Kinship Foster Care Payments in West Virginia

Two Different Systems for Kinship Money

West Virginia runs two separate financial tracks for relatives raising children, and the difference between them is large enough to matter every month.

Informal kinship care — when a grandparent or relative takes in a child without child welfare involvement — qualifies for the WV WORKS child-only grant through the Bureau for Family Assistance. That pays $417/month for one child.

Kinship foster care — when BSS (Bureau for Social Services) places a child with a relative through the child welfare system — pays foster care maintenance rates. Those rates are significantly higher: $790/month for children under 6, $851/month for ages 6-12, and $942/month for ages 13-21 under current BSS policy.

The trade-off is that kinship foster care involves state oversight, home licensing requirements, and ongoing BSS caseworker involvement. Informal care leaves the family independent.

What the Kinship Check Is

The State Paid Kinship Care Placement Payment is available to kinship providers who are ineligible for Child Only TANF because they are not specified relatives, such as caregivers with no or a distant blood relationship to the child. The provider must first apply for Child Only TANF and be denied. The payment is limited to 90 days while the home study is completed, and its rate is consistent with Child Only TANF payments.

The child welfare worker arranges this payment for providers who meet those conditions while the home study is completed.

What Licensing Requires

To receive full foster care maintenance payments, the relative's home must be certified or approved as a kinship foster home by BSS. This involves:

• Background checks for all household members over 18
• A home study assessing safety and living conditions
• Completion of pre-service training
• Ongoing supervision by a BSS caseworker

The licensing process takes time, which is why the kinship check exists as a bridge payment.

What Foster Placement Unlocks

Beyond the higher monthly payment, a child placed through BSS foster care receives:

• Categorical Medicaid eligibility — automatic, no income test
• Title IV-E Guardianship Assistance Program (GAP) eligibility if the child and relative guardian meet the program's Title IV-E and permanency requirements
• Access to independent living services if the youth ages out

During a DoHS kinship/relative placement, the child welfare worker may direct the caregiver to apply for a WV WORKS child-only grant. A relative who receives TANF for the child cannot also receive another payment for that child's care during the same period. Full boarding care payments require foster-home certification.

Which Path Makes Sense

Most families do not choose between these paths. If BSS places a child with you through a CPS case, you are on the foster care track. If a grandchild shows up at your door because a parent can no longer care for them and no agency is involved, you are on the informal care track.

What you can do is understand what each path provides. A relative already receiving the $417/month child-only grant cannot simply switch to foster care rates — BSS placement and licensing must happen first. And a family with an existing BSS case cannot apply for WV WORKS as though the child welfare involvement does not exist.

The West Virginia Kinship Financial Help Guide breaks down exactly what each care arrangement qualifies for and which agency handles each program.

See more West Virginia guides →