Who We Are News and Events Resources for Caregivers TANF Program Medicaid Social Security Help with Utility Bills Additional Info How to Support Us			Resources for Caregivers - TANF Program Family Assistance - (TANF) Program New York State's Temporary Assistance to Needy Families If you are a grandparent taking care of a grandchild and the grandchild's parent is not in the home, your grandchild may be eligible for Family Assistance if they have little or no income. Family Assistance is a government program, which provides cash assistance to low income families with children under the age of 18 (19 if in school). The Family Assistance Program replaced the Aid to Families with Dependant Children (AFDC) Program. The main difference between the Family Assistance Program and the Aid to Families with Dependent Children Program is that the Family Assistance Program has a five-year limit for receipt of assistance. The AFDC had no time limit. Under the Family Assistance Program, a household with an adult (for example a grandparent and a grandchild) who has received five years of assistance, is no longer available for cash assistance. New York State is to provide non-cash assistance, with vouchers, for things like rent and electricity. There is no legal relationship, like legal custody or legal guardianship, needed to apply for Family Assistance for grandchildren. Grandparents that apply for Family Assistance for their grandchildren only, are not subject to the Family Assistance Program’s five-year limit. That time limit only applies if grandparents and grandchildren are both receiving cash assistance under the Program. Grandchildren can receive cash under the program until they are 18 years old, or 19 if they are in school. In addition, if the grandchild is receiving cash assistance from the program, the grandchild is not requireed to work in order to receive the cash assistance. Grandparents who have legal custody or legal guardianship of the grandchildren can also apply for Family Assistance for their grandchildren. Their income and resources will not be counted when their grandchild’s eligibility for cash assistance is determined. The reason for this is that grandparents with legal custody or legal guardianship are not legally financially responsible for the support of their grandchildren. Even though legal custody or guardianship has been removed from the parent(s), they will remain legally financially responsible for their children’s support. Grandparents who have adopted their grandchildren are not eligible to receive Family Assistance for the child only. Grandparents who adopt their grandchildren become the child’s legal parents and, as such, are legally financially responsible for their support. As the child’s parent, the grandparents’ income and resources must be counted when they apply for any public benefit program for their grandchildren. Grandparents can appeal denials or reductions of Family Assistance benefits by carefully reading the notices and requesting a fair hearing. If benefits are reduced or terminated without a notice, grandparents have the right to request a fair hearing. Copyright © 2002 Brooklyn Grandparents' Coalition. All rights reserved.