II 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4489 

To provide greater support for grandfamilies and older caretaker relatives. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 23, 2022 

Mr. CASEY (for himself, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. BROWN, and Mrs. GILLIBRAND) 

introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 

Committee on Finance 

A BILL 

To provide greater support for grandfamilies and older 

caretaker relatives. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Grandfamilies Act of 

5 2022’’. 

6 SEC. 2. INCREASING ACCESS TO SOCIAL SECURITY BENE7 FITS FOR CHILDREN WHO LIVE WITH GRAND8 PARENTS OR OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title II of the Social Security Act 

10 (42 U.S.C. 401 et seq.) is amended— 


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1 (1) in section 202(d)— 

2 (A) in paragraph (1)(C), by inserting ‘‘ex3 cept as provided in paragraph (9),’’ before ‘‘was 

4 dependent’’; and 

5 (B) by amending paragraph (9) to read as 

6 follows: 

7 ‘‘(9)(A) In the case of a child who is the child of an 

8 individual under clause (3) of the first sentence of section 

9 216(e) and is not a child of such individual under clause 

10 (1) or (2) of such first sentence, the criteria specified in 

11 subparagraph (B) shall apply instead of the criteria speci12 fied in subparagraph (C) of paragraph (1). 

13 ‘‘(B) The criteria of this subparagraph are that— 

14 ‘‘(i) the child has been living with such indi15 vidual in the United States for a period of not less 

16 than 12 months; 

17 ‘‘(ii) the child has been receiving not less than 

1 18 ⁄2 of the child’s support from such individual for a 

19 period of not less than 12 months; and 

20 ‘‘(iii) the period during which the child was liv21 ing with such individual began before the child at22 tained age 18. 

23 ‘‘(C) In the case of a child who is less than 12 months 

24 old, such child shall be deemed to meet the requirements 

25 of subparagraph (B) if, on the date the child attains 1 


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1 year of age, such child has lived with such individual in 

the United States and received at least 1 2 ⁄2 of the child’s 

3 support from such individual for substantially all of the 

4 period which began on the date of such child’s birth.’’; 

5 and 

6 (2) in section 216(e), in the first sentence— 

7 (A) by striking ‘‘grandchild or 

8 stepgrandchild of an individual or his spouse’’ 

9 and inserting ‘‘grandchild, stepgrandchild, or 

10 other first-degree, second-degree, third-degree, 

11 fourth-degree, or fifth-degree relative of an indi12 vidual or the individual’s spouse’’; 

13 (B) by striking ‘‘was no natural or adop14 tive parent’’ and inserting ‘‘is no living natural 

15 or adoptive parent’’; 

16 (C) by striking ‘‘was under a disability’’ 

17 and inserting ‘‘is under a disability’’; 

18 (D) by striking ‘‘living at the time’’ and all 

19 that follows through ‘‘, or (B)’’ and inserting ‘‘, 

20 (B)’’; and 

21 (E) by inserting ‘‘, or (C) the person has 

22 been in the custody of such individual pursuant 

23 to a court order for a period of not less than 

24 12 months’’ before the first period. 


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1 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 202(d)(1) 

2 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402(d)(1)) is amend3 ed— 

4 (1) by striking ‘‘subparagraphs (A), (B), and 

5 (C)’’ and inserting ‘‘subparagraphs (A) and (B) and 

6 subparagraph (C) or paragraph (9) (as applicable)’’; 

7 and 

8 (2) by striking ‘‘subparagraphs (B) and (C)’’ 

9 and inserting ‘‘subparagraph (B) and subparagraph 

10 (C) or paragraph (9) (as applicable)’’. 

11 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

12 this section shall take effect on the first day of the first 

13 fiscal year that begins after the date of enactment of this 

14 Act. 

15 SEC. 3. ELIMINATING BARRIERS TO TANF FOR CHILDREN 

16 AND OLDER CARETAKER RELATIVES. 

17 (a) BROADENING GOOD CAUSE EXCEPTION TO RE18 QUIREMENT TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ON NONCUSTO19 DIAL PARENTS.—Section 454(29)(A)(i) of the Social Se20 curity Act (42 U.S.C. 654(29)(A)(i)) is amended by strik21 ing ‘‘best interests of the child’’ and inserting ‘‘best inter22 ests of the child, including, if enforcement procedures 

23 against a non-custodial parent of the child are initiated, 

24 whether such procedures will impede the parent’s ability 

25 to reunify with the child in the future’’. 


