What to Do When a Grandchild Moves In Suddenly in Pennsylvania: Emergency Benefits and First Steps

When a Child Arrives Without Warning

A phone call from CYS. A knock on the door at midnight. A parent who disappears. However it happens, you are suddenly responsible for a child you were not planning to raise — and the bills start immediately.

Food, diapers, formula, a car seat, a bed, school clothes. These costs land before any government check does. Pennsylvania has resources that can help, but nobody hands them to you at the door. You have to know where to look, and the first week matters more than you might think.

Week One: Immediate Needs

Emergency material goods. County Children and Youth Agencies (CCYAs) maintain discretionary emergency funds under 55 Pa. Code § 3140 to assist relative caregivers with immediate costs — cribs, beds, clothing, car seats, and other necessities — that can help prevent a child from entering formal foster care. Call your county CCYA and ask whether funds or supplies are available for your situation.

LIHEAP (heating assistance). If the child arrives during winter months, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program provides cash grants and crisis payments for heating bills. Applications go through the County Assistance Office or COMPASS.

Community Action Agencies. Local Community Action Agencies provide emergency utility, rent, and housing grants. Ask your local agency what support it offers.

Food banks and 211. Dial 211 for immediate referrals to local food banks, clothing closets, and emergency aid in your county. PA KinConnector (1-866-546-2111) also maintains referral lists for material goods, including backpacks and seasonal clothing drives.

Week One Through Two: Start the Applications

Do not wait until you have the perfect paperwork. Pennsylvania agencies expect kinship situations to be messy at the start.

Child-only TANF. Apply through COMPASS (compass.state.pa.us) or at your County Assistance Office using Form PA 600. As a non-needy caretaker-relative, your income is completely excluded — only the child's income (Social Security survivor benefits, child support) counts. The CAO must process the application within 30 days. Monthly grants range from $174 to $215 for one child depending on your county's FSA group.

SNAP. Apply at the same time. If your household income and liquid assets are extremely low, you may qualify for expedited SNAP — benefits within 5 calendar days. SNAP does count your household income (unlike TANF), but the additional deductions for a child in the home often push families into eligibility.

Medical Assistance or CHIP. A child placed with you can be enrolled in Medical Assistance or CHIP without a custody order. Under MAGI rules, the child is evaluated as a household of one — your income is excluded. Apply through COMPASS alongside TANF and SNAP.

Documents to Gather Early

You may not have everything on day one, and that is expected. But start collecting:

• The child's birth certificate — or a hospital birth record, school record, or baptismal certificate as temporary proof while official records are ordered
• Your ID — driver's license, state ID, or passport
• Proof of the kinship relationship — birth certificates linking you to the child through the parent, or a written statement under 55 Pa. Code § 127.21
• Proof the child lives with you — enroll the child in school and get a doctor appointment scheduled; both create documentation
• The child's Social Security number — if you do not have it, tell the CAO and ask what proof or follow-up it requires

If a requested document is missing, ask the CAO which alternative proof it will accept and note the due date in its verification request.

If CYS Made the Placement

If the County Children and Youth Agency placed the child with you, you may be eligible for foster care maintenance payments (if you become a licensed kinship foster parent) or eventually for Subsidized Permanent Legal Custodianship (SPLC) payments. These pay significantly more than child-only TANF, but they require formal involvement with the child welfare system.

The critical rule: if SPLC is a possibility, the subsidy agreement must be signed before a court awards legal custody. The order must not be finalized before the SPLC agreement is executed. Talk to your CYS caseworker or call PA KinConnector before making any custody moves.

The Caregiver Support Program

If you are 55 or older and are a blood, marriage, or adoptive relative sharing a home with a dependent child under 18, ask your local Area Agency on Aging about the Pennsylvania Caregiver Support Program. Reimbursement depends on household income and local funding; approved ongoing costs can be reimbursed up to $600 per month and home modifications or assistive devices up to $5,000 lifetime. Informal arrangements qualify; you do not need a court order. Contact your county's AAA to start the intake process.

Pulling It All Together

The first few weeks are overwhelming, and it helps to have everything in one place. The Pennsylvania Kinship Financial Help Guide maps every program the child may be eligible for, organized by what to apply for first, what documents each agency needs, and how the timelines overlap. It includes an Application Document Audit Checklist so you can see at a glance what you have and what you still need — before you sit down at the CAO.

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