Ohio Medicaid and CHIP for a Grandchild in Kinship Care

Your Grandchild May Qualify

Ohio's Healthy Start program — the state's combined Medicaid and CHIP coverage for children — has generous income thresholds. And here's the part that matters most for kinship families: if you don't claim the child as a tax dependent, your income isn't counted at all.

Under MAGI household rules, a child living with a relative who doesn't claim them as a dependent is treated as a one-person household. Only the child's own income is evaluated against the child coverage limits. A child with no income meets the income test, though other eligibility requirements still apply.

The thresholds:

• Healthy Start Medicaid (ages 0–18): income up to 156% FPL
• CHIP (ages 0–18, uninsured): income from 156% to 206% FPL

For a one-person child household with zero income, both programs are wide open.

What Healthy Start Covers

Healthy Start Medicaid provides comprehensive coverage: medical, dental, vision, and pediatric behavioral health. Services are delivered through one of Ohio's contracted managed care organizations — Buckeye Health Plan, CareSource, Molina Healthcare, or AmeriHealth Caritas.

The child gets 12 months of continuous eligibility. That means even if household circumstances change mid-year, coverage stays in place until the annual renewal date. At renewal, the county CDJFS first tries an automated check using electronic databases before sending you a renewal form.

Coverage is retroactive to the first day of the month you apply. If the child had medical expenses in the three months before you applied and would have been eligible, Ohio can cover those retroactively too.

How to Apply

You can apply for Healthy Start on the same form you use for OWF and SNAP — Form JFS 07200 or the dedicated Form ODM 07216. Submit it:

• Online at ssp.benefits.ohio.gov
• By phone at 1-844-640-6446
• In person or by mail to your county CDJFS

You'll need the child's birth certificate, Social Security number, proof of Ohio residency, and proof of your relationship to the child or your caregiving arrangement (court order, Caretaker Authorization Affidavit, or POA). The county has 45 calendar days to process a Medicaid application.

If the Child Is in Agency Custody

When a PCSA places a child with you during a child welfare case, the child qualifies for Title IV-E or foster care Medicaid automatically. You don't need to file a separate application for health coverage in that scenario — it comes with the placement.

Children who later move to KGAP also keep their Medicaid coverage as part of the KGAP agreement, all the way through age 18 (or 21 under KGAP C21).

The Tax Dependency Question

Whether you claim the child as a tax dependent affects the Medicaid calculation. If you do claim them, your income gets folded into the child's MAGI household — which could still be fine if your income is modest, but it changes the math.

If you don't claim them, the child stands alone as a household of one with zero income. For many kinship caregivers, especially those on Social Security or a pension, not claiming the child keeps Medicaid eligibility simple. But claiming the child may qualify you for the Child Tax Credit or Earned Income Tax Credit, which could be worth more. That's a tax question beyond the scope of health coverage — weigh it with your situation.

If You're Denied or Delayed

If the county doesn't process the application within 45 days, you can request an administrative escalation through the CDJFS supervisor or file a state hearing request. You have 90 calendar days from the date of any adverse notice to request a hearing through the ODJFS Bureau of State Hearings.

The Ohio kinship financial help guide covers Medicaid alongside every other kinship program and includes the documents you need for each application.

See more Ohio guides →