Virginia Kinship Caregiver Documents Needed for Benefits Applications

The Documents That Make or Break Your Application

Missing paperwork is the most common reason kinship benefit applications stall in Virginia. The local DSS may send a Pending Verification Notice (Form DSS-710) listing what it still needs and the response deadline. Missing that deadline can lead to a denial or closure, so read the notice promptly and follow its appeal instructions. If TANF child-only benefits close after an unreturned renewal packet, submit the completed verification packet within 30 days of the closure notice to request administrative reconsideration without reapplying.

Gathering everything before you apply saves weeks. Here is what you need, organized by what proves what.

Proving the Child's Identity

The primary document is a certified birth certificate. If the birth certificate is unavailable — and in kinship situations it often is, because the biological parent may have it or it may be lost — Virginia local departments accept these substitutes:

• Hospital Newborn Summary from the delivery hospital
• Signed baptismal or church records
• Official school records showing the child's full name and date of birth
• Medical records from a pediatrician or hospital

You also need the child's Social Security number, or proof that you have applied for one. If the child does not have a number yet, apply at your local Social Security office — you can submit the benefits application while the SSN is pending.

Proving Your Identity

A government-issued photo ID: driver's license, state ID card, or passport. This identifies you as the applicant filing on the child's behalf.

Proving the Relationship

This is where kinship applications differ from standard family applications. You need to establish that you are related to the child by blood, marriage, or adoption. The most straightforward way:

• The child's birth certificate (naming the parent) plus your own birth certificate or marriage certificate (connecting you to that parent)

For a grandparent: the child's birth certificate names your son or daughter as the parent, and your own birth certificate or the parent's birth certificate shows you as their parent. For an aunt or uncle: the chain runs through a shared parent with the child's biological parent.

If the connecting certificates are unavailable, you can use a combination of school records, medical records, church records, or a signed kinship affidavit that attests to the relationship.

Proving the Child Lives With You

The local DSS needs to verify that the child physically resides in your home in Virginia. Accepted documents include:

• School enrollment records showing your address
• Medical or dental records showing your address for the child
• A utility bill in your name at your address (establishing the household)
• A lease or mortgage statement
• A letter from the child's school confirming enrollment and your address

Proving Income (Whose Income Depends on the Program)

For TANF child-only: Only the child's income matters. If the child has no income, you still need to certify that. If the child receives child support or Social Security survivor benefits, bring documentation of those amounts.

For SNAP: Your income is counted. Bring your Social Security statement, pension statement, pay stubs, bank statements, or any other income documentation. Also bring proof of shelter costs (rent receipt, mortgage statement, property tax bill, utility bills) — these feed into deductions that reduce your countable income.

For FAMIS/Medicaid: If you do not claim the child as a tax dependent, only the child's income is evaluated. If you do claim them, bring your income documentation.

Documents You Do Not Need

You do not need a court custody order to apply for TANF child-only, SNAP, or FAMIS on behalf of a relative child. You do not need a guardianship decree. You do not need a Power of Attorney (though having one can help with medical consent and school enrollment, it is not required for benefit applications).

If a local DSS worker tells you that you need a custody order before applying, that is incorrect for child-only cases. Ask for a supervisor review.

Keeping a Record

Every interaction with the agency creates a paper trail that matters. Note the date you submitted each document, the program it was for, the confirmation number from CommonHelp (if you applied online), and the name of any caseworker you spoke with. If a document goes missing in the agency's system — which happens — your own records let you prove what you submitted and when.

The Virginia kinship financial help guide includes a document preparation checklist and an application tracking log designed for exactly this — keeping every submission organized across multiple programs and agencies.

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