DCF Guardianship Assistance Program (GAP) in Massachusetts

What GAP Is

The Guardianship Assistance Program provides a monthly financial subsidy to relatives who take legal guardianship of a child exiting the Massachusetts foster care system. The payments are pegged to DCF's foster care maintenance rates — which are substantially higher than TAFDC child-only grants — and continue until the child turns 18, with extensions possible to age 21.

GAP is a permanency tool: it exists to move children out of foster care into stable homes with relatives they already know, without the family losing the financial support that comes with foster care.

Eligibility Requirements

GAP has strict prerequisites. All four must be met:

1. DCF custody: The child must have been removed from the parent's home by court order or voluntary placement and placed in DCF's custody.
2. Licensed kinship foster care: You must be fully licensed or approved as a DCF kinship foster parent, and the child must have lived in your home for at least six consecutive months under that license.
3. No other permanency option: DCF must formally determine that neither returning home nor adoption is an appropriate goal for the child.
4. Agreement signed before guardianship is finalized: The Guardianship Assistance Agreement must be fully negotiated and executed between you and DCF before the Probate and Family Court finalizes the guardianship order.

That last requirement catches people. If you obtain legal guardianship through Probate Court on your own — without the child first being in DCF custody and without DCF approving a GAP agreement — you are permanently ineligible. There is no retroactive application.

Payment Rates

GAP subsidies match DCF's published foster care daily maintenance rates, which vary by the child's age and clinical needs:

• Ages 0–5: approximately $33.27 per day ($998 per month)
• Ages 6–12: rates scale upward by age bracket
• Ages 13–18+: the highest base daily rate

On top of the daily rate, GAP provides quarterly clothing allowances (roughly $330 per quarter) and annual birthday ($100) and holiday ($200) stipends.

Children with documented medical, behavioral, or emotional needs may qualify for elevated specialized or medical daily rates, negotiated as part of the GAP agreement.

DCF also reimburses up to $2,000 in one-time non-recurring expenses for legal fees and court costs associated with obtaining the guardianship.

MassHealth Coverage and Interstate Portability

Children receiving GAP subsidies are automatically eligible for MassHealth Standard — full Medicaid coverage — without income testing. If you move to another state with the child, the receiving state is required to open local Medicaid coverage based on the Massachusetts GAP agreement under the Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical Assistance (ICAMA).

Successor Guardian and Extensions

The GAP agreement allows you to name a successor guardian. If you become unable to care for the child, the named successor can step in and continue receiving the subsidy without DCF needing to re-assume custody.

The subsidy normally ends at age 18 but can be extended through age 21 if the young person is enrolled in post-secondary education, participating in a vocational program, working at least 80 hours per month, or has a disability that prevents self-support. Youth whose guardianship was sponsored by DCF are also eligible for the Foster Child Tuition Waiver at Massachusetts public colleges and universities through age 24.

GAP vs. TAFDC: Different Programs for Different Situations

GAP and TAFDC serve different kinship populations. TAFDC child-only grants are available to any qualifying relative caregiver — informal or formal, with or without court involvement. GAP is available only when the child has been in DCF's foster care system and exits through legal guardianship with a pre-signed agreement.

GAP pays significantly more (roughly $1,000+ per month vs. $528 for one child under TAFDC), but the entry path requires DCF involvement. Most kinship families — especially those caring for a child through a private family arrangement — will use TAFDC as their primary source of financial help.

The Massachusetts kinship financial help guide covers both programs side by side, explaining how your legal arrangement with the child determines which benefits you qualify for and how to avoid the timing mistakes that can lock you out of GAP.

See more Massachusetts guides →