Reach Up Child Only Vermont Application: How to Apply for Your Grandchild's Cash Grant

What Reach Up Child Only Actually Is

Reach Up Child Only is Vermont's version of a child-only TANF cash grant. It pays a monthly benefit directly to a grandparent or relative who is raising someone else's child — and the critical detail is that your own income doesn't count. The state looks only at the child's resources when deciding eligibility.

The grant comes through the DCF Economic Services Division, and it exists specifically for situations where a non-parent caregiver (grandparent, aunt, uncle, sibling, cousin, or family friend) has taken on day-to-day care of a child whose legal parents aren't in the home.

Who Qualifies

Five conditions must all be true:

1. The child is under 18 (or still in high school full-time and expected to graduate before turning 19)
2. The child lives with a non-parent relative or family friend — not a legal, step, or adoptive parent
3. The child does not receive SSI (a sibling on SSI doesn't disqualify a non-SSI child)
4. The child is not in DCF foster care or receiving foster care maintenance payments
5. The child has little or no personal income — meaning things like child support or Social Security survivor benefits paid in the child's name

Your retirement pension, Social Security, wages, savings, and property are completely excluded from the eligibility test. Vermont also eliminated the asset limit for Reach Up in 2026, so neither your bank balance nor the child's disqualifies anyone.

The Application: Form 202CARE

The form you need is Form 202CARE — Caretaker Application for Child-Only Reach Up. This is different from the standard Form 202, which is for adults who want cash assistance for themselves. If you file Form 202 by mistake, ESD will count your income and apply work requirements.

You can submit Form 202CARE three ways:

• Online: download the fillable PDF from the DCF website, complete it, add electronic signatures on pages 11 and 12, and upload it through the DCF Document Uploader
• By phone: call the ESD Benefits Service Center at 1-800-479-6151 and ask them to mail you a paper copy
• In person: bring the completed form to your nearest DCF District Office

ESD must process your application within 30 days. Payments arrive on an EBT card or by direct deposit into your bank account.

Documents to Gather Before You Apply

Having everything ready before you submit prevents delays:

• Proof the child lives with you (school enrollment letter, pediatrician records showing your address, or a utility bill)
• The child's Social Security number and birth certificate
• Any documentation of child income (Social Security survivor benefit statements, child support records)
• If you have a court order (guardianship, conditional custody), bring a copy — though it is not required for informal arrangements

What About Child Support Cooperation?

When you apply for Reach Up Child Only, the child's child support rights are automatically assigned to the state. Vermont's Office of Child Support will try to locate the parents and collect support.

If pursuing child support would put you or the child in danger — domestic violence, abuse, or threats — you can request a Good Cause Waiver on Item 4 of Form 202CARE. ESD will pause enforcement while it reviews your evidence, which can include police reports, protective orders, or a personal statement.

When child support is collected, the state passes up to $100 per month directly to you on top of the Reach Up grant. The state keeps amounts above $100 to offset the grant cost.

No Work Requirements, No Time Limits

Unlike standard Reach Up, the Child-Only grant does not require you to do job searches, attend employment coaching, or meet work hour targets. There is no 60-month lifetime limit. The grant continues as long as the child meets the age and eligibility conditions.

Next Steps

If you're raising a grandchild or relative's child in Vermont and need help covering basic expenses, Reach Up Child Only is usually the first program to apply for — it opens the door to other benefits too, including childcare subsidy waivers.

Our Financial Help for Grandparents and Relatives Raising a Child in Vermont guide walks through the full application with a document checklist for every program, the exact income-counting rules, and a recertification calendar so nothing lapses.

See more Vermont guides →