Connecticut TFA Redetermination: How to Renew Your Child-Only Grant

Child-Only Grants Have No Time Limit — But They Still Renew

One of the best features of the TFA child-only grant for relative caregivers is that it has no lifetime time limit. Standard TFA carries a 36-month cap, but child-only assistance units are exempt. The grant can continue as long as the child is eligible.

That said, DSS requires an annual redetermination — a review of the child's circumstances to confirm ongoing eligibility. Missing this review is one of the most common ways families lose benefits they're still entitled to.

What Happens at the 12-Month Mark

Around the anniversary of your approval, DSS sends a redetermination form. You'll need to verify:

• The child still lives with you
• The child's income (if any) hasn't changed substantially
• Your Connecticut residency
• The family relationship still applies

For a child-only grant, DSS is not re-evaluating your income — that's still excluded. They're confirming the basic facts that make the child eligible.

What You Must Report Between Renewals

Don't wait for the annual review to report these changes — DSS requires notification when they happen:

• Child's income changes by more than $50 per month — new child support order, change in Social Security survivor benefits, any new income stream for the child
• Change of address — you move within Connecticut or out of state
• The child leaves your home — the child returns to a parent, moves to another relative, or ages out

Failing to report these changes can result in an overpayment determination, where DSS asks you to repay benefits the child wasn't entitled to.

How to Complete the Renewal

Redetermination goes through the ConneCT portal (connect.ct.gov) or by returning the mailed form to your DSS regional office. The simplest approach:

1. Watch for the notice; it states your response deadline
2. Complete the form promptly and return it with any requested documentation
3. Keep a copy of everything you submit, with the date

If you submitted online, screenshot the confirmation. If you mailed it, use certified mail or hand-deliver to the DSS office and get a date-stamped receipt. Benefits suspension due to "form not received" is preventable with proof of submission.

If Your Benefits Stop

If TFA payments suddenly stop and you didn't receive a notice explaining why, call DSS immediately. Common causes:

• The redetermination form wasn't processed (it arrived but got lost in the system)
• A change of address wasn't updated, so the renewal notice went to the wrong location
• A system error flagged the case for standard TFA time-limit review instead of child-only

If DSS sends a notice that TFA will be reduced or stopped and you want existing benefits to continue during the appeal, submit the hearing request within 10 days of the notice date, subject to any exceptions listed in the notice. A timely request preserves existing benefits pending the hearing; it does not automatically restore payments that have already stopped. File the hearing request within 60 days of the notice date to challenge the decision.

Tracking Multiple Renewal Dates

If you're receiving TFA, SNAP, HUSKY, and Care 4 Kids for the same child, each program has its own renewal cycle:

• TFA: 12-month redetermination
• SNAP: 6-month Periodic Report Form plus 12-month full renewal
• HUSKY Health: 12-month continuous eligibility with automatic renewal when possible
• Care 4 Kids: 12-month redetermination through the Office of Early Childhood

Keeping track of four overlapping cycles is one of the harder parts of managing kinship benefits. Our Connecticut kinship financial help guide includes a renewal tracking system so you can see every deadline in one place and submit paperwork before anything lapses.

See more Connecticut guides →