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1 (b) DISREGARD OF NONPARENT CARETAKER REL2 ATIVE INCOME, ASSETS, AND RESOURCES IN CHILD-ONLY

3 CASES.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(a) of the Social 

5 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 608(a)) is amended by add6 ing at the end the following new paragraph: 

7 ‘‘(13) DISREGARD OF INCOME, ASSETS, AND

8 RESOURCES FOR NONPARENT CARETAKER REL9 ATIVES IN CHILD-ONLY CASES.— 

10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—With respect to a 

11 minor child who does not reside in the same 

12 household as a parent of the child, a State to 

13 which a grant is made under section 403 shall 

14 not take into account the income, assets, or re15 sources of such child’s nonparent caretaker rel16 ative who is not seeking assistance under the 

17 State program funded under this part or any 

18 other State program funded with qualified 

19 State expenditures (as defined in section 

20 409(a)(7)(B)(i)) on their own behalf in deter21 mining whether the child is eligible for assist22 ance under any such program, or in deter23 mining the amount or types of such assistance 

24 to be provided to the child. 


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1 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—Subparagraph (A) 

2 shall not apply in the case of a State pro3 gram— 

4 ‘‘(i) that is operated specifically for 

5 children living with nonparent caretaker 

6 relatives; 

7 ‘‘(ii) that provides monthly financial 

8 assistance to a child living with a non9 parent caretaker relative in an amount 

10 that is greater than the amount of assist11 ance that the child would receive on the 

12 child’s own behalf under the State program 

13 funded under this part; 

14 ‘‘(iii) that is separate from the State 

15 program funded under this part; and 

16 ‘‘(iv) that is described in the State 

17 plan submitted under section 402.’’. 

18 (2) PENALTY.—Section 409(a) of the Social Se19 curity Act (42 U.S.C. 609(a)) is amended by adding 

20 at the end the following new paragraph: 

21 ‘‘(17) PENALTY FOR FAILURE TO DISREGARD

22 INCOME, ASSETS, AND RESOURCES OF NONPARENT

23 CARETAKER RELATIVE IN CHILD-ONLY CASES.—If 

24 the Secretary determines that a State to which a 

25 grant is made under section 403 in a fiscal year has 


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1 violated section 408(a)(13) during the fiscal year, 

2 the Secretary shall reduce the grant payable to the 

3 State under section 403(a)(1) for the immediately 

4 succeeding fiscal year by an amount equal to 3 per5 cent of the State family assistance grant.’’. 

6 (c) ELIMINATING 5-YEAR CAP ON ASSISTANCE IN

7 CHILD-ONLY CASES.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(a)(7) of the So9 cial Security Act (42 U.S.C. 608(a)(7)) is amended 

10 by adding at the end the following new subpara11 graph: 

12 ‘‘(H) NO LIMIT FOR CHILD-ONLY CASES.— 

13 A State shall not limit the number of months 

14 of assistance under the State program funded 

15 under this part or any other State program 

16 funded with qualified State expenditures (as de17 fined in section 409(a)(7)(B)(i)) for a family in 

18 which all adults in the family— 

19 ‘‘(i) are nonparent caretaker relatives 

20 of a child who does not reside in the same 

21 household of the parent of the child; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) do not receive assistance under 

23 the State program funded under this part 

24 or any other State program funded with 

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1 tion 409(a)(7)(B)(i)) on their own be2 half.’’. 

3 (2) PENALTY.—Section 409(a) of the Social Se4 curity Act (42 U.S.C. 609(a)), as previously amend5 ed by this section, is amended— 

6 (A) in paragraph (9), by inserting ‘‘(other 

7 than subparagraph (H))’’ after ‘‘section 

8 408(a)(7)’’; and 

9 (B) by adding at the end the following new 

10 paragraph: 

11 ‘‘(18) PENALTY FOR FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH

12 5-YEAR CAP EXEMPTIONS.—If the Secretary deter13 mines that a State to which a grant is made under 

14 section 403 in a fiscal year has violated subpara15 graph (H) of section 408(a)(7) during the fiscal 

16 year, the Secretary shall reduce the grant payable to 

17 the State under section 403(a)(1) for the imme18 diately succeeding fiscal year by an amount equal to 

19 3 percent of the State family assistance grant’’. 

