Child Only TANF

As a grandparent who has raised grandchildren, I want to make sure that grandparents in that position get all the help that they are able to get.  One thing that all states have in the United States is TANF.  There is a form of TANF called child only TANF.  No matter how much your income is if you are raising a relatives child and there is no parent in the home you can file for child only TANF and in all states, but four they will not count your income. You do not have to have guardianship or custody, you just have to prove you have the child.  You can also file for Medicaid for children and they will be covered and have insurance.  The amount of money you receive varies by state, in some states it is quite substantial, in others it is just a small amount.  However, anything helps.  They will try to go after the biological parents and get a child support order.  If domestic abuse is a problem, you need to let them know when you file for the child only TANF. Children will also be qualified for free lunch at school, just put your TANF number on the lunch form, not your income.  When you go to file for the TANF, do not put your income, only the child's income.  Sometimes you may go to social services and an ignorant worker will tell you there is no help out there.  If you have to keep talking until you find someone who knows what you are talking about do so or politely ask for the forms take them home and fill them out and just make sure you do not put your income and put child only at the top.  I do hope that someone who needs this information reads my blog.  Thanks for listening.

The School Tour

Well it was a chore getting back in to post.  This morning we went to the SAE school and did a walk and talk tour for our son, Caleb.  He is my little one that I rescued from foster care and we adopted.  No way was I letting a stranger adopt my grandchild.  He is almost 13 now and will be going into the 8th grade for the next school year.  He went to charter schools from kindergarten through fourth grade.  These were schools that I taught at and they were very good at promoting character and morals as well as academics.  When our charter was not renewed, he went to public school in fifth grade and it was fine.  The middle school he has been going to in sixth and seventh grade has been problematic for him.  He is in accelerated classes and those have mostly been ok as far as the bullying, but in the connections class such as PE and Theatre he has experienced extreme bullying.  Also, he is failing English/Language Arts because he teacher will not let him use the computer to do his writing.  He has issues with the small muscles in his hand, which is well documented.  However, in the 504 meeting they refused to put any supports in place officially.  The new school is a private school and his father and I believe it will be a wonderful fit for him.  They work with the individual child in a wonderful way.  We were very impressed.  He even gets to go to the school and shadow someone on his grade level to see how he likes it and if it is a good fit before it is officially accepted.  As these children grow we need look at everything we can to make sure their needs are met and they are in a place where they will thrive.

A little bit about me

I started raising two of my grandchildren over fourteen years ago and now have a thirteen year old son, whom I adopted.  He is my biological grandson.  Fortunately, my husband fell in love with him too, as they are not related by blood, but by love. I am not really sure how to get started with this, but my youngest daughter suggested it might be a good hobby for me. I was disabled this past year by a herniated disc and back surgery that left me with left foot drop and some other health problems. I can't get around much and have a lot of time on my hands these days. This is a big change for me.  I am used to being crazy busy.  The pain I have limits me from doing a lot of things I would like to do, even around the house.   I forgot to mention that I am an administrator for a Facebook site called Grandparents Raising Grandchildren and was an admin on the old Grandsplace web site.  One thing that I do know about is raising children and also the legal problems and the resources for grandparents who are raising their grandchildren.  From time I will be posting resources or even previewing products that would be helpful.  Not sure exactly yet where this blog is going, but I would like it to be a help to all grandparents, but especially those who are raising grandchildren without a parent in the home.  With or without a parent in the home raising our grandchildren can be an experience that is overwhelming at first;  especially if it happens because of difficult circumstances such as drug use or mental illness of the parent.  I will be telling more of my story about how my grandchildren came to live with me later. I am sure anyone who reads will have to listen to me reflecting on what happened and what I have learned over the years.  I think I will end this first post on that note and talk to you later.