Financial Help for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in Mississippi

When a grandchild lands in your home unexpectedly, the expenses arrive before any help does — diapers, school clothes, a doctor's visit, another mouth at every meal. Mississippi has several programs that can offset those costs, but the information is scattered across different agencies and none of them talk to each other. Here is a single-page map of what is available, who runs it, and which programs count your income.

Cash Assistance: Child-Only TANF

The Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) administers the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. When a child lives with a non-parent relative and no parent is in the home, the child can receive a "child-only" grant.

The defining feature: your income does not count. MDHS evaluates the child's own income and countable assets — typically child support or Social Security survivor benefits. The maximum is $112 per month for one eligible child with zero countable income. The $283 figure applies to a two-person full TANF unit, not a child-only unit with two children.

Child-only TANF has no work requirement for the caregiver and no 60-month lifetime limit. Apply online at access.ms.gov or at your county MDHS office. Read our detailed TANF walkthrough for the full application process.

Food Help: SNAP

SNAP (food stamps) uses different household rules than TANF. If you and the child buy and prepare food together, you file as one SNAP household, and your income does count. A two-person household can receive up to $562 per month in food benefits for FY 2027, depending on income and deductions.

Households with an elderly member (60+) get an uncapped shelter deduction, which often increases the benefit. Children already receiving TANF qualify for free school meals through direct certification — no separate lunch application needed.

Apply through the same Access MS portal or at the county office alongside your TANF application. More detail in our SNAP for kinship caregivers post.

Health Coverage: Medicaid and CHIP

The Mississippi Division of Medicaid covers children through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Limits depend on age and program: Medicaid limits are 194% of the federal poverty level (FPL) for infants, 143% for ages 1–5, and 133% for ages 6–18; the 209% FPL limit applies to targeted CHIP for ages 0–18. For most kinship children, the caregiver's income is excluded under MAGI rules — the same logic as child-only TANF.

You do not need legal guardianship or a court order to apply for a child's health coverage. Any relative acting as the primary caregiver can submit the application. Read the full Medicaid/CHIP walkthrough for eligibility limits by age.

Childcare: CCPP

The Child Care Payment Program (CCPP), run by the MDHS Division of Early Childhood Care and Development, provides childcare vouchers for working or student caregivers. Kinship children and children identified as needing protective services get priority placement on the CCPP waiting list.

Co-payments are calculated on a sliding scale based on your household income. Caregivers must typically work at least 25 hours per week or be enrolled in an approved education program. Details in our CCPP childcare post.

Foster Board Payments: Only Through MDCPS

Monthly foster board payments (about $685–$1,547 per month depending on the child's age and needs) are available only when the child is in formal state custody through the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services (MDCPS) and the caregiver holds a foster care license. Private guardianship through Chancery Court does not unlock these payments.

MDCPS issued a 2025 request for proposals to design a Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program (KinGAP) under federal law, but it is not yet operational. Until it launches, the only recurring state payment outside formal foster care is child-only TANF.

Caregiver Support: Title III-E

Relative caregivers aged 55 and older can access the National Family Caregiver Support Program (Title III-E) through Mississippi's Area Agencies on Aging. Services include respite care, support groups, and modest vouchers for essentials like diapers and clothing. Contact your regional Area Agency on Aging or call Catholic Charities' Kinship Navigator at 769-218-8436 for a referral.

How Your Legal Arrangement Affects Benefits

The money available to the child does not change much based on whether your arrangement is informal, backed by a power of attorney, or formalized through court guardianship — as long as no parent lives in the home. The main exception is foster board payments, which require formal MDCPS custody. Our benefits-without-custody post breaks down exactly what you can access at each legal level.

Getting Organized

Applying for multiple programs means assembling the same core documents — the child's birth certificate, proof of your relationship, proof of residence, and any income records for the child. Bringing everything to one MDHS visit lets you file for TANF, SNAP, and Medicaid at the same time.

Our Mississippi Kinship Financial Help guide consolidates every program into one printable binder with checklists, agency contacts, and a document tracker so nothing falls through the cracks.

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