Ohio Informal Kinship Care: Benefits You Can Get Without a Court Order

You Don't Need a Court Order to Get Help

The majority of kinship placements in Ohio are informal. A grandparent takes in a grandchild after a parent enters treatment. An aunt picks up the kids when their father is arrested. An older sibling steps in while a parent is hospitalized. There's no court order, no agency involvement — just a child who needs a home and a relative who provides one.

If that's your situation, you're still eligible for more financial help than you probably think. Here's what you can access without ever going to court.

OWF Child-Only Cash — $382 a Month

Ohio Works First pays a monthly cash grant based solely on the child's income. Your pension, Social Security, wages, and savings are excluded from the calculation. For one child with no income of their own, the full $382 a month is paid.

You apply at your county CDJFS office using Form JFS 07200. Bring the child's birth certificate, Social Security card, and proof the child lives with you. School enrollment records, a medical record with your address, or a landlord letter all work. You don't need a custody order or a POA, though having one makes the paperwork smoother.

SNAP and Medicaid

SNAP food benefits evaluate the whole household, but Ohio's categorical eligibility sets the gross income limit at 200% FPL — generous enough for most kinship families. Apply on the same JFS 07200 form.

Healthy Start Medicaid follows MAGI household rules. If you don't claim the child as a tax dependent, your income is excluded and the child's own income (if any) is assessed against the child coverage limits. A child with no income meets the income test, though other eligibility requirements still apply. Medicaid covers medical, dental, vision, and behavioral health with 12 months of continuous eligibility.

PRC Emergency Grants

If you're dealing with immediate costs — a crib, winter clothes, rent arrears, a utility shutoff notice — your county's PRC program can help. These are one-time emergency grants, not ongoing benefits. Each county sets its own rules, but kinship families are a target population. Apply at the CDJFS.

OhioKAN: Your Free Navigator

OhioKAN (1-844-644-6526) serves both informal and formal kinship families. Their navigators help you sort through which programs you qualify for, connect you with local resources, and distribute direct flexible funds for immediate needs — bedding, clothing, utility relief. This is free and statewide.

What You Can't Access Without Court or Agency Involvement

Three programs are off-limits to informal caregivers:

• KSP ($10.20/day) — requires the child to be in a PCSA's custody
• KGAP (negotiated monthly payments + Medicaid) — requires licensed foster care and a PCSA custody episode
• KPI (incentive payments over 36 months) — requires a court order granting legal custody or guardianship

These programs exist for families in the child welfare system or those who've gone through court. If the child came to you without agency involvement, your financial path is OWF + SNAP + Medicaid + PRC + OhioKAN.

Getting School and Medical Authority

Informal caregivers face a practical barrier: enrolling the child in school and consenting to medical treatment. Without a court order, a Grandparent Power of Attorney (ORC 3109.52) or a Caretaker Authorization Affidavit (ORC 3109.65) gives you statutory authority for both.

These are different from a custody order. They don't change who has legal custody. They give you the authority to handle day-to-day school and medical decisions. The forms are free from the Ohio Supreme Court, must be notarized, and filed with the local juvenile court within five days.

For the full picture of what's available to informal kinship caregivers in Ohio — every program, what to bring, and how the pieces connect — the Ohio kinship financial help guide covers it all in one place.

See more Ohio guides →