Kinship Care Benefits

Financial Support

The Child Welfare Agency is often involved in providing services to children and families or making referrals to other groups that provide services. Services and referrals are available to children living with kin. Early on in their involvement with the Child Welfare System, kin caregivers should ask about available services. Some of the different types of services are discussed below.

Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)

is a program through Colorado Works that replaced Aid to Families with Dependent Children and provides monthly cash benefits to eligible low income families with children. In order to be eligible for TANF, kinship caregivers must have physical custody of the child. Caregivers may be asked to prove their relationship by providing birth certificates and if necessary, marriage certificates. Sometimes, additional legal documentation may be needed to establish a relationship to the children. Caregivers are not eligible to apply for TANF if the county department has custody of the child and is providing foster care reimbursement.

There are two ways that kinship caregivers can receive TANF:

• ​Child Only Benefits:  Caregivers receive cash benefits for the child/youth in their care, but not for themselves. The child remains eligible until age 18 or they leave the home. If the child receives income (like Social Security benefits from a deceased parent) it affects eligibility or the amount of a child only TANF grant. If the Social Security benefit is higher than the TANF benefit, then the child/youth is not eligible to receive TANF. Currently the TANF grant is a minimum of $141 per child. Child only benefits are not time limited.

  Child support enforcement is mandatory for both biological parents if TANF is granted to kinship families.

• Caregiver and child benefits:  The second way to receive TANF is when the caregiver applies to become a part of the grant. The county department eligibility worker will consider the household income and assets to determine if the caregiver and the child/youth are eligible for TANF. The grant amount will be higher because the grant will cover both the caregiver and the child/youth. The work requirements and time limits will apply, and training opportunities may be available. Caregivers receiving this type of grant will be required to work or look for work, and the time period to receive benefits is limited to 60 months (5 years.) There may be exceptions to these rules, so it may be helpful to discuss the circumstances with the eligibility worker. Under certain circumstances, families may also be eligible for supportive services and diversion grants. Each of the 64 counties in Colorado develops their own TANF plan and caregivers will need to talk with a county eligibility worker to determine what is available. If a child receives SSI (Supplemental Security Income) because of a mental or physical disability, the child is not included in the family’s TANF grant.

If applying for a child only benefits (grant), you may need the following information:

• A photo I.D., such as a driver’s license;
• A rent receipt, house payment book, or lease with the landlord’s name and phone number in order to verify your current address as a resident in the county;
• A birth certificate for each child/youth showing parent’s name and the date and place of birth, which helps verify your relationship to the child/youth;
• Marriage certificates if applicable;
• Social Security cards for the child/youth if you have them. If you have the Social Security numbers and not the cards, bring those with you; and
• A statement from the childcare provider showing his/her name and address, the amount paid, and how often it is paid. This may be helpful in obtaining childcare benefits.

If you want to be included in the assistance grant, you must also bring the following information to verify your income and resources:

• Recent bank statement;
• Pay stubs covering a period of one month, if you have a job;
• Information about stocks and bonds , if applicable; and,
• A birth certificate to show citizenship or legal presence.

What happens after I apply?  Your county department must determine eligibility for TANF within 45 days of the application date. A letter will be sent stating whether you are eligible or not for benefits, the amount of the benefit, and when you may expect to receive it. If the county department has not reached a decision within 45 days, you have a right to request a fair hearing before a hearing examiner. Request this in writing to the eligibility worker of his/her supervisor and keep a copy. The hearing process is also available if you disagree with the eligibility decision made by the county department. An applicant or recipient who disagrees with a proposed action such as a denial of benefits has the right to:

Foster Care Payments or Certified Kinship Care Payments may be available to relative caregivers. The requirements for receiving these payments vary from State to State. Relative caregivers who are licensed foster parents, taking care of children placed with them through their local Child Welfare Agency or court, may be eligible for such payments. Foster care payments are generally higher than other forms of reimbursement, such as TANF.

Child Care Services

Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP) is a state program that partially covers the cost of child care for eligible low and moderate income families. Kinship caregivers may apply for subsidized child care but the entire family’s incomes and assets are considered for eligibility.

Food Assistance

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps, is available to families with incomes below a certain level to help them buy food. Kinship caregivers may apply but the entire household’s income and assets are considered, and relative children can be included in family size for determining benefit amount. A caregiver cannot apply for SNAP/food stamps for the children only. An application for SNAP/food stamps is generally made at the same office where TANF applications are made. Recipients access their benefits through a card called an EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) card, which works like a bank card.

Effective November 1, 2012 the office of Self-Sufficiency implemented changes to the food assistance rules that impact kinship families.

• The rule change clarifies information for any case in which 2 separate households are applying for food assistance for the same child or youth. With the rule change, a child/youth can be removed from one food assistance household and added to another food assistance household based on verification of who provides the majority of the meals for the child/youth. This will impact kinship caregivers that in the past have been denied food assistance for children/youth in their care because the parents were still receiving benefits and under the simplified reporting system, were not required to report that the children/youth had been removed from the home.

