I wish they made random drug testing a condition of getting and keeping welfare.

I agree with you sarabt. most of them wouldnt get it.

I think any benefits for the children should be automatically transferred to whoever has custody. Automatically. No questions, no application, no qualification.

These benefits were determined FOR THE CHILDREN, and just because someone has a half-decent job doesn't mean they can shoulder the burden of one, two, three, four new mouths to feed. Especially when it happens within a day or two, as is the case with many of us.

If the benefits have been granted for one year and the grandparents get the kids in month six, then the remaining six months should be transferred immediately to the grandparents, etc.

Sheesh. The government can't get anything right, can it?

Do you know if Foster Parents get all the benefits for the kids? I really dont know what we are going to do about child care. I have about a month before things fall apart for us. We dont want them to go to foster care but what is going to happen if we cant provide for them? I am really scared.

Yes my ex daughter in law is in jail and she still gets food stamps for the kids she doesn't have custody of. So she gives the food stamp card away and the pin # too. It should IMMEDIATELY go to whomever has physical custody, NO questions. And we will be taking on one of the girls this week.
We get by with only medical for grandson. If we adopt we loose that too. However if we had chosen the foster care route, we would get all benefits including day care. Then, when DSHS decides time for adoption, they pay for that and also you still get monthly $ plus medical etc til kids are 18, plus they get all the perks you hear about on radio etc for foster kids, like a night for family at the ball game, school supplies new coats, camping, concerts etc because you are foster. Go figure!! I don't care and I don't want it but it feels like we are invisible.
In our state,child care is based on CHILD's income and case worker is to let you know that when you fill out the app. Check on that.
All this stuff should be equal from state to state and transferable.
I think you will be okay. It doesn't really seem all that expensive except when they get to be teens.
There has to be some way to get day care covered. I would think your case worker would have some way for you to get that help.

What I don't understand is that if we did not take these kids and they went into states custody, the state would be footing the whole bill. I get $191 for two kids. Can't get day care or food stamps. I do get their medical which is great. But it would cost them $191 every 2 days to cover their overhead on supporting 2 kids. I aree with Sarabt also, drug testing should be mandatory. They also don't check on who is using the food stamp/cash cards. My dd and sil sold theirs everymonth for drugs. They gave the card and pin # to the dealer. No one ever questioned them when they used the card. This is where our taxpayer money goes?????

My husband's daughter gets food stamps, a living allowance, and free medical care.

We get squat.

I agree with balibird, though -- aside from furnishing and clothing them in the beginning, the only major increase in costs that we had was for food. Our grandchildren are very healthy, though, so that keeps co-pays and prescription costs down. And I did have coverage through my employer -- now I have COBRA for the next nine months.

After that, I plan to get a catastrophic-only policy and pay the rest out of pocket. After calculating it, we discovered that this approach would actually cost us less!!!

But the food bill did triple, at least.

Irritates me too, Although I make 43k a year, my budget was not set up for 500 a month daycare. I have mortgage and car payments. I make too much for food stamps or free daycare. However, he was in foster care for a year, and they get 341 a month plus free daycare, mediacaid, wic, and food stamps. I get 159 TANF, Medicaid and WIc.
If my daughter gets him back, she will get daycare, food stamps, medicaid, wic, and Oh yeah, she pays 28$ a month for a 2 bedroom apt. I am just glad she doesnt live with me.

I have recently been "temporarily" given my 8 mo granddaughter as well, so I can pay for her child care too. But if I "can't handle it", they will put her in foster.

My solution? I quit paying for all my unsecured debt. good news, my other daughter totalled our other car, so I don't have to make any more payments on that.

I honestly feel that grandparents pickeing up the pieces should not have to ruin their credit and lose cars in order to provide. If I made less, I would now have a choice of losing my house or keeping granddaughter. I wonder if I could sacrifice my grandson, by moving into the ghetto, in order to save a granddaughter from foster care. I know there are some who are faced with that decision. I am gratefull that I am not faced with that YET. a third would be out of the question.

We get medical, Wic for the baby and full daycare benefits so we feel pretty lucky on that end. We are also receiving child support from our son (garnishment) and our dil has to go to court this month regarding child support.

In TN they will put the kids in a seperate case and not count your income against it.I get afdc[$194 per month for 2,not much but it helps],medical and before I became disabled I got help with child care too.I would check with your case worker and see if they can do that where you are.

Because our gkids have emtional problems from their life with the bio's they are "special needs" children. That makes the need for daycare a larger need. Also because of my hubby and I have some health problems they see that we need help with child care. We still have to met a income guide line but it is weighted some what. Just remember that every cent that you get from welfare the parents will have to pay it back to the state and it doesn't matter how old the kids are even 30 they will be paying it back to the state.
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My older two are in a YMCA afterschool program. They have a grant program that can help with the cost of the program since we are grandparents. That has helped a lot. But summer program cost alot. I believe it was like 255.00 bucks per week for all three kids.

We cant afford to do that again. We lost our car andstill have the house gas shut off. We live from minute to minute. We I must say are happy and love each other. Our old van gets us to work and back and to school and home. Don't know for how long but it will all be good. What we do have is love and understanding and everyone knows we are each doing our best with what we have. And we laugh and giggle and smile everyday. And WE FEEL LOVE!!!

In our state you get medical, 215 per month and WIC and day care if you are working. You can also put them into things like Head Start.

It's pretty good as far as it goes. But I was living just above the level for all of the "helps" programs - like 200 a month, and now with JJ I still can't get any of them, like heat assistance, etc. So I have another person to care for on an income just above what the state considers poverty.

But that's OK, cuz when my unemployment runs out in 6 months I'll qualify for everything! :P

One great thing in our state is the health care. Because I have my gs, I can get the state health care and because they have a new program for people who don't have other health care I just pay a certain amount. I'm not sure what that is yet, I just applied.

Bad thing is I heard the program is already going to be discontinued in a year. Didn't even last 2 years.... :P

I suppose they are trying to force through the Federal Health care program, so they're putting us all out of health care again. *sigh*

i did not have time to read all the post but if the bio is still getting assistance cant you turn her in? if i was really struggling i would do it. right now i am ok so i could care less of the dd takes the stupid food stamps. and she did give me the information for the medical care so i have a good doctor for the baby. the day care is expensive but i've been told if i go to the cfs and tell them my sitsuation they would give me the letter for reduced child care.

I get nothing and probably will always get that. I agree, though, it stinks that we have to make due, but bios seem to get all the benefits.

Biodad is $31,000 in back child support for his oldest and will probably never pay a dime for our GD. If he would just give up parental rights then I wouldn't care if he didn't support her. I don't think he will do that, though, he is too macho.

We to get nothing, no medical or daycare subsidy. I agree the parents should have to go through some sort of screening process in order to receive benefits, they may be more apt to be such screw ups.