2330 Grandparents as Caregivers Assistance - The Grandparents as Caregivers Assistance (GP as CG) program provides monthly financial assistance to grandparents or other relatives raising children. This program is effective January 1, 2007.

 

For households that meet the eligibility requirements, the monthly benefit is $200 for one child, $400 for two children, and $600 for three or more children. Household income is used to determine eligibility. The monthly benefit amount is not reduced by the household’s income. Benefits are not pro-rated, regardless of what day the application is received.

 

The special Grandparents as Caregivers application (ES-3100.9) or the combined program application (ES-3100) can be used to determine eligibility. Applicants submit their completed applications to the local SRS office or on-line. Benefits are issued via the vision card. Funding is limited and applications will not be accepted if funding is depleted.

 

2331 Eligibility Requirements - Recipients must be living in Kansas. No person can be on (be coded IN or DI on SEPA) TAF and GP as CG cases during the same month. In situations where eligibility exists for both TAF and GP programs, the worker will discuss both TAF and GP program benefits. Customers can then make an informed choice on which program best meets the needs of their family. The child or children must not be in state custody and the parent of the child or children must not live with that child or children. In addition, in order to be eligible for assistance the applicant must:

 

  1. Be a grandparent or other qualifying relative. A qualifying relative is defined as a person within the fifth degree of kinship to the dependent child. A qualifying relative (biological or adoptive) is therefore a sibling, great-grandparent, uncle or aunt, nephew or niece, great-great grandparent, great uncle or aunt, first cousin, great-great-great grandparent, great-great uncle or aunt or first cousin once removed. This also includes stepbrother, stepsister, step-grandparent, step-aunt or step-uncle. See Appendix item T-6, Relationship Chart (For TAF Only).
     

  2. Be 50 years of age or older. This only applies to the adult(s) who is the legal custodian or guardian.

  3. Live with the child or children for whom the applicant is requesting assistance.

  4. Have legal custody of the child or children. Legal custody is defined as the care, control and maintenance of a child, which is awarded by a court. Legal guardian, legal custody, and legal temporary custody meet this definition. A child, for purposes of this program, is defined as under 18 years of age or under the age of 21, if such child is attending full-time secondary or post-secondary school. The person is considered a child the entire month that he or she turns 18 or 21, if attending full-time secondary or post-secondary school. For purposes of this program, children age 18 -21 meet the legal custody definition, if upon the date of their 18th birth date, they were in the legal custody of the caregiver.

  5. Have a household income of less than 130% of the federal poverty level. Income level is located in Appendix item F-12.

     

 

NOTE: There is no cooperation requirement for potential resources or with Child Support Enforcement.

 

2332 Assistance Planning - The mandatory filing unit (MFU) is defined as the relative or relatives who have been awarded custody by the court and the child or children who are in their custody. For example, a grandmother who has legal custody of her grandchild and that grandchild who is in her legal custody are included in the household. The grandmother is coded "DI" on SEPA and the child is coded "IN" on SEPA. If the grandmother is married and also has a child living with her, neither her spouse nor her child are included in the GP as CG household. Her spouse and child are coded "OU" on SEPA.

 

NOTE: If the child who is in the legal custody is also a parent, his/her child would also be considered within the legal custody of the grandparent or other qualifying relative.

 

2333 Interview Requirements - An interview by phone or face-to-face with the case manager is an eligibility requirement. The agency will schedule an interview for each applicant who is not interviewed on the day the application is submitted. Interviews will be scheduled as promptly as possible to insure that applicants receive an opportunity to participate within timely processing standards. Refer to 1410 for further information.

 

2334 Mandatory Verification - The following information is to be verified prior to initial approval. Failure to provide information shall result in ineligibility for benefits as indicated.

 

  1. Gross Nonexempt Income - Gross nonexempt income shall be verified prior to approval. However, where all attempts to verify the income have been unsuccessful because the person or organization providing the income has failed to cooperate with the household and the worker, and all other sources of verification are unavailable, the worker shall determine an amount to be used based on the best available information.

  2. Relationship - Verification of relationship to the child is required. Failure to provide verification will result ineligibility for benefits for the child for whom relationship can not be verified. For purposes of this requirement, a birth certificate or court order which specifically identifies the relationship are the best available evidence. 

  3. Legal Custody - An original or facsimile of court document giving legal custody to the caregiver is required. Failure to provide this information will result in ineligibility for benefits for the child for whom such documentation can not be provided. 

  4. Age - Verification of the age of the legal custodian(s) or guardian(s) is required. Failure to provide this verification will result in ineligibility for benefits for the entire household.

 

2335 Income Guidelines - The combined gross income of the household (legal custodian(s) or guardian(s) and children in legal custody) shall be less than 130% of the federal poverty level. Countable income includes earnings by adults, earnings by children not attending school, social security benefits, including SSI and most other income. Refer to 7100 for information on budgeting income. The deductions for cash programs outlined in 7210 are not applicable for the Grandparents as Caregivers program.

 

The following general rules do apply:

 

Income must be real. To be real, income must have a value that can be defined and measure.
 

Income value must be established by objective measurement.
 

Income shall be considered available when a client has a legal interest therein and the legal ability to make it available.

 

The income of the person or persons named by the court as having legal custody will be included as well as the income of the child or children named in the court documents in determining if the household is below the 130% poverty level.

 

2336 Unearned Income - Refer to 6200. The only variance from this section for the Grandparents as Caregivers Assistance program is that current Social Security Supplemental Income (SSI) is countable income.

 

2337 Earned Income - Refer to 6300.

 

2338 Exempt Income - Refer to 6400.

 

2339 Treatment of Income for Persons not Included in the Household - Income of persons outside the assistance plan (such as the caregiver's spouse or other children not named in the legal custody document) will not be considered.