North Carolina Financial Help for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Every Program in One Place

The Programs You Should Know About

If you're a grandparent raising a grandchild in North Carolina, there's money the child may be entitled to that you might not know exists — and your own income often doesn't affect whether the child qualifies. Here's a plain-language overview of every major program, what it pays, and who handles it.

Work First Child-Only Cash Grant

This is North Carolina's TANF cash assistance, and the child-only version is built for kinship caregivers. When you apply as a non-needy caretaker relative, DSS considers the child's income and countable resources — not yours. Your pension, Social Security, savings, and wages are completely excluded.

The grant pays up to $181/month for one child, $236 for two, and $272 for three. It's modest, but it comes with no work requirements and no time limits. The child stays eligible as long as they meet age and income rules. You apply through ePASS (epass.nc.gov) or at your county DSS office.

Medicaid for the Child

When the caregiver does not claim a child as a tax dependent, NC Medicaid evaluates the child under MAGI rules using the child's own income. DSS compares that income with the age-specific limit. Coverage includes doctor visits, dental, vision, behavioral health, prescriptions, and transportation to appointments under the federal EPSDT mandate. Children in foster care or kinship care with child welfare involvement are auto-enrolled in the Children and Families Specialty Plan with a dedicated care manager.

You don't need a court order or legal custody. Proof that the child lives with you and you're providing care is enough.

Food and Nutrition Services (SNAP)

Unlike the programs above, food stamps count your income. Everyone living together who buys and prepares food together is one household. For federal fiscal year 2027 (October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027), maximum monthly allotments are $306 for one person and $1,023 for a four-person household, depending on net income after deductions. Apply through the same ePASS application.

Guardianship Assistance Program (GAP)

GAP is the big-dollar program: its standard monthly board rates are $702–$810 depending on the child's age, plus Medicaid; the actual payment is negotiated with county DSS. But it requires a specific path — the child must have been in county DSS custody through a Chapter 7B juvenile proceeding, lived in your licensed kinship foster home for at least six consecutive months, and the GAP agreement must be fully signed before the court enters the guardianship order. If you're raising a grandchild informally, GAP isn't available.

Childcare Subsidies

North Carolina offers subsidized childcare (childcare vouchers) for low-income families and kinship caregivers. Eligibility is income-based and waitlists apply. Contact your local county DSS to apply. Children receiving Child Protective Services or Child Welfare Permanency Planning services, or children in DSS custody, receive priority enrollment and copayment waivers.

WIC

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides food packages, nutrition education, and breastfeeding support for children under 5. Children enrolled in NC Medicaid or FNS are adjunctively income-eligible for WIC. Apply at your local WIC clinic — this is separate from DSS.

Emergency and Seasonal Help

When a child arrives suddenly and you need help immediately, several programs can bridge the gap. The DSS Emergency Placement Fund (for children in DSS custody or at immediate risk of foster care entry) helps cover bedding, clothing, and essentials. LIEAP (Low Income Energy Assistance Program) provides seasonal heating assistance. The NC Crisis Intervention Program provides year-round help for households in a heating or cooling crisis. Local churches, Salvation Army chapters, and community action agencies sometimes offer one-time emergency grants for families in crisis.

Where to Start

The single most important first step: call NC 211 (or 1-888-892-1162) and apply through ePASS for Work First, Medicaid, and food stamps simultaneously. One application covers three programs, and the caseworker sorts out what the child qualifies for.

Our North Carolina Kinship Financial Help Guide walks through every program's eligibility rules, the exact documents your county DSS needs, the income rules that differ between programs, and how your care arrangement (informal, custody order, guardianship, or DSS placement) changes what's available. It's the complete roadmap for the child's benefits.

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