Texas PMC Financial Assistance: The $500 Annual Reimbursement for Kinship Caregivers

What Happens Financially After PMC

When a family court in Texas awards Permanent Managing Conservatorship (PMC) to a relative caregiver, the DFPS case closes and the daily kinship reimbursement payments stop. For caregivers who went through the RODC program without completing foster home verification, the transition is abrupt — you go from receiving approximately $703.50 per month to a single annual check.

DFPS provides a Post-PMC Annual Reimbursement of $500 per child per year, payable for up to three years or until the child reaches age 18, whichever comes first. This is available to unverified kinship caregivers who received Permanent Managing Conservatorship at the end of a DFPS case.

Who Qualifies

The Post-PMC reimbursement is specifically for:

• Relatives who cared for a child placed by DFPS (the child was in state conservatorship)
• Who received RODC kinship reimbursement during the placement
• Who were granted PMC by the family court
• Who did not complete foster home verification before the PMC order

If you completed foster verification and signed a PCA agreement before the PMC order, you receive the larger Permanency Care Assistance payments instead — $400 to $545 per month. The $500 annual reimbursement is the fallback for caregivers who did not take the verified foster path.

How to Claim It

Ask DFPS whether you qualify when the PMC order is entered and the case closes. The reimbursement is claimed through DFPS, not through HHSC. If your case closed and you were not informed about this reimbursement, contact your former DFPS caseworker or the DFPS regional office that handled the case.

Keep your contact information updated with DFPS. If they cannot reach you, the reimbursement sits unclaimed.

Other Benefits That Continue After PMC

Losing the daily DFPS stipend does not mean losing everything. With PMC, you have full legal authority as the child's conservator, which opens access to every HHSC benefit:

Child-Only TANF: You can apply as a non-needy payee. Your income is excluded. The child can receive up to $132 per month (one child) with no lifetime time limit.

SNAP: Household rules generally count people who buy and prepare food together. HHSC requires a minor child and the adult exercising parental control over the child to be in the same SNAP household. Grandparents age 60 or older get expanded deductions.

Medicaid and CHIP: The child's eligibility is based on their own income as a single-person MAGI unit when you do not claim them as a tax dependent. Most children in kinship care qualify.

One-Time TANF for Relatives: If you have not already received it, you may qualify for the $1,000 OT-TANF payment if the child is certified for ongoing TANF and you are an eligible relative age 25 or older, with household income at or below 200% FPL and countable resources at or below $1,000.

TWC childcare subsidies: Working caregivers with PMC can apply for subsidized childcare through the Texas Workforce Commission.

Education benefits: Children who were previously in DFPS care and received PMC may qualify for free pre-K under Texas Education Code § 29.153 and higher education tuition waivers at Texas public colleges.

The Larger Point

The $500 annual reimbursement is modest, but it is not the whole picture. Kinship caregivers with PMC have access to the same HHSC benefits as any other relative caregiver, plus the legal authority that makes navigating schools, hospitals, and agencies straightforward.

Our Texas Kinship Financial Help Guide maps every program available after PMC, with application steps and a benefit tracking calendar to make sure nothing falls through the cracks during the transition.

See more Texas guides →