Financial Help for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in Massachusetts

Five Programs Worth Knowing About

Massachusetts runs several programs that put money toward a child being raised by a grandparent or relative — and the most important thing to understand is that most of them look only at the child's income, not yours. A retired grandparent collecting Social Security and a pension can qualify for a child-only cash grant, health coverage for the grandchild, and a childcare voucher without those earnings ever entering the calculation.

Here is a quick map of what each program covers and which agency runs it:

• TAFDC child-only grant (Department of Transitional Assistance) — monthly cash for the child's basic needs. Your income and assets are completely excluded from the eligibility test.
• SNAP (also DTA) — food benefits loaded onto an EBT card. Unlike TAFDC, SNAP generally counts your income when you and the child are in the same SNAP household.
• MassHealth (Executive Office of Health and Human Services) — full medical, dental, and behavioral health coverage for the child. Eligibility is based on the child's income alone under the non-filer kinship exception.
• EEC childcare vouchers (Department of Early Education and Care) — childcare assistance through an EEC or DTA referral. An active DTA TAFDC referral gives kinship caregivers priority access on the statewide waitlist.
• Guardianship Assistance Program (Department of Children and Families) — a monthly subsidy pegged to foster care rates, available when a child exits DCF foster care into your legal guardianship.

The TAFDC Child-Only Grant Is the Starting Point

For most kinship families, the TAFDC child-only grant is the first program to apply for. You apply through DTA Connect (the online portal) or at a local DTA office, and you ask for benefits on behalf of the child only — not for yourself.

The key rules that matter for grandparents:

• Your personal income, retirement accounts, and home equity are not counted. Only the child's own income (like Social Security survivor benefits or child support payments) is evaluated.
• There is no work requirement and no time limit on child-only grants.
• The asset test was eliminated in 2021 — the child's savings account balance no longer disqualifies them.
• You do not need a court order or legal guardianship. Informal caregivers, guardians, and relatives with a Caregiver Authorization Affidavit all qualify.

One child receives roughly $488–$528 per month (the higher figure includes a $40 rent allowance). Two children receive about $613–$653.

SNAP Works Differently

SNAP generally counts your income when you and the child are in the same household under its purchase-and-prepare rules. A caregiver who is 60 or older or severely disabled may qualify for a separate household if they buy and prepare food separately and the other residents' gross income is no more than 165% of the federal poverty level.

This trips up a lot of families. The same grandparent who qualifies for a child-only cash grant with no income test may find the household's SNAP benefit is small or zero because their pension pushes the household over the income limit. It is still worth applying — DTA evaluates both programs on the same application — but the amounts work out differently.

MassHealth Does Not Count Your Income Either

MassHealth uses a special non-filer household rule for children living with non-parent relatives. The child's "household" for Medicaid purposes is just the child (and any siblings), with no income attributed from the grandparent. Children whose personal income is at or below 150% of the federal poverty level qualify for MassHealth Standard under this rule.

If you are already approved for TAFDC, MassHealth coverage for the child is automatic — no separate application needed.

What to Do First

Start with one DTA application. It covers TAFDC and SNAP at the same time. Bring the child's birth certificate, Social Security card, proof of your address, and something showing the child lives with you (a school emergency card, pediatrician record, or a signed Caregiver Authorization Affidavit all work).

DTA must respond within 30 days. If the child's household qualifies for expedited SNAP (very low income and assets), food benefits can arrive in as few as 7 days.

The complete Massachusetts kinship financial help guide walks through every program's application, the documents DTA and MassHealth actually accept, and how to handle a denial — with printable checklists and tracking worksheets you can take to the office.

See more Massachusetts guides →