Documents Needed for a DSHS Application in Washington as a Kinship Caregiver

Incomplete documentation is the most common reason DSHS applications stall or get denied. A caseworker who can't verify the child's identity, your relationship, or the living arrangement has no choice but to request more proof — and that delays processing past the 30-day window. Gathering everything before you sit down with the application saves you a second trip to the CSO and weeks of waiting.

Child Identity and Age

Primary document: The child's official state birth certificate. This is the strongest proof of both identity and age.

Alternatives if the birth certificate isn't available yet: A hospital birth record, the child's passport, or a baptismal certificate. If you're working on obtaining a birth certificate (which can take weeks from Vital Records), submit whatever you have and note that the certificate is pending.

Social Security Number

Primary document: The child's Social Security card.

Alternative: An SSN receipt letter or a formal written statement showing the Social Security Administration has received the application. DSHS can process the case while the card is in transit, but you'll need to provide the actual SSN.

Proof of Relationship

This is where many kinship applications hit friction. DSHS needs to confirm you're an eligible relative — grandparent, great-grandparent, aunt, uncle, adult sibling, niece, nephew, or first cousin.

Primary documents: A chain of birth certificates and/or marriage certificates linking you to the child generationally. For a grandmother: her child's birth certificate (showing her as parent) plus the grandchild's birth certificate (showing that child as parent). For an aunt: birth certificates showing a common parent with the child's biological parent.

Alternative: A sworn statement under penalty of perjury on the DSHS Relative Caregiver Declaration (Form 14-432). This form serves double duty — it establishes both the relationship and the care arrangement. However, birth/marriage certificates are stronger and less likely to trigger follow-up requests.

Proof of Residence

DSHS needs to verify that the child actually lives with you.

Primary documents: School registration or enrollment records showing your address, or a current medical chart or appointment record listing your address for the child.

Alternatives: A signed landlord statement confirming the child resides at your address, or the DSHS Relative Caregiver Declaration itself (which includes a statement about the living arrangement under penalty of perjury).

Legal Authority (If You Have It)

A court order isn't required for TANF child-only or Basic Food applications — informal caregivers qualify. But if you do have legal documentation, bring it:

• Letters of Guardianship (certified copy) if you hold a minor guardianship under RCW 11.130
• DCYF Placement Agreement if the child was placed through the child welfare system
• Power of Attorney if the parent executed one delegating care

These documents streamline verification and reduce follow-up requests. They don't change the benefit amount for TANF child-only, but they make the caseworker's job easier.

Child's Income Documentation

DSHS evaluates the child's income against the payment standard. If the child has any direct income, bring proof:

• Social Security: SSA Award Letter showing monthly benefit amount
• Child support: Division of Child Support records or bank statements showing deposits
• Trust distributions: Trust payout statements or bank records

If the child has no income, you don't need to prove a negative — just confirm it during the eligibility interview.

When Documents Are Missing

If you're missing a document, don't wait to apply. Submit the application with what you have and note what's pending. DSHS sends a verification request letter with a deadline to provide the missing items. The 30-day processing clock starts from your application date, not from when all documents arrive — so getting the application in the system immediately is always better than waiting for a complete package.

If a DSHS application is rejected for missing documents, you can reapply with the missing items. You can also request a fair hearing within 90 calendar days of the notice mailing date if you believe the rejection was wrong; request it within 10 calendar days of the notice mailing date to maintain benefits at the current level.

The Complete Checklist

The Washington Financial Help for Kinship Caregivers guide includes a printable document checklist with every verification category, the primary and alternative documents for each, and a tracking column for recording what you've gathered — designed so you can work through it before opening Washington Connection.

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