Tennessee Relative Caregiver Program Stipend: How to Apply

What the RCP Stipend Is

Tennessee's Department of Children's Services (DCS) runs the Relative Caregiver Program through contracted agencies in 12 regions across all 95 counties. The program has two tiers — supportive services for any qualifying relative, and a monthly cash stipend for caregivers who meet stricter requirements.

The monthly stipend pays exactly 50% of the standard DCS foster care board rate. The amount varies by the child's age and is redetermined quarterly, with formal documentation submitted annually to DCS Central Office. Payments continue until the child turns 18.

Who Qualifies for the Monthly Stipend

The stipend has four non-negotiable prerequisites under T.C.A. § 37-2-422(c) and DCS Policy 16.14:

1. The child must not be in state foster care custody. If DCS has legal custody of the child, the caregiver receives foster care board payments instead, not the RCP stipend.
2. The caregiver must be 21 or older.
3. The caregiver must hold a formal court order awarding legal custody of the child. A Power of Attorney, verbal arrangement, or informal care does not qualify. The order must come from Juvenile, Circuit, Chancery, or Probate Court.
4. The caregiver must agree to cooperate with child support enforcement against the biological parents through the state IV-D agency.

Household income must be at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. Unlike Families First child-only grants, the RCP stipend does count the caregiver's income.

The caregiver must be related by blood, marriage, or adoption.

The Waiting List Reality

The RCP stipend is funded through capped state legislative appropriations, not an open-ended federal entitlement like TANF. When funding runs out in a region, eligible families go on a waitlist and are enrolled first-come, first-served as spots open. Some regions — Shelby County in particular — have historically maintained extended waitlists.

This is worth knowing before you invest time and legal fees in obtaining a court custody order solely for the stipend. You may qualify on paper and still wait months.

How to Apply

Contact your regional RCP agency directly — DCS contracts with a different organization in each service area. The statewide RCP referral line is 833-984-1498. A few of the regional contacts:

• Shelby County: UTHSC Center for Developmental Disabilities (901-448-3133)
• Davidson/Mid-Cumberland: Family & Children's Service (615-340-9725)
• Knox/East/Smoky Mountain: ChildHelp Tennessee (865-291-0289)
• Hamilton/Southeast: SETAAAD (1-866-735-8752)

The agency conducts an in-home visit and processes the intake in 14 to 30 days. You'll need to provide your court custody order, proof of relationship, income documentation, and the child's identifying documents.

The Supportive Services Tier (No Court Order Needed)

Even without a court custody order, you can access RCP supportive services — case management (1 to 6 months), support groups, parenting workshops, respite care, and one-time emergency financial aid for concrete needs like beds, clothing, school supplies, or utility arrears. Emergency aid requires household income at or below 200% FPL and that the family isn't already receiving another state kinship payment.

This tier is available to any relative with informal care, a Power of Attorney, or a court order. If you're not yet ready to pursue formal custody, these services are an immediate resource.

If You're Denied

Caregivers can appeal a denial, reduction, or termination of an RCP stipend by submitting a written appeal within 10 business days of written notice. Appeals go through the DCS Fair Hearing process — you can inspect your case file, submit documents, and present witnesses before an administrative law judge.

The Tennessee Kinship Financial Help Guide maps every program a relative caregiver can access based on their legal arrangement — from Families First child-only cash (no court order needed) through the RCP stipend (court order required) to Subsidized Permanent Guardianship. It includes a legal-arrangement matrix showing what each status unlocks and a notice-tracking worksheet so appeal deadlines don't slip past.

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