South Carolina Benefits Renewal Process for Kinship Caregivers

Renewal Schedules by Program

Every benefit program in South Carolina has its own renewal cycle. Missing a renewal deadline can cause benefits to close even when the child still qualifies.

Family Independence (TANF): Child-only cases undergo a full eligibility redetermination every 12 months. SCDSS sends a renewal notice before the review date. You must confirm that the child still lives with you, report any changes in the child's income, and verify the child's continued enrollment in school if applicable.

SNAP: SNAP recertification periods vary by household type but are typically 12 months for most households. The agency sends a recertification notice with a return deadline. Missing it closes the case, and you must reapply from scratch.

Medicaid (Partners for Healthy Children): Children receive 12 months of continuous eligibility. Income changes during those 12 months cannot disrupt coverage. At the end of the year, SCDHHS performs an automated database renewal — if the automated check confirms eligibility, the child is renewed without you doing anything. If it cannot confirm, you receive a pre-populated renewal form with a 30-day response window.

The 24-Month Limit Does Not Apply to Child-Only

Standard Family Independence carries a 24-month limit within any 120-month (10-year) period, plus the federal 60-month lifetime cap. Both of these limits apply only to adult recipients included in the assistance unit.

Child-only grants are exempt from both. As long as the child remains eligible and under age 18 (or 19 if enrolled full-time in secondary school), the benefit continues. There is no time clock running on the child's cash assistance.

If your case was set up as caregiver-included rather than child-only, you are subject to time limits. Review your case type with your caseworker.

Reporting Changes Between Renewals

For child-only TANF cases, report changes in household composition within 10 days of occurrence:

• The child moves out of your home
• A biological parent returns to the household

Check your case notice or ask SCDSS about the reporting deadlines for changes in the child's income or your address.

Protecting Medicaid During Transitions

If the child's TANF case closes — whether at renewal or because of a change — Medicaid does not automatically close with it. Partners for Healthy Children has its own eligibility rules and its own 12-month continuous period. A child losing TANF cash assistance can retain Medicaid coverage through the remainder of their current eligibility period.

If you transition the child from informal care to foster care or KinGAP, Medicaid transfers with the child. Foster care and KinGAP both carry automatic Medicaid eligibility.

Keeping Track of Deadlines

With multiple programs renewing on different schedules, a missed deadline is the most common reason kinship caregivers lose benefits they are still entitled to. The South Carolina Kinship Financial Help Guide includes an annual renewal calendar and tracking log to keep every deadline in one place.

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