Sources of verification/documentation of meals provided can include:

• Verification from a child welfare worker that a child/youth has been placed with a kinship caregiver
• A copy of legal custody arrangements
• School enrollment forms
• Dependent care forms
• A written or verbal statement from both households
• Calendar showing the number of meals each household provides
• Any other documentation that can reasonable be used to determine meals

Women’s, Infants and Children Program (WIC) provides assistance to:

• Low to moderate income pregnant women,
• Breastfeeding women up to one year after the birth of the child,
• Non breastfeeding women up to six months after the birth of the child,
• Low income women with infants and children under the age 5 who are nutritionally at risk
• Children in out of home care whose birth family is eligible, and
• Fathers can also bring their children to apply for WIC. You may apply for WIC if you are working or unemployed.

Utility Assistance

LEAP (Low Income Energy Assistance Program)is a federally funded program, which provides case assistance to help needy individuals meet the costs of winter home heating. The Crisis Intervention Program, a part of LEAP, provides assistance for furnace repair/replacement or the replacement of broken windows. Applications are taken at the county department each year between November 1st and April 30th. A summer Crisis Intervention Program (May-October) for furnace repair/replacement is also available for households who were approved for LEAP benefits in the prior LEAP heating season. Contact the county department for this information regarding applications and eligibly, or for additional information contact the state LEAP office.

Therapy and Counseling

Children who have experienced abuse or neglect should be assessed to see what services they may need. Such services may include therapy or counseling. If children are assessed and it is determined that they require other special services, these may be available through Child Welfare Agency referrals or through their schools. When the children are in legal custody of the State, as in kinship foster care, it is the responsibility of the Child Welfare Agency to have the children assessed and to arrange for needed services, although kin caregivers may have to take the lead in arranging for these services. Kin caregivers should also make an effort to follow the progress of the children’s therapy or counseling.

Medical Assistance Health Insurance

Many children being raised by relatives are eligible for medical insurance through either Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Medicaid provides coverage for many health care expenses for low-income children and adults, including visits to the doctor, checkups, screenings, prescriptions, and hospitalization. State CHIPs cover many of these costs for children who are not eligible for Medicaid, although each State has different rules for eligibility and coverage. In most cases, only the child’s income is used to determine eligibility for Medicaid or CHIP, not the income of the kin caregiver. The child welfare worker should be able to point the caregiver to the appropriate agency to apply for health insurance coverage through these programs.

• Medicaid is state and federally funded health care coverage. Kinship caregivers, both relative and non-relative, may apply for a Medicaid card for the child or sibling group in their care. Your income and assets will not be considered when determining eligibility unless you choose to apply for yourself as well. If you have qualified for cash assistance you will automatically qualify for a Medicaid card. 

Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) is the children’s benefit package through Medicaid that provide special comprehensive services for children including medical exams, vision, services, and hearing tests, dental care, immunizations, lead poisoning screening, mental health services, and transportation to and from medical appointments. For an EPSDT outreach coordinator, call the local Public health Department or Nursing Service (see Additional Resources at the end of this section.) If something you child/youth needs is denied, it is often because a strong enough case for its medical necessity was not made. If this happens, contact the Managed Care Ombudsperson for EPSDT in the Metro Denver Area at 303.839.2120 or Statewide at 888.367.6557 or 877.435.7123.

Colorado Child Health Plan (CHP+) is affordable, quality health insurance for Colorado children and pregnant women. CHP+ benefits cover well-child checkups and doctor visits, immunizations, dental care (for children only,) hospital services, prescriptions, mental/behavioral health care, and prenatal care. With CHP+, families may have to pay annual enrollment fees and co-payments for doctor and dental visits, but these fees are affordable and are based on family size and income. To receive CHP+, families must meet the following eligibility requirements:

Children ages 18 and under or pregnant women 19 and over who:

• Are not eligible for Medicaid
• Do not have any other health insurance or have access to State employee health insurance (for example, a parent is a Colorado State employee)
• Resident of Colorado and has been a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident for at least five years, refugees, or asylees.  Parental Citizenship/residency is not considered when determining CHP+ eligibility  for children or youth
• Meet income guidelines

Applications can be downloaded from http://chpplus.org/ or you may call 1.800.359.1991 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. to have one mailed to you.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a program that provides monthly case assistance to children and adults who have mental and/or physical disabilities and meet income eligibility. In rare instances, a child/youth is eligible for SSI due to a disability or for social security benefits due to the death or disability of a parent. This is also available to anyone over age 65. As a kinship caregiver, you may be eligible to become payee for the child’s benefits. The assigned worker can tell you if the child receives or is eligible to receive either of these benefits. More information about SSI benefits is available from the local Social Security office or online at http://www.ssa.gov/notices/supplemental-security-income/.