Benefits Available for Informal Kinship Care in Georgia

Most grandparents and relatives raising children in Georgia do it informally — no court order, no DFCS involvement, just a family stepping up when a parent can't. The concern is that without legal paperwork, you can't access financial help. That's not true. Informal kinship caregivers in Georgia qualify for more programs than most people realize.

What "Informal" Means

Informal kinship care is a private arrangement between family members. The child lives with you, but no court has issued a custody or guardianship order, and DFCS hasn't placed the child in your home through the child welfare system. The parent may have asked you to take the child, or the parent may simply be absent.

Georgia law recognizes this arrangement. You don't need court papers to apply for most public benefit programs on behalf of the child.

Programs Available Without a Court Order

TANF Child-Only Cash Assistance

As a specified-degree relative (grandparent, aunt, uncle, adult sibling), you can apply for child-only TANF through Georgia Gateway. Your income isn't counted — DFCS evaluates only the child's income. The maximum grant is $155/month for one child, $235 for two.

You don't need a custody order, guardianship, or Power of Attorney. You do need to prove your relationship to the child (birth certificates establishing the family connection) and that the child lives with you.

GRG Monthly Subsidy

Low-income grandparents aged 60 or older who are the primary caretakers of their grandchildren may receive a $50-per-child monthly subsidy through the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren program. DFCS also describes a one-time crisis payment equal to three times the standard monthly TANF grant for the assistance unit. Contact DFCS to ask about eligibility.

SNAP (Food Assistance)

You can include the grandchild in your SNAP household if you purchase and prepare food together. SNAP is evaluated on a household basis, and including the child typically increases your benefit amount because the household size grows while the child's income (usually zero) doesn't add to the total. Households with a member aged 60+ benefit from waived gross income tests and expanded deductions.

Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids

A relative caregiver can apply for Medicaid or PeachCare for the child without any legal paperwork. Under MAGI household rules, if you don't claim the child as a tax dependent, your income is completely excluded — only the child's income counts. Most kinship children with no independent income qualify for free Medicaid coverage.

A relative standing in loco parentis can sign healthcare applications. You don't need a Power of Attorney to apply.

CAPS Childcare Subsidies

The CAPS program through DECAL provides subsidized childcare for eligible families. Kinship caregivers may qualify under the "Need to Protect" priority group when they take full-time care of a child due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment, even without formal DFCS foster custody. For qualifying protective cases, DECAL lead agencies may waive standard work/activity and family income eligibility limits on a case-by-case basis.

WIC

For children under five, WIC provides supplemental food and formula. You can apply at a county health department clinic as a caregiver standing in loco parentis. No court order or guardianship needed. Children enrolled in Medicaid or SNAP are adjunctively eligible for WIC.

School Meals and Summer EBT

Children receiving TANF or SNAP are directly certified for free school breakfast and lunch — no separate application required. Georgia also provides Summer EBT (SUN Bucks) benefits for eligible school-aged children during summer months.

What Informal Care Can't Access

The main financial programs closed to informal caregivers are foster care per diem and KinGAP guardianship assistance. These require the child to be in formal DFCS custody — meaning the state removed the child through Juvenile Court and placed the child with you. Private family arrangements don't qualify, regardless of the circumstances.

When to Consider Formalizing

While informal care qualifies for most benefits, obtaining a Power of Attorney under O.C.G.A. § 19-9-120 adds legal authority for school enrollment and medical consent, and makes some administrative processes smoother. It doesn't require court involvement — just a notarized form filed with probate court.

Our Georgia kinship financial help guide walks through each program's application process for informal caregivers, including exactly what documents you need and how to handle the common friction points — like proving relationship and residency without a court order.

See more Georgia guides →