20 (d) EXEMPTION FROM WORK REQUIREMENTS FOR

21 NONPARENT CARETAKER RELATIVES IN CHILD-ONLY

22 CASES.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 408 of the Social 

24 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 608) is amended by adding 

25 at the end the following new subsection: 


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1 ‘‘(h) STATE REQUIRED TO EXEMPT NONPARENT

2 CARETAKER RELATIVES FROM WORK PARTICIPATION IN

3 CHILD-ONLY CASES.—A State shall not require an indi4 vidual to engage in work if the individual— 

5 ‘‘(1) is the nonparent caretaker relative of a 

6 child who does not reside in the same household as 

7 a parent of the child; and 

8 ‘‘(2) resides in a household in which no adult 

9 receives assistance under the State program funded 

10 under this part or any other State program funded 

11 with qualified expenditures (as defined in section 

12 409(a)(7)(B)(i)) on their own behalf.’’. 

13 (2) PENALTY.—Section 409(a) of the Social Se14 curity Act (42 U.S.C. 609(a)), as previously amend15 ed by this section, is amended by adding at the end 

16 the following new paragraph: 

17 ‘‘(19) PENALTY FOR FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH

18 WORK PARTICIPATION EXEMPTIONS.—If the Sec19 retary determines that a State to which a grant is 

20 made under section 403 in a fiscal year has violated 

21 subsection (h) of section 408 during the fiscal year, 

22 the Secretary shall reduce the grant payable to the 

23 State under section 403(a)(1) for the immediately 

24 succeeding fiscal year by an amount equal to 3 per25 cent of the State family assistance grant.’’. 


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1 (e) ELIMINATING 5-YEAR CAP ON ASSISTANCE FOR

2 OLDER CARETAKER RELATIVES.— 

3 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(a)(7) of the So4 cial Security Act (42 U.S.C. 608(a)(7)), as amended 

5 by subsection (c)(1), is amended by adding at the 

6 end the following new subparagraph: 

7 ‘‘(I) NON-APPLICATION OF LIMIT TO

8 OLDER CARETAKER RELATIVES.— 

9 ‘‘(i) NO LIMIT FOR OLDER CARE10 TAKER RELATIVES.—Subparagraph (A) 

11 shall not apply and a State shall not limit 

12 the number of months of assistance under 

13 the State program funded under this part 

14 or any other State program funded with 

15 qualified State expenditures (as defined in 

16 section 409(a)(7)(B)(i)) based on receipt 

17 of such assistance by an individual who is 

18 an older caretaker relative (as defined for 

19 purposes of paragraph (14)). 

20 ‘‘(ii) DISREGARD OF MONTHS OF AS21 SISTANCE.—In determining the number of 

22 months for which a family that includes an 

23 adult who has received assistance under 

24 the State program funded under this part 

25 or any other State program funded with 


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1 qualified State expenditures (as defined in 

2 section 409(a)(7)(B)(i)), the State shall 

3 disregard any month for which such assist4 ance was provided with respect to the fam5 ily during which such adult was an older 

6 caretaker relative (as defined for purposes 

7 of paragraph (14)).’’. 

8 (2) PENALTY.—Section 409(a) of the Social Se9 curity Act (42 U.S.C. 609(a)), as previously amend10 ed by this section, is amended— 

11 (A) in paragraph (9), by inserting ‘‘or (I)’’ 

12 after ‘‘subparagraph (H)’’; and 

13 (B) in paragraph (18), by inserting ‘‘or 

14 (I)’’ after ‘‘subparagraph (H)’’. 

