South Carolina DSS Form 3800 Instructions

What Form 3800 Is

DSS Form 3800 is the combined application for Family Independence (TANF) and SNAP (food stamps) in South Carolina. It is the form you file at your county SCDSS office — or online through benefits.sc.gov — to request cash assistance and food benefits for a child in your care.

For grandparents and relatives raising a child, how you complete this form determines whether the agency treats your application as a child-only grant (where your income is ignored) or a caregiver-included grant (where your income counts and subjects you to work requirements and time limits).

Filing Channels

You can submit Form 3800 three ways:

1. Online through the SC Benefits portal at benefits.sc.gov
2. In person at your local county SCDSS office
3. By mail or fax to the county office

Your application date is protected the moment SCDSS receives a form with at least your name, address, and signature. Even if the form is incomplete, that date is locked and benefits will backdate to it upon approval.

The Critical Section: Identifying the Assistance Unit

The most important decision on Form 3800 for relative caregivers is whether you include yourself in the assistance unit.

If you list yourself as a member of the benefit group alongside the child, SCDSS will count your income against the eligibility limits. For a three-person household, the gross income cap is $2,053 per month. Your Social Security, pension, and wages all count.

If you apply as a non-needy caretaker requesting a child-only grant, you are excluded from the assistance unit. Your income, savings, and retirement benefits are 100% disregarded. The eligibility test applies only to income in the child's own name.

When completing the household composition sections, make sure you are listed as the caregiver applying on behalf of the child — not as a member of the benefit group requesting assistance for yourself.

Documents to Attach

SCDSS requires verification supporting the child's eligibility:

• Child's identity: birth certificate, hospital records, baptismal certificate, or school enrollment records
• Social Security number: the child's SSN card or proof of application (Form SS-5)
• Residency: lease, utility bill, mortgage, or a written landlord statement showing the child lives in South Carolina
• Your relationship to the child: birth certificates showing the family link, a court custody or guardianship order, or an executed Power of Attorney under S.C. Code § 63-15-720. A written statement from a school, doctor, or clergy member confirming you care for the child also works.
• Child's finances: bank statements in the child's name and any benefit award letters (survivor benefits, SSI)

You do not need a court order to file. Informal caregivers qualify for child-only Family Independence.

After You Submit

SCDSS has 30 calendar days to process a standard TANF application. An intake interview — in person or by phone — is required before authorization. Keep a copy of everything you submit and note the date, the office, and the name of anyone you speak with. If your application is denied, you have 60 days to request a fair hearing.

Common Mistakes

The biggest error is entering your own income in the child's income fields. Under child-only rules, only the child's personal income matters. If the caseworker asks about your retirement benefits during a child-only intake, point to the TANF Policy Manual Volume 65 provisions on non-needy caretaker grants.

Another common issue: not filing the form at all because you assume a court order is required first. It is not. A completed Form 3800 with proof of residency and your relationship to the child is enough to apply.

What Comes Next

Form 3800 also covers SNAP, but the household rules for food assistance differ from TANF. Under SNAP, if you purchase and prepare food together with the child, you form one household and your income counts. The South Carolina Kinship Financial Help Guide explains both programs side by side, with a document checklist and application tracking log so nothing falls through the cracks.

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