New Hampshire Kinship Care Financial Help for Grandparents

Financial Help for Relatives Raising a Child in New Hampshire

Taking in a grandchild, niece, or nephew overnight doesn't come with a budget increase. Suddenly you're buying school supplies, paying for pediatrician visits, and feeding another person — often on a fixed income. New Hampshire has several financial assistance programs available to kinship caregivers, and most don't require legal guardianship to access.

Family Assistance Program (FAP) for Caregiver Relatives

Financial Assistance to Needy Families (FANF) includes the Family Assistance Program (FAP), which may provide cash assistance for qualifying children cared for by relatives. When a nonparent caretaker relative is not included in the child's assistance group, DHHS rules say the caretaker's income is not counted as available to the child.

The child's assistance group must still meet FANF's category, income, and resource rules; having little or no income by itself does not establish eligibility.

Apply through NH EASY (nheasy.nh.gov), the state's online benefits portal, or in person at your regional DHHS district office. You don't need legal custody or guardianship to apply — you can apply as the child's caregiver.

Medicaid and CHIP for the Child

If the child you're caring for doesn't have health insurance, Children's Medicaid or Expanded Children's Medicaid can cover medical, dental, and mental health services. New Hampshire uses modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) household and income rules for these categories; resources are not counted, and the household is not necessarily just the child's own income.

Apply through NH EASY alongside the FANF application. If the child was previously covered under a parent's Medicaid, you may need to update the case to reflect the child's new living situation.

DCYF Kinship Support

If the child was placed with you through the Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), you may be able to become a licensed relative foster provider and receive foster-care reimbursement based on the child's age. A DCYF placement alone does not guarantee that reimbursement; ask the caseworker which support applies to your placement.

Not all kinship arrangements involve DCYF. If you took in the child informally (no caseworker, no court order from DCYF), the FANF and Medicaid routes above are your primary financial supports.

School Meal Programs

Children living with kinship caregivers can qualify for free or reduced-price school meals through the National School Lunch Program. New Hampshire's direct-certification guidance lists TANF assistance as a route to free meals; Medicaid alone does not directly certify children for school-meal benefits in New Hampshire. Ask the school whether it has matched the child's current benefit record.

If the child qualifies under McKinney-Vento (due to housing instability), they're categorically eligible for free meals without a separate application.

NH Kinship Navigator Program

The Kinship Navigator Program links caregivers with supports such as food assistance, gas to appointments, school supplies, respite care, and additional financial assistance. Navigators also help with benefit applications; ask your local navigator what is available. Dial 2-1-1 from any phone for resource referrals.

They can also help you understand which benefits you qualify for and guide you through the application process — useful when the NH EASY portal feels overwhelming.

Authorized Representative Status

For a benefits case, the casehead may designate an adult authorized representative in writing for specific tasks, including reporting changes and, if assigned, receiving the assistance payment, EBT card, and department mail. This is limited to the benefits case and does not confer guardianship. Ask DHHS who should be the casehead for the child's application.

What Financial Help Doesn't Cover

These programs cover basic needs — cash assistance, health insurance, food. They don't cover the legal costs of filing for guardianship (though fee waivers may be available for court filing fees) or the cost of a private attorney. For legal help, see 603 Legal Aid.

The Bigger Picture

Financial support is one piece of the kinship care puzzle. Our New Hampshire School and Medical Consent Guide covers the consent and enrollment side — the forms and processes you need to get the child into school, to the doctor, and through the administrative systems that don't always recognize a grandparent's authority without the right paperwork.

See more New Hampshire guides →