If your grandchild is in your care and lives in your home, your grandchild or grandchildren can receive a cash assistance grant of $205 a month ($316 for two children and $403 for three children) just for the grandchildren. Your income does not get counted. You can work or get social security or have savings.
Your income and your resources do not matter when determining your grandchild’s eligibility to receive a cash benefit. (Your income and the income of your grandchild do get added together for SNAP [food stamps].)
You are not required to have legal custody of your grandchild for them to receive public benefits. If you have physical custody of your grandchild, you can get cash benefits.
If you believe that the County Assistance Office wrongly turned you down, you should file an appeal and then contact legal aid for advice. Appeal first, ask questions later! In Philadelphia, call Community Legal Services at (215) 981-3700.
Child Support Cooperation
When you apply for TANF for your grandchild(ren), you will be told you must file against your grandchild’s parents for child support. This is not always true. You may be excused from this requirement if filing for support would create a risk of harm to you or your grandchild. If you are not excused and you do not file for child support against the parents, the cash assistance benefit will be reduced by 25%.
Download this flyer in English.
Want to join the movement fighting against the unfair requirement that you must sue your own children for child support to get TANF? House Bill 1962 in Harrisburg would eliminate the child support cooperation requirement for non-parental caregivers.
Get in touch with Community Legal Services to see how you can join the current effort to change the child support requirements! Contact Anaga Srinivas at (215) 227-9985 or asrinivas@clsphila.org
For more information about House Bill 1962, download this flyer.
