How to Claim the Delaware Kinship Care Program Before the 180-Day Deadline

The Delaware Kinship Care Program provides transition assistance for clothing, beds, safety items, school supplies, and other immediate needs when a child first moves into a relative's home. The maximum benefit is $500 per child per transition period per year. Services are limited by available funding and are not guaranteed. The eligibility criteria require that the child has lived in your home for no more than 180 days when you apply; they do not list an extension or hardship exception.

If the child moved into your home recently and you have not yet applied, counting the days matters more than reading this page. The Financial Help for Grandparents and Relatives Raising a Child in Delaware guide includes a date calculator and the full document checklist so you can file before the deadline passes.

What the Kinship Care Program Covers

The programme is administered jointly by the Division of Social Services (DSS) and the Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities (DSAAPD). It is specifically designed for the transition period when a child first arrives — the weeks when a grandparent or other relative absorbs sudden expenses for a child who may have arrived with nothing.

Eligible expenses include:

• Clothing and shoes
• Beds, bedding, and basic furniture for the child's room
• Safety items (car seats, safety gates, outlet covers)
• School supplies and enrollment-related costs
• Other immediate household items the child needs

The programme does not replace ongoing benefits like TANF or SNAP. It covers transition costs that pile up in the first weeks when a child enters the home. For grandparents on fixed incomes who are already stretching a retirement check, these transition costs can be overwhelming.

The Eligibility Requirements

Every requirement must be met at the time of application:

1. The child moved into your home within the past 180 days. This is counted from the date of physical transition — the day the child began living with you — not from the date you first contacted an agency. Documentation includes school enrollment records, medical visit records, or any contemporaneous evidence of when the child arrived.

2. Your household income is below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. Unlike child-only TANF (which excludes the caregiver's income), the Kinship Care Program counts the caregiver's income. For 2026, 200% FPL is $31,920 for a one-person household and $43,280 for a two-person household; add $11,360 for each additional person. For this program, household size is the caregiver, the caregiver's spouse, and the caregiver's children under 18. Do not count the child moving into the home or that child's siblings.

3. You are a relative within the fifth degree of kinship. This includes grandparents, aunts, uncles, great-aunts and great-uncles, first cousins, siblings, and other relatives within the statutory degree. The definition is broad enough to cover most family caregiving arrangements.

4. The child's parents do not reside in the home. The programme is designed for situations where the parent is absent — incarcerated, in treatment, hospitalised, deceased, or otherwise not living with the child. If a parent resides in the household, the placement does not qualify.

5. The child is under 18.

6. You live in Delaware.

7. The child is a U.S. citizen or lawfully admitted alien and needs one or more covered services.

How to Calculate Your 180-Day Deadline

Count 180 calendar days from the date the child physically moved into your home. If the child arrived on May 1, your deadline is October 28. If the child arrived on August 15, your deadline is February 11 of the following year.

Be precise about the start date. Agencies will look at documentation — school enrollment dates, medical records, utility or household records — to verify when the transition occurred. If you enrolled the child in school on June 3 but they actually moved in on May 20, the 180 days run from May 20.

If you are reading this and your deadline is within the next few weeks, gather the documents listed below and contact DSS immediately. For help with the Kinship Care Program, call 302-255-9040 or email [email protected]; you can also visit a Delaware State Service Center.

What Documents to Prepare

Under DSSM 6103, DSS documents household income, caregiver identity, the child's alien status, and the cost of needed services. Age, relationship, Delaware residency, time in the home, and the child's citizenship may be accepted by declaration.

Time in the caregiver's home (accepted by declaration):

• School enrollment records showing the date the child was registered at a new school or new address
• Medical or dental records showing the first visit under your care
• A letter from a social worker, pastor, or other community member who is aware of the placement
• Any written communication (text messages, emails) establishing when the child arrived

Relationship (accepted by declaration):

• Birth certificates showing the family connection (your birth certificate and the child's, or the parent's and the child's, depending on the relationship)
• Any court documents if they exist (not required, but supportive if available)

Proof of income:

• Recent Social Security award letter, pension statement, or pay stubs
• Tax return or SSA-1099 for the most recent year
• Any other income documentation DSS requests

The child's parents do not reside in the home:

• The child's parents cannot live in the caregiver's home. The regulation lists relationship among the factors that may be accepted by declaration; ask DSS what it needs to confirm this condition in your case.

