Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

How can they cope with the financial demands?   When many people hear the word “parents,” they picture a couple in their forties… not a couple in their seventies. The reality is that 6% of kids today live in households headed up by grandparents – a parenting situation that may lead to significant financial stress.1 How can grandparents protect their retirement savings? This should be a high priority, even if the children are old enough to work and earn some income for the household. Grandfamilies are frequently pressured to take on new and large debts. Dipping into your retirement savings or refinancing to pay for education costs, a new vehicle, chronic health care treatments, simply the cost of living – this should be avoided if at all possible, and with a little exploration, ways to lessen the monetary pinch may be found. Grandparents should feel no shame about asking for help. If the financial burden is too much, then it is time to explore means of assistance. The cost of rearing a child can be expensive, especially if one or both grandparents work and daycare is needed. A pre-retiree may end up quitting a job (losing household income and retirement savings potential) to care for children full-time. Can state or local agencies pick up some of the tab for child care? That may be a possibility. Free or subsidized child care services are available in many metro areas for grandfamilies in need (you may want to check out childcareaware.org for some resource links). Most states have subsidized guardianship programs offering assistance to grandparents providing a permanent home for grandchildren; the American Bar Association (abanet.org) has information on such resources. Grandfamilies may be eligible for the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which may provide benefits in cash (typically around $150 per month, but every dollar helps), paid child care, Medicaid, money for clothes, and more depending on the state of residence. Even in higher-earning households, a grandparent can still apply for a child-only TANF grant, which takes just the child’s income into account (some minor children do receive Social Security income).1,2 Is there any way to lessen legal fees? LawHelp.org is a worthwhile national link to low-cost or even free sources of legal aid services. (Some custody situations may require only paperwork that can be reviewed by a lawyer at minor expense.)2 Social Security might be able to help. If a grandchild has at least one parent who has died, become disabled, or retired, then that grandchild may be eligible for Social Security benefits. He or she may also be eligible if a caregiving grandparent retires, dies, or is rendered disabled.2  Medicaid coverage for a grandchild may be possibility. A caregiver (read: grandparent) can apply for it on a child’s behalf if the child resides with a non-parent family member. See cms.gov for more.2 What if you can’t afford private health insurance but make too much for Medicaid? Visit insurekidsnow.org, the website of the federal Children’s Health Insurance […]

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