Missouri TA Orientation and Required Documents for Kinship Caregivers

You submitted a Temporary Assistance application for your grandchild in Missouri. Weeks go by. You check myDSS and the status still says pending. The most likely reason: the mandatory TA Orientation has not been completed or recorded in the system.

This is the single biggest bottleneck in the TA application process for kinship caregivers, and it is entirely avoidable once you know it exists.

What the TA Orientation Is

After FSD receives your IM-1TA application (online or paper), they schedule a mandatory TA Orientation session. This is a one-time meeting — typically conducted by phone or in person at a local FSD Resource Center — where FSD explains program rules, reporting requirements, and your responsibilities as the benefit payee.

Until the orientation is completed and a "BC" completion code is entered into the FSD system, your application remains in pending status. The system literally will not advance the case.

How to Make Sure It Happens

FSD should contact you to schedule the orientation, but it does not always happen smoothly. If you have not heard anything about scheduling after submitting your application:

1. Call the FSD Call Center at 1-855-373-4636
2. Ask specifically about TA Orientation scheduling
3. Request they check whether a BC code has been entered for your case
4. If the orientation is scheduled, confirm the date and time — mark it on your calendar

After completing the orientation, log into myDSS and verify that your case status has changed from pending to processing. If it still shows pending a few days later, call back and ask about the BC code.

Non-Needy Caretaker-Relatives: What You Are Exempt From

The TA Orientation is required. As a non-needy caretaker-relative applying for a child-only grant, you are exempt from the work-related requirements below:

• Personal Responsibility Plan (PRP): adult TA recipients must develop and sign a PRP with goals for self-sufficiency. You do not.
• Missouri Work Assistance (MWA): adult recipients must register, complete MWA orientation, participate in job search, and meet work activity hours. You are exempt from these MWA requirements.
• Sanctions: adult non-compliance with work activities can trigger a 50% grant reduction and case closure. Your child-only grant cannot be sanctioned for your employment status.

Required Documents

FSD needs specific documentation before they can finalize the eligibility determination. Missing documents are the second most common cause of delays after the orientation issue.

For every TA application:

• Child's birth certificate (original or certified copy)
• Child's Social Security number or card
• Proof of relationship to the child (birth certificates showing the family connection — your child's birth certificate plus the grandchild's, for example)
• Proof the child lives in your home (school enrollment records, a utility bill with your address, a landlord statement, or FSD caseworker verification)

For income verification:

• Documentation of any income the child receives (child support payment records, Social Security benefit letters, bank statements showing deposits)
• Your own income documentation (for SNAP calculation, even though TA excludes it)

Additional helpful documents:

• Form FA-102 (Interview Summary) if completed during the application interview
• Bank statements for SNAP asset verification; child-only TA excludes the caregiver's income and resources and evaluates the child's own income and resources.
• Proof of identity for yourself (driver's license, state ID)
• Proof of Missouri residency (utility bill, lease agreement)

Upload or Bring Everything Early

myDSS allows document uploads — photos of certificates, scanned pay stubs, pictures of utility bills. Upload everything as soon as possible after submitting the application. Do not wait for FSD to request specific items.

If you prefer in-person submission, visit your local FSD Resource Center with originals. They will copy what they need and return your documents.

Processing Timeline

FSD has 45 calendar days from the date the signed application is received to complete the eligibility determination. If the 45-day period passes, contact FSD for a status update.

If your application has been pending for more than 45 days and you have completed the orientation and submitted all documents, request a status update through the FSD Call Center at 1-855-373-4636 or a local FSD Resource Center.

The Missouri Kinship Financial Help Guide includes a complete document checklist for every Missouri benefit program, an application tracking worksheet, and a step-by-step walkthrough of the TA process from submission to approval.

See more Missouri guides →