15 (f) EXEMPTION FROM WORK REQUIREMENTS FOR

16 OLDER CARETAKER RELATIVES.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 408 of the Social 

18 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 608), by subsection (d)(1), 

19 is amended by adding at the end the following new 

20 subsection: 

21 ‘‘(i) STATE REQUIRED TO EXEMPT OLDER CARE22 TAKER RELATIVES FROM WORK PARTICIPATION WHERE

23 CARETAKER RECEIVES ASSISTANCE.—A State shall not 

24 require an individual to engage in work, and, at the option 

25 of the State and on a case-by-case basis, may disregard 


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1 such individual in determining the participation rates 

2 under section 407(a), if the individual— 

3 ‘‘(1) is an older caretaker relative (as defined 

4 for purposes of subsection (a)(14)); and 

5 ‘‘(2) directly receives assistance on the individ6 ual’s own behalf under the State program funded 

7 under this part or any other State program funded 

8 with qualified expenditures (as defined in section 

9 409(a)(7)(B)(i)).’’. 

10 (2) PENALTY.—Paragraph (18) of section 

11 409(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

12 609(a)), as added by subsection (d)(2), is amended 

13 by inserting ‘‘or (i)’’ after ‘‘subsection (h)’’. 

14 (3) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—402(a)(1)(A) 

15 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 602(a)(1)(A)) 

16 is amended— 

17 (A) in clause (ii), by inserting ‘‘and subject 

18 to subsection (h) and (i) of section 408’’ before 

19 the period; and 

20 (B) in clause (iii), by inserting ‘‘and sub21 ject to subsection (h) and (i) of section 408’’ 

22 before the period. 

23 (g) DISREGARD OF INCOME, ASSETS, AND RE24 SOURCES FOR OLDER CARETAKER RELATIVES.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(a) of the Social 

2 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 608(a)), as previously 

3 amended by this section, is amended by adding at 

4 the end the following new paragraph: 

5 ‘‘(14) DISREGARD OF INCOME, ASSETS, AND

6 RESOURCES FOR OLDER CARETAKER RELATIVES.— 

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In determining the 

8 eligibility for, and amount of, assistance under 

9 the State program funded under this part or 

10 any other State program funded with qualified 

11 State expenditures (as defined in section 

12 409(a)(7)(B)(i)) for a family that includes an 

13 individual who is an older caretaker relative (as 

14 defined in subparagraph (B)), a State to which 

15 a grant is made under section 403 shall not 

16 take into account the income, assets, or re17 sources of that individual. 

18 ‘‘(B) DEFINITION.— 

19 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of 

20 this paragraph, the term ‘older caretaker 

21 relative’ means an individual who— 

22 ‘‘(I) subject to clause (ii), has at23 tained age 55; and 

24 ‘‘(II) is the primary caretaker for 

25 a minor child who— 


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1 ‘‘(aa) is living with the indi2 vidual; 

3 ‘‘(bb) does not have a parent 

4 living in the home; and 

5 ‘‘(cc) is a relative of the in6 dividual. 

7 ‘‘(ii) STATE OPTION TO MODIFY AGE

8 CRITERION.—At the option of a State, 

9 such term shall include an individual who 

10 has not attained age 55. 

11 ‘‘(iii) DETERMINATION TO BE MADE

12 BY STATE.—The determination of whether 

13 an individual meets the criteria described 

14 in clause (i)(II) shall be made by the 

15 State.’’. 

16 (2) PENALTY.—Section 409(a) of the Social Se17 curity Act (42 U.S.C. 609(a)), as previously amend18 ed by this section, is amended by adding at the end 

19 the following new paragraph: 

20 ‘‘(20) PENALTY FOR FAILURE TO DISREGARD

21 INCOME, ASSETS, AND RESOURCES FOR OLDER

22 CARETAKER RELATIVES.—If the Secretary deter23 mines that a State to which a grant is made under 

24 section 403 in a fiscal year has violated section 

25 408(a)(14) during the fiscal year, the Secretary 


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1 shall reduce the grant payable to the State under 

2 section 403(a)(1) for the immediately succeeding fis3 cal year by an amount equal to 3 percent of the 

4 State family assistance grant.’’. 

5 (h) EFFECTIVE DATE.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para7 graph (2), the amendments made by this section 

