Ohio Kinship Support Program (KSP): $10.20 a Day for Relatives Placed by Children Services

What KSP Is — and Who It's For

The Kinship Support Program is Ohio's short-term financial bridge for relatives who take in a child placed by a county Public Children Services Agency. If a caseworker removes a child from a parent and the child goes to live with you — grandparent, aunt, uncle, adult sibling, or other relative — KSP pays $10.20 per day per child while you get settled.

That works out to roughly $306 to $316 a month depending on the length of the month. Payments are issued automatically on the 10th of each month through the SACWIS system. You don't file a separate application. The PCSA's placement documentation triggers the payment.

The Key Requirement: Agency Placement

KSP is strictly for agency-involved placements. The child must be in the temporary, permanent, or emergency custody of a Public Children Services Agency, and placed in your home as an unlicensed relative.

If you're raising a grandchild informally — no court order, no agency involvement — KSP does not apply to you. Your path is the OWF child-only grant, SNAP, and Medicaid instead.

The Six-Month Clock

KSP runs for a maximum of 180 days per custody episode. The statutory purpose is to bridge the gap while you either pursue formal foster care licensing or the family works toward a permanent arrangement.

When the six months end, the financial path splits:

• You become a licensed relative foster parent — you transition to the full county foster care per diem rate, which is typically higher than KSP
• You obtain legal custody or guardianship — you may qualify for the Kinship Permanency Incentive (KPI), which provides structured payments over 36 months
• You sign a KGAP agreement before the court order — the Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program can pay a negotiated monthly amount up to the full foster care rate, plus ongoing Medicaid for the child

Some caregivers qualify for child-only OWF after KSP ends if they don't go the foster licensing route. The programs can serve as a relay, not an either-or.

What KSP Doesn't Come With

One thing that changed in late 2025: House Bill 96 eliminated formal state hearing rights for KSP. If you have a dispute about your KSP payment — maybe it wasn't processed, or the amount seems wrong — you can't file an administrative hearing through the ODJFS Bureau of State Hearings the way you can for OWF or SNAP.

Your recourse is an informal administrative review with the placing PCSA. Ask your caseworker to escalate if something looks off.

Income Isn't Tested

Unlike many benefits programs, KSP has no income or asset test for the caregiver. Your earnings, savings, and retirement funds don't affect eligibility. The payment is an entitlement based on the child's placement status, not your financial situation.

The child's income isn't tested either. KSP is a flat daily rate per child, period.

Getting Oriented When a Child Is Placed

If a PCSA has just placed a child with you, the first few weeks are overwhelming. KSP payments start automatically, and the child qualifies for automatic Title IV-E or foster care Medicaid coverage during placement. You can also apply separately for SNAP food benefits and potentially WIC if the child is under five.

The Ohio kinship financial help guide lays out every program available during an agency placement — what arrives automatically, what you need to apply for, and the documents each agency expects.

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