Georgia KinGAP Eligibility: Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program Requirements

What KinGAP Is

The Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program (KinGAP) is Georgia's pathway for relative caregivers to take permanent legal guardianship of a child who was in state foster care — and keep receiving a monthly payment at the foster care rate. It replaces the per diem and DFCS supervision with a stable, long-term subsidy and the relative's full legal authority over the child.

KinGAP is funded through Title IV-E of the federal Social Security Act, which means it follows federal eligibility rules on top of Georgia-specific procedures.

The Eligibility Requirements

KinGAP has a strict sequential process. Every step must happen in order:

1. Formal DFCS removal and foster care placement. The child must have been formally removed from the parent's home by Juvenile Court order and placed in DFCS legal custody. Informal kinship arrangements — where the parent asked you to care for the child without court involvement — do not qualify.

2. Licensed or approved relative foster home. You must be a fully licensed or approved foster parent (or in the process of becoming one through the Enhanced Relative Rate pathway). The child must live in your licensed foster home.

3. Six consecutive months in placement. The child must reside in your home as a formal foster placement for at least six consecutive months while under DFCS supervision. Georgia includes this period in its KinGAP eligibility sequence.

4. Court determination against reunification and adoption. The Juvenile Court must find that returning the child to the birth parents is not in the child's best interest, and that adoption is not an appropriate permanency goal. KinGAP exists for situations where the child has a strong bond with the relative caregiver and permanency is best achieved through guardianship rather than adoption.

5. Signing the Subsidized Guardianship Agreement before the court order. This is the rule that trips up families most often. The written agreement between DFCS and the relative caregiver must be fully executed before the court finalizes the guardianship order. If the court grants guardianship first and the agreement has not been signed, the family permanently loses KinGAP eligibility. There is no retroactive fix.

Monthly Payment Rates

KinGAP payments match Georgia's basic foster care per diem rates, calculated by the child's age:

The latest published Georgia schedule located is effective July 1, 2025. Sibling groups of three or more receive an additional $3.44 per day per child ($103.20 for 30 days). Ask DFCS to confirm the rate in effect for your case.

The payment continues until the child turns 18. Extensions to age 21 are available only if the KinGAP agreement was executed after the child turned 16 and the young person is meeting educational or vocational requirements — completing high school, enrolled in post-secondary education, working at least 80 hours per month, or documented as medically unable to participate.

Medicaid Coverage Under KinGAP

Children covered by a Title IV-E KinGAP agreement are eligible for Medicaid in their state of residence. If you and the child move to another state, contact DFCS and the receiving state's Medicaid agency before the move to coordinate coverage and any required steps.

DFCS also reimburses nonrecurring legal and court costs directly associated with finalizing the guardianship, up to state statutory limits. Keep receipts for attorney fees, filing fees, and court-related expenses.

KinGAP vs. TANF: Why It Matters

For a relative raising a six-year-old, the difference between the two pathways is stark: $155 per month under TANF child-only versus $945.30 for a 30-day period under the latest published KinGAP rate schedule. But KinGAP is only available when DFCS is involved from the start. A grandparent who arranges things informally and later pursues guardianship through Probate Court does not qualify — there is no way to retroactively create the required foster care history.

This is why understanding the eligibility sequence matters early. If DFCS is offering to place the child with you, ask immediately about KinGAP and make sure the subsidized guardianship agreement is on the timeline before anyone schedules the court hearing.

The Georgia Kinship Financial Help Guide walks through the KinGAP process alongside every other financial program, with a decision tree that maps which benefits apply based on your specific care arrangement.

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