This section offers a VERY BRIEF overview and summary of benefits that may be available to your child or their caregiver.
This information is only a very general overview because each program has extensive guidelines and requirements that are often changing. You or your child’s caregiver should contact a legal services provider, DCF office, or the Social Security Administration to get a full list of requirements for eligibility, requirements for application, and an assessment of what services are available based on your child’s individual case. Additional benefits may be available that are not listed here, and not all of the benefits here may be available to your child.
To get more information about benefits, or to enter online applications for benefits, visit
Access Florida at www.myflorida.
com/accessflorida/.*
*This is a website administered by DCF.
Medical Benefits
Medicaid for Newborns
Your child may be eligible for Medicaid when he or she is born. Have the caregiver apply for Medicaid through DCF as soon as possible after the birth so that your baby can get access to medical care. Your child’s caregiver can apply online through Access Florida, or by calling (866) 762-2237.
Medicaid may pay retroactive benefits to cover the child’s medical bills up to the three months prior to the application, if the child qualifies for coverage. The DOC will not pay for your baby’s medical expenses. Medicaid does not reimburse (or pay back) for payments that have been made by a caregiver if the child is determined eligible at a later date.
Medicaid or KidCare for Children
Children who do not have Medicaid or KidCare coverage can have the caregiver file an application on behalf of the child. Unless the caregiver wants to receive benefits with the child, only the child’s income and/or assets are counted for the Medicaid. If the child is not eligible for Medicaid because of income or assets, the child may be eligible for health coverage through KidCare with a small monthly premium ($15-20).
If the child is already covered under the parents’ name, or another caregiver’s name, the application needs to be converted to the current caregiver’s name by calling DCF at 866-762-2237.
Automatic Qualification for Medicaid
If a child receives Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits due to a disability, the child automatically qualifies for Medicaid benefits through the Social Security Administration (SSA). If a caregiver and child qualifies for Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA) or if a child counts as a “household of one” for purposes of TCA, then the child should qualify for Medicaid. See below for more information on TCA.
public benefits for your child
Temporary Cash Assistance
The Temporary Cash Assistance program (TCA) provides cash assistance to families with children under 18 (or under 19 if a full time high school student) when the family meets the eligibility requirements. The program’s goals are to keep children in their homes while assisting families in becoming self-sufficient.
A child may qualify as a “household of one” in cases where they reside with a relative caregiver who opts to receive TCA for the child only. When a child is a “household of one,” the child qualifies for the cash assistance based on his or her own citizenship, assets, and needs.
Participation in the TCA program may require the relative caregiver to cooperate with officials seeking to enforce child support orders on the absent parents. This could mean that as a parent, you could be served with an order to pay child support. Even if you are unable to pay, your child will receive the TCA benefits. If you are ordered to pay support, you should refer to the section on Child Support in this Manual for important information.
Food Stamps
A household must apply together for food stamps. The basis of eligibility for food stamp benefits is the income, assets, and technical factors of all household members. If your child is being declared as part of a household for food stamp coverage, the caregiver and the child may have to participate with officials in child support enforcement actions. This could mean that as an absent parent, you could be served with an order to pay child Important Note:
You should understand that apply- ing for benefits brings your child and your child’s caregiver in contact with the state. Even though your child may be eligible for some benefits regardless of the care arrangement you have in place, your child’s care- giver should be prepared to answer questions and potentially open their home to inspection by the state. If you have a more formal arrange- ment in place, such as Temporary Legal Custody, there are fewer risks that your child and/or your child’s caregiver will be denied benefits.
Note to Undocumented Persons: Entering any governmental or state agency office, or applying for any government benefits may expose
public benefits for your child
Social Security Benefits
Certain federal benefits may be available to relative
caregivers who care for disabled children, or for children who have deceased parents that were receiving benefits. For more information on eligibility and other requirements, your child’s caregiver can visit their local Social Security Administration office. If you or your child’s caregiver has additional questions about Social Security benefits, you can contact your local office or the national office:
www.ssa.gov (800) 772-1213
Social Security Administration Office of Public Inquiries Windsor Park Building 6401 Security Blvd. Baltimore, MD 21235
Veterans’ Benefits
If you are a disabled veteran who is incarcerated, you may be able to assign some of your benefits to your child. This would not decrease the benefits you receive, but could allow your child an additional source of income. If your disability rating changes, it could have an effect on the benefits your child receives. For more information on Veterans Benefits, you may contact:
www.va.gov (800) 827-1000
Department of Veterans Affairs St. Petersburg Regional Office P.O. Box 1437