8 shall take effect on the first day of the first fiscal 

9 year that begins after the date of enactment of this 

10 Act. 

11 (2) DELAY PERMITTED.— 

12 (A) IN GENERAL.—Before the date de13 scribed in subparagraph (B), a State plan 

14 under title IV of the Social Security Act shall 

15 not be regarded as failing to comply with an ad16 ditional requirement imposed on the plan by 

17 this section if the Secretary of Health and 

18 Human Services determines that such addi19 tional requirement— 

20 (i) requires State legislation (other 

21 than legislation appropriating funds) in 

22 order for the plan to meet such additional 

23 requirement; or 

24 (ii) could not practicably be met by 

25 the plan before such date. 


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1 (B) DATE DESCRIBED.—For purposes of 

2 subparagraph (A), the date described in this 

3 subparagraph is, with respect to a State, the 

4 first day of the first calendar quarter beginning 

5 after the close of the first regular session of the 

6 State legislature that begins after the date of 

7 enactment of this section. For purposes of the 

8 previous sentence, in the case of a State that 

9 has a 2-year legislative session, each year of 

10 such session shall be deemed to be a separate 

11 regular session of the State legislature. 

12 SEC. 4. IMPROVING THE COLLECTION OF CHILD SUPPORT 

13 FOR FAMILIES RECEIVING TANF ASSISTANCE. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 454 of the Social Security 

15 Act (42 U.S.C. 654) is amended— 

16 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (30) through 

17 (34) as paragraphs (31) through (35), respectively; 

18 and 

19 (2) by inserting after paragraph (29) the fol20 lowing: 

21 ‘‘(30) include a description of— 

22 ‘‘(A) the methods used by the State to de23 termine whether an individual who has applied 

24 for or is receiving assistance under the State 

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1 gram under part E, the State program under 

2 title XIX, or the supplemental nutrition assist3 ance program, as defined under section 3(h) of 

4 the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 

5 2012(h)), is cooperating in good faith with the 

6 State in establishing paternity or in estab7 lishing, modifying, or enforcing a support order, 

8 as provided in paragraph (29); 

9 ‘‘(B) the State’s process for determining in 

10 a timely manner whether such an individual 

11 satisfies the cooperation requirement described 

12 in subparagraph (A) due to the individual’s 

13 participation in another State or Federal assist14 ance program; 

15 ‘‘(C) the good cause or other exceptions to 

16 the cooperation requirement that the State rec17 ognizes, including an explanation of any special 

18 requirements or considerations for an older rel19 ative caretaker seeking to apply for such an ex20 ception; and 

21 ‘‘(D) how the State makes clear to an indi22 vidual who has applied for or is receiving assist23 ance under a program referred to in subpara24 graph (A)— 


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1 ‘‘(i) what, if anything, the individual 

2 needs to do in order to satisfy the coopera3 tion requirement, including explaining to 

4 the individual how the individual might 

5 satisfy the requirement through participa6 tion in another State or Federal assistance 

7 program; 

8 ‘‘(ii) the effect on the individual’s eli9 gibility to receive assistance under a pro10 gram referred to in subparagraph (A), and 

11 under other State or Federal assistance 

12 programs, if the individual fails to satisfy 

13 the cooperation requirement; and 

14 ‘‘(iii) the good cause or other excep15 tions to the cooperation requirement for 

16 which the individual may be eligible, in17 cluding the standard of proof required to 

18 qualify for each exception and an expla19 nation of any special requirements or con20 siderations for older caretaker relatives;’’. 

21 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Title IV of the So22 cial Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) is amended— 

23 (1) in section 452(k)(1), by striking ‘‘section 

24 454(31)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 454(32)’’; and 


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1 (2) in section 454, in the matter following para2 graph (35) (as redesignated by subsection (a)) by 

3 striking ‘‘paragraph (33)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph 

4 (34)’’. 

5 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

6 this section shall take effect on the first day of the first 

7 fiscal year that begins after the date of enactment of this 

8 Act. 

9 SEC. 5. ENCOURAGING STATES TO ADOPT TEMPORARY 

10 GUARDIANSHIP LAWS. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 474(a)(7) of the Social 

12 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 674(a)(7)) is amended by insert13 ing ‘‘(or, in the case of a State that has in effect for the 

14 quarter a temporary guardianship law (as defined in sec15 tion 475(14)), 75 percent)’’ after ‘‘50 percent’’. 

