NJ FamilyCare and Medicaid for a Grandchild You're Raising Without Custody

The child has no health insurance. The parent's coverage lapsed, or the parent never had any, or you simply can't get the insurance card because the parent is unreachable. You need the child to see a doctor, and someone said "apply for NJ FamilyCare." Here's how it works for kinship caregivers who don't have a custody order.

Child-Only Medicaid Coverage

NJ FamilyCare is New Jersey's Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program. Crucially for kinship caregivers, you can apply for child-only coverage — meaning the child gets enrolled based on the child's situation, not yours.

You do not need legal custody, guardianship, or a court order to apply for a child's health insurance through NJ FamilyCare. When you apply on the child's behalf, eligibility is evaluated based on the child's income, if any, not the caregiver's adult household income or assets.

If DCF or DCP&P placed the child with you, ask the caseworker which NJ FamilyCare application route applies. For informal kinship arrangements, use the standard process; the child's eligibility is based on the child's income, if any.

How to Apply

Online — apply for health coverage through NJ FamilyCare at njfamilycare.org. MyNJHelps.gov is used for SNAP, Work First NJ cash assistance and child care applications.

By phone — call NJ FamilyCare at 1-800-701-0710 to apply over the phone or request a paper application.

In person — your county Board of Social Services office accepts applications in person.

When applying as a kinship caregiver:

• List the child as a household member at your address
• Report the child's income (if any — usually none)
• You may need to explain the caregiving arrangement — a brief written statement about why the child lives with you
• Apply on the child's behalf as an authorized representative; ask NJ FamilyCare or your county office what authorization or documentation they require when a parent cannot sign
• If you have documentation of the parent's unavailability (incarceration letter, treatment admission), include it to help explain the caregiving arrangement

What NJ FamilyCare Covers

Once the child is enrolled, NJ FamilyCare covers:

• Doctor visits (primary care and specialists)
• Hospital care
• Dental and vision
• Prescriptions
• Mental health and behavioral health services
• Immunizations
• Lab work and diagnostic testing

This is comprehensive coverage. With an active NJ FamilyCare card, the medical consent barrier becomes about who can authorize treatment, not about payment. You still need a power of attorney or court order to consent — but at least the child isn't uninsured on top of everything else.

School Meals and Other Benefits

Children in kinship care may also qualify for free school meals. If the child is placed through DCF or qualifies under McKinney-Vento (housing instability), they're categorically eligible — no income application needed.

For informal kinship arrangements, you can submit a standard school meal application listing the child as a household member. Eligibility depends on household size and combined income.

The NJ Kinship Navigator program (call NJ 211 by dialing 2-1-1) can help you identify benefits the child may be eligible for — FamilyCare, SNAP, TANF child-only grants, clothing allowances, and emergency funds.

Health Insurance vs. Medical Consent

Getting the child insured is one problem. Getting authorization to use that insurance for medical decisions is a separate one.

NJ FamilyCare gives the child coverage. But when you walk into the pediatrician's office, the receptionist may still ask who has the legal authority to consent to treatment. That question is answered by:

• A parent-signed Power of Attorney (N.J.S.A. 3B:12-39) for routine care
• A court order (KLG or guardianship) for full authority
• The emergency consent doctrine for urgent situations

Our New Jersey School and Medical Consent Guide walks through both the insurance and consent sides — so you can get the child covered and get the paperwork that lets a doctor actually see them.

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