Oregon Foster Care Kinship Payments for Relative Caregivers

Two Paths, Two Payment Levels

When a relative raises a child in Oregon, the financial support depends almost entirely on how the child came to live with them. If ODHS Child Welfare placed the child — meaning the state removed the child from their parents and put them in your home — you can access foster care maintenance payments. If the child came through a private family arrangement, you're working with TANF, SNAP, and OHP instead.

The payment difference is substantial. Foster care maintenance rates are set by the child's age and needs, and they're typically higher than TANF child-only grants.

Becoming a Certified Relative Foster Parent

To receive foster care payments, ODHS requires you to become a certified (licensed) foster parent. Oregon has streamlined this process for relatives compared to non-relative foster parents, following federal Title IV-E rule changes that allow separate licensing standards for kin.

Certification involves:

• Background checks for all adults in the household
• A home study assessing safety, space, and stability
• Training requirements under ODHS's relative certification rules
• Health and safety standards for the home environment

The streamlined relative track means faster approval timelines. ODHS recognizes that when a child is already living with a grandparent or aunt, the priority is getting that home certified quickly rather than running a standard multi-month licensing process.

What Foster Care Pays

Oregon's foster care maintenance rates are structured by age:

• Ages 0–5: Baseline rate covering food, clothing, shelter, daily supervision, and personal incidentals
• Ages 6–12: Higher rate reflecting increased costs of older children
• Ages 13–18: Highest tier, accounting for teenager expenses

Exact dollar amounts are set by OAR Chapter 413 and adjusted periodically. Children with documented medical, developmental, or behavioral needs qualify for supplemental payments through the Child Assessment and Needs Tool (CANT), which can significantly increase the monthly total.

Qualified foster care maintenance payments are generally excluded from federal taxable income. For SNAP, treatment of foster care payments depends on whether the child is included in the SNAP benefit unit.

From Foster Care to Guardianship (GAP)

Many kinship foster placements lead to a permanent arrangement through the Guardianship Assistance Program (GAP). The pathway:

1. You serve as a certified relative foster parent for at least six consecutive months
2. ODHS determines that reunification with birth parents and adoption are both inappropriate
3. You and ODHS negotiate a GAP agreement — monthly payments up to the foster care rate, plus automatic OHP coverage
4. The GAP agreement is signed before the court finalizes your guardianship

The critical sequence: sign the agreement first, then finalize guardianship. If guardianship is finalized before the agreement is signed, the stated agreement-timing requirement is not met.

Kinship Care Without Foster Certification

If your arrangement is private — the child's parent brought them to you, or you stepped in during a family crisis without ODHS involvement — you're not in the foster care system and don't receive foster maintenance payments.

Your financial support comes from:

• TANF child-only grant: Up to $456/month for one child (your income excluded)
• SNAP: Food assistance based on household income
• OHP: Full medical coverage for the child
• ERDC: Childcare subsidy if you work or attend training

These programs don't require foster certification or child welfare involvement. They're available to any relative caregiver who can document that the child lives with them.

Can a Private Arrangement Become a Foster Placement?

In some cases, yes. If ODHS takes legal custody under a court order or voluntary placement agreement, it may place the child formally in your home even if they were already living with you informally. At that point, you enter the foster care system and can pursue certification and eventually GAP.

The caregiver cannot create foster-care eligibility solely by taking the child into private care: ODHS must take legal custody through the applicable court process or a voluntary placement agreement and make an approved placement. If you believe the child in your care needs this level of intervention, contact the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline at 1-855-503-7233 to make a report.

The Oregon Kinship Financial Help guide explains both the foster care path and the private arrangement path side by side, so you can see exactly which benefits apply to your situation.

See more Oregon guides →