Financial Help for Louisiana Grandparents on a Fixed Income Raising a Grandchild

Raising a grandchild on a Social Security check or a pension means every unexpected expense — school uniforms, doctor visits, diapers — hits harder than it would for someone with a paycheck that can flex. Louisiana has several programs specifically designed for this situation, and most of them evaluate the child's eligibility separately from your retirement income.

Programs Where Your Income Does Not Count

Two of the biggest programs available to you deliberately ignore your personal income:

FITAP child-only grant. The Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program has a child-only track where only the child's income (survivor benefits, trust distributions, child support) is counted. Your Social Security, pension, or part-time earnings are not part of the calculation. Payments are $240 per month for one child, $361 for two, and $484 for three. There are no work requirements and no time limits on the child-only track. You do not need legal custody to apply.

Medicaid and LaCHIP. If you do not claim the child as a tax dependent, the child is evaluated as a separate tax household under MAGI rules. Only the child's individual income counts against the eligibility threshold — up to 217% FPL for LaCHIP (no premium) or up to 255% FPL for the LaCHIP Affordable Plan (small monthly premium). Most grandchildren in kinship care qualify regardless of what the grandparent earns.

KCSP and the 150% FPL Income Test

The Kinship Care Subsidy Program pays $450 per child per month — significantly more than FITAP. However, KCSP does count your household income. The threshold is 150% of the Federal Poverty Level for your family size.

For a grandparent living alone with one grandchild (two-person household), the March 2026 DCFS poverty guidelines set the monthly ceiling at $2,705. For three people, it is $3,415.

Here is why that matters for fixed-income caregivers: if your monthly Social Security benefit is $1,800 and you are raising one grandchild, your two-person household income of $1,800 falls well below the $2,705 limit. You would qualify for KCSP's $450 monthly payment.

KCSP does require legal custody — either a notarized Provisional Custody by Mandate or a court order. If you do not have custody yet, start with FITAP while you work on the legal documentation.

SNAP: Stretching the Grocery Budget

SNAP benefits help with food costs, and Louisiana uses expanded gross income limits of 200% FPL. For a two-person household, that is $3,394 per month.

One rule to know: if you buy and prepare food together with the grandchild (which is the normal scenario), the child is part of your SNAP household. Your Social Security income counts in the SNAP calculation — but so do your deductions. Grandparents age 60 and older get an uncapped excess shelter deduction (no $769 ceiling) and a standard medical deduction of $161 per month if out-of-pocket medical costs exceed $35.01. These deductions often bring net income well below the threshold and increase the monthly allotment.

KCSP and FITAP payments also count as unearned income for SNAP purposes. Even so, most fixed-income households raising grandchildren qualify.

Childcare: CCAP Subsidies

If you are still working part-time or attending a training program, the Child Care Assistance Program subsidizes daycare costs. CCAP uses 65% of the State Median Income as its ceiling and excludes child support and adoption subsidies from countable income.

Grandparents on fixed incomes may qualify if household income is at or below 65% of State Median Income and they participate in at least 20 hours per week of work, job training, or education; an active waitlist can affect access. CCAP pays the provider directly — you pay only a small copay based on your income tier.

Other Help Worth Knowing About

GOEA and Area Agencies on Aging. The Governor's Office of Elderly Affairs funds local support through nine regional Area Agencies on Aging. Services include respite care, support groups, emergency assistance, and help navigating benefits.

WIC. If the grandchild is under five, WIC provides targeted nutrition assistance. No legal custody required, and if the child already receives SNAP, FITAP, or Medicaid, WIC income eligibility is automatic.

SUN Bucks. Eligible school-aged children, generally ages 5–18, enrolled in SNAP, FITAP, KCSP, or income-based Medicaid usually receive a one-time $120 summer nutrition benefit automatically. Some children outside that age range may qualify through school-meal eligibility.

Putting the Pieces Together

The system is fragmented across DCFS, LDH, LDOE, and GOEA, and each agency has its own application. For a complete walkthrough of every program — what documents to gather, how the CAFÉ portal works, and which programs stack together — the Louisiana Financial Help for Kinship Caregivers guide organizes it into one reference.

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