Caregiver identity and the child's status:

• DSS lists the caregiver's identity and the child's alien status among the items to document. The child's citizenship may be accepted by declaration.

Cost of needed services:

• DSS may pay a vendor directly based on an estimate. For reimbursement, purchases must be made after you apply, approved in advance by DSS, and supported by purchase verification or receipts.

What to Do If You Are Close to the Deadline

If you are within 30 days of the 180-day mark:

1. Call DSS at 302-255-9040 or email [email protected] to ask about the Kinship Care Program application process and schedule an appointment if needed
2. Gather whatever documents you have — you do not need a perfect application to start the process. Getting the application filed before day 180 is what matters.
3. Apply for other programmes simultaneously — child-only TANF, Medicaid, and SNAP do not have a 180-day window. You can apply for all of them through the ASSIST portal at the same time. The Kinship Care Programme transition funds are in addition to these ongoing benefits.

What If You Already Missed the 180-Day Window?

If the child has been in your home for more than 180 days, the Kinship Care Programme transition funds are no longer available for this placement. This is disappointing, but it does not affect your eligibility for the other programmes:

• Child-only TANF: no time limit on when you can apply. The caregiver's income is excluded.
• Medicaid / Delaware Healthy Children Program: available regardless of how long the child has been in your care.
• SNAP: available at any time.
• Purchase of Care childcare: available when TANF applies to the child.
• School enrollment and medical affidavits: available at any time.

The transition funds are one component of the financial help available to kinship caregivers. Losing that window is costly, but it should not discourage you from applying for everything else the child is entitled to.

Who This Is For

• Relatives who have recently taken in a child and are within the 180-day window — you have a time-sensitive opportunity
• Caregivers who have heard about "kinship care assistance" but do not know about the deadline
• Anyone helping a grandparent or older relative navigate the first months of an unexpected placement
• Caregivers who want to apply for the Kinship Care Program and other benefits in the same trip to the State Service Center

Who This Is NOT For

• Caregivers who have had the child for more than 180 days — the transition funds are unavailable, but other programmes remain open (see the section above)
• Foster parents licensed through the Division of Family Services — DFS placements have their own funding structure
• Relatives in states other than Delaware — kinship care transition programmes vary significantly by state

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I apply for the Kinship Care Program online through ASSIST?

The Kinship Care Program is administered jointly by DSS and DSAAPD. DSS says you can apply online through ASSIST or submit a paper application. For help, call 302-255-9040 or email [email protected]; the ADRC helpline is 1-800-223-9074.

Does the 180-day clock reset if the child leaves and comes back?

The published eligibility criteria tie the 180-day window to the date the child first moved into the relative's home for the current placement. If a child returns to a parent and then comes back to the relative, this may constitute a new placement with a new 180-day window. Ask DSS directly about your specific situation.

Can I apply for the Kinship Care Program and child-only TANF at the same time?

Yes. These are separate programmes with separate eligibility rules. The Kinship Care Programme provides capped transition assistance. Child-only TANF provides ongoing monthly cash assistance. Applying for both at the same time is the recommended approach, as it handles immediate and ongoing needs in a single process.

What if my income is just above 200% of the Federal Poverty Level?

The 200% FPL threshold applies to the Kinship Care Programme specifically. Even if you are above this threshold for the transition funds, child-only TANF uses a different calculation that excludes your income entirely. Medicaid eligibility for the child has its own income rules. A rejection from the Kinship Care Programme does not affect your eligibility for other programmes.

Is there an appeal process if the Kinship Care Program application is denied?

Delaware provides fair hearing rights when a benefit application is denied. If your Kinship Care Programme application is denied and you believe the denial is incorrect — for example, if DSS miscalculated your 180-day window or income — you can request a hearing by emailing [email protected].

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