16 (b) DEFINITION.—Section 475 of the Social Security 

17 Act (42 U.S.C. 675) is amended by adding at the end the 

18 following new paragraph: 

19 ‘‘(14)(A) The term ‘temporary guardianship law’ 

20 means a State law that allows for the establishment, by 

21 operation of such law and through an easily navigable sim22 ple civil process, of a relationship between a child and a 

23 nonparent caretaker who has taken responsibility for car24 ing for the child in the absence of the child’s parents in 

25 which some of the parental rights with respect to the child 


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1 are transferred to the caretaker for a specified period of 

2 time which may be extended or renewed, except that the 

3 total period of time for which such rights are transferred 

4 to the caretaker (including any extensions or renewals) 

5 shall not exceed a maximum period of time (as established 

6 by the State). 

7 ‘‘(B) Under the process established under a law de8 scribed in subparagraph (A)— 

9 ‘‘(i) court fees shall be waived or reduced; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) any court forms or filings related to the 

11 process are easy enough to understand that a non12 parent caretaker who has taken responsibility for 

13 caring for the child in the absence of the child’s par14 ents could reasonably complete such forms or filings 

15 without legal assistance.’’. 

16 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

17 this section shall take effect on the first day of the first 

18 fiscal year that begins after the date of enactment of this 

19 Act. 

20 SEC. 6. GUIDANCE. 

21 (a) GUIDANCE TO STATES ON ENSURING AWARE22 NESS OF CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM AMONG KINSHIP

23 CAREGIVERS.—Not later than the first day of the first fis24 cal year that begins after the date of enactment of this 

25 Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 


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1 issue guidance to States on ways to ensure that kinship 

2 caregivers who receive assistance under a State program 

3 funded under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act 

4 (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) or any other State program fund5 ed with qualified State expenditures (as defined in section 

6 409(a)(7)(B)(i) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 609(a)(7)(B)(i))) 

7 are— 

8 (1) provided with information about any appro9 priate assistance and services available to them 

10 through the child welfare system of the State, in11 cluding eligibility for foster care licensure and path12 ways to guardianship assistance programs or adop13 tion subsidies, and how to access such assistance 

14 and services; and 

15 (2) referred to any kinship navigator program 

16 operated by the State. 

17 (b) GUIDANCE ON COORDINATING ASSISTANCE FOR

18 CAREGIVERS.—Not later than the first day of the first fis19 cal year that begins after the date of enactment of this 

20 Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 

21 issue guidance for States identifying options for State pro22 grams, including programs funded under title IV of the 

23 Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), programs 

24 funded under the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 

25 3001 et seq.), and other relevant programs that are jointly 


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1 funded or administered by States and the Federal Govern2 ment, to collaborate, coordinate, and streamline outreach 

3 to, and processing of applications of assistance, for grand4 parents and older relative caregivers or kinship caregivers 

5 caring for grandchildren and other relative children resid6 ing with them. 

7 SEC. 7. STATE SUPPORT PLANS FOR GRANDPARENTS CAR8 ING FOR GRANDCHILDREN. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than the first day of the 

10 first fiscal year that begins after the date of enactment 

11 of this Act, from amounts appropriated to carry out this 

12 section, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 

13 award grants to States for purposes of developing State 

14 support plans for grandparents caring for grandchildren 

15 and other relatives caring for relative children. 

16 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—A State support plan for 

17 grandparents caring for grandchildren and other relatives 

18 caring for relative children that is funded by a grant under 

19 this section shall include the following: 

20 (1) An initial assessment of the state of grand21 parents caring for grandchildren and other relatives 

22 caring for relative children in the State. 

23 (2) A plan for how appropriate State agencies 

24 can collaborate in their efforts to provide financial 

25 support, housing services, and other services and 


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1 supports to grandparents caring for grandchildren 

2 and other relatives caring for relative children. 

3 (3) Steps that the State proposes to take over 

4 the next 5 years to ensure that grandparents caring 

5 for grandchildren and other relