personal identifying information of such children. Local departments shall resolve, to the greatest extent possible, cases of identity theft or misuse of personal identifying information of foster care children identified pursuant to this section.