Wyoming Financial Help for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

The Benefits Landscape for Wyoming Kinship Caregivers

When a grandchild moves in unexpectedly, the immediate costs — food, clothing, school supplies, a larger utility bill — land on a budget that was not designed for them. Wyoming has several programs that can help, but they are spread across different agencies with different rules, different applications, and different income tests. Here is the full picture.

Cash Assistance: POWER Caretaker Relative

The single most valuable program for most kinship families. Under the POWER Caretaker Relative track, DFS pays up to $259 per month for one eligible child. The grandparent's income — Social Security, pensions, wages, everything — is completely excluded. Only the child's own income counts.

You do not need a court order to apply. Informal care arrangements qualify as long as you can show the child lives with you and the parents are absent. Apply through your county DFS office, by mail, or by email to [email protected].

Food: SNAP

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides monthly food benefits loaded onto an EBT card. Unlike POWER, SNAP counts the entire household's income. But adding a grandchild increases your household size, which raises the income limits. Deductions for medical expenses (for household members 60+), shelter costs, and dependent care can significantly lower your countable income.

Children receiving SNAP are directly certified for free school meals.

Health Coverage: Medicaid and Kid Care CHIP

Children in kinship care can get health coverage through the Wyoming Department of Health. If a child does not file a federal tax return and is not claimed as a tax dependent by a parent, the Medicaid/CHIP non-filer household includes the child and any parents or siblings living with the child. A grandparent is not included solely because they share a home.

Child MAGI Medicaid covers children up to 133-154% FPL (depending on age) with zero cost-sharing. Kid Care CHIP covers up to 200% FPL with small copays on non-preventive services. Apply online at www.wesystem.wyo.gov or call 1-855-294-2127.

Childcare: ECARES Subsidy

If you are working or in training, the ECARES childcare subsidy helps pay for licensed childcare. The income limit for initial entry is 175% FPL. Retired grandparents who are not engaged in work or training generally do not meet the activity requirement, though protective services exceptions may apply.

Heating: LIEAP

The Low Income Energy Assistance Program pays a portion of winter heating costs directly to your utility provider. Application window: October 1 through April 30. Household income counts, but the thresholds are relatively generous for small households.

Respite and Support: Title III-E

In Johnson, Laramie, and Sheridan counties, relatives aged 55 or older who are raising a grandchild or related child aged 17 or younger may qualify for Older Relative Caregiver services through the National Family Caregiver Support Program. Services can include respite support and connections to support groups. These are non-cash services, but the relief they provide — especially respite for a senior caregiver — is significant.

Free Navigation Help

Kinship Connections of Wyoming — call 2-1-1 or visit kcowyo.org for benefit referrals, peer support, and community connections.

Legal Aid of Wyoming — call 1-877-432-9955 for free legal help with guardianship, custody, and benefit appeals.

Wyoming court self-help — standard guardianship forms and instructions at wyocourts.gov.

Putting It Together

The challenge is not that the programs do not exist — it is that each one has its own application, income rules, documentation requirements, and renewal cycle. A change reported to DFS does not automatically update the Department of Health. A Medicaid renewal operates on a different calendar than a SNAP recertification.

The Wyoming Kinship Financial Help Guide consolidates all of these programs into one document, with income worksheets, document checklists, and a renewal calendar showing exactly when each benefit comes up for review. It is designed for grandparents and relatives navigating multiple agencies at once.

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