Illinois All Kids Insurance for Grandparent Caregivers

All Kids Covers the Child — Your Income Stays Out of It

All Kids is Illinois's comprehensive health insurance program for children, covering medical, dental, vision, and mental health care for children up to 318% of the Federal Poverty Level. It is administered through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

The rule that matters for kinship caregivers: when a relative caregiver applies for Medicaid or All Kids for a child only, the caregiver's household income is excluded from the eligibility calculation. Only the child's independent income — if any — is evaluated.

This means a grandparent on Social Security or a working aunt can apply for All Kids for a grandchild or nephew without their own income disqualifying the child.

How to Apply Through the ABE Portal

The Application for Benefits Eligibility (ABE) portal at abe.illinois.gov is the centralized online platform for state assistance in Illinois. You can apply for All Kids, Medicaid, TANF, and SNAP through a single application.

You do not need formal legal custody to apply on behalf of a child. Complete the "Approved Representative" section inside the ABE application, or submit IDHS Form 3608 (Approved Representative Designation) separately. This lets you communicate with caseworkers, complete redeterminations, and manage the case.

Having a Short-Term Guardianship under 755 ILCS 5/11-5.4 strengthens the application because it formally documents your caregiving role, but it is not a prerequisite.

Other Benefits You Can Apply For at the Same Time

The ABE portal also handles:

• TANF Child-Only Cash Grant — a monthly cash grant available to specified relative caregivers (grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings) raising a child without parents in the home. The grant is based solely on the child's financial need — the caregiver's income and assets are exempt.
• SNAP (food stamps) — you can include the child in your SNAP household if you purchase and prepare food together. Children receiving TANF or SNAP are automatically eligible for free school meals through direct certification, with no separate income verification needed.

Keep an Eye on SNAP Work Requirements

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law 119-21, signed July 4, 2025) expanded the SNAP ABAWD time limit to otherwise nonexempt adults ages 18 through 64. People subject to the time limit must work or participate in qualifying activities for 80 hours per month to remain eligible beyond the time limit.

But the law explicitly exempts people responsible for a dependent child aged 13 or under. If you are a kinship caregiver raising a young child, you qualify for this exemption. Make sure your household composition is accurately reported to IDHS so the exemption is applied correctly.

Medicaid Redeterminations Coming in 2027

Starting January 2027, states must conduct Medicaid eligibility redeterminations every six months for most adults eligible under Medicaid expansion. Federal community-engagement requirements for most nonpregnant adults ages 19 to 64 in the adult Medicaid group are also phasing in. Exemptions include parents, guardians, caretaker relatives, or family caregivers of a dependent child age 13 or younger or a disabled person.

Keep your ABE account updated and respond to redetermination notices promptly. A child's coverage follows its own renewal schedule; missing a renewal can interrupt coverage even when the child remains eligible.

For a guide that connects the benefits application to the rest of the consent process — school enrollment, medical authority, and document tracking — the Illinois School and Medical Consent toolkit puts it all in one workflow.

See more Illinois guides →