Utah FEP Child-Only Grant for Kinship Caregivers

You're feeding, housing, and clothing someone else's child, and your own budget wasn't built for it. If you're a grandparent or relative caregiver in Utah, there's a cash assistance program specifically designed for your situation — and it doesn't require you to meet work requirements or count your own income.

The Family Employment Program (FEP) child-only grant is Utah's version of TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) for children living with non-parent relatives. It's underused because most caregivers either don't know it exists or assume the application process is the same as regular welfare.

What the Child-Only Grant Is

Utah's FEP provides monthly cash payments to eligible families. When the child lives with a non-parent relative (grandparent, aunt, uncle, older sibling, or other family member) and the parent is absent from the household, the child can receive a "child-only" grant. The relative caregiver applies on behalf of the child, but the grant is based on the child's needs — not the caregiver's income or employment.

This distinction matters enormously. Regular FEP requires the adult in the household to participate in employment activities — job training, job search, community service. Child-only grants do not. Your income, your employment status, and your assets are not evaluated. The eligibility determination looks at whether the child is living with a qualified relative and whether the parent is absent.

Eligibility Requirements

The child qualifies for a child-only FEP grant when:

• The child lives with a relative who is not the child's biological or adoptive parent. Eligible relatives include grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, and sometimes first cousins or other relatives by blood or marriage.
• The parent is absent from the household. The parent doesn't live with you. The reason for absence can be incarceration, substance abuse treatment, abandonment, military deployment, death, or any other circumstance that leaves the child in your care.
• The child is a U.S. citizen or qualified non-citizen and resides in Utah.
• The child has a Social Security number (or has applied for one).

What's not evaluated: your income, your bank balance, your housing situation, whether you work, or whether you receive Social Security or a pension. The child-only grant is about the child's circumstances, not yours.

How Much the Grant Provides

FEP child-only grants are modest. For one child, the monthly payment is roughly $200-$300 depending on the child's age and any other income the child receives (such as Social Security survivor benefits). For two or more children in the same household, the grant increases but doesn't double — the per-child amount decreases as household size grows.

The grant won't cover a child's full living expenses, but it helps offset the cost of food, clothing, school supplies, and transportation that caregivers absorb. And it comes with an important bonus: children receiving FEP are automatically eligible for Utah Medicaid, which covers medical, dental, vision, and mental health care at no premium.

How to Apply

Applications go through the Utah Department of Workforce Services (DWS). You can apply:

Online: Through jobs.utah.gov — create an account, select "Apply for Assistance," and follow the FEP application pathway. The system asks whether the child lives with a non-parent relative, which routes you to the child-only track.

In person: At any DWS Employment Center. Bring the child's Social Security card, birth certificate, proof that the child lives with you (school enrollment records, a medical record showing your address, or a letter from the school), and any documentation of the parent's absence. Walk-in appointments are available but calling ahead reduces wait times.

By phone: Call 1-866-435-7414 to start the application over the phone.

Processing typically takes 30 to 45 days. Once approved, payments are deposited monthly onto a Horizon card (Utah's EBT debit card).

Medicaid for the Child

If the child doesn't already have health insurance, the FEP application also serves as a Medicaid application. Utah Medicaid covers:

• Primary care visits and specialist referrals
• Dental care (through CHIP or Medicaid dental)
• Vision exams and glasses
• Mental health and behavioral health services
• Prescriptions
• Emergency care and hospitalization

Even if the child isn't eligible for FEP (perhaps the parent is still in the household part-time), the child may independently qualify for Medicaid or CHIP based on household income. Apply through the same DWS portal or at healthcare.gov.

What the Grant Doesn't Cover

FEP child-only assistance is cash support for the child's basic needs. It does not:

• Give you legal authority over the child (you still need a POA or guardianship for school and medical consent)
• Pay for legal fees if you're pursuing guardianship
• Provide the kinship foster care stipend (that requires a formal DCFS placement)
• Cover child care costs directly (though you may be eligible for the separate Child Care Assistance program through DWS)

Connecting the Financial and Legal Pieces

Money and paperwork are separate tracks, but they intersect. The child-only FEP grant helps with daily expenses, and the receipt of public assistance can also support school fee waiver applications under Utah Administrative Code R277-407 — caregivers receiving FEP or SNAP can use the benefit letter as proof of eligibility.

For the legal side — getting the consent forms, school enrollment paperwork, and medical authorization sorted — our School and Medical Consent guide for Utah covers every step. The financial details beyond what FEP provides are covered in our financial help resources for Utah kinship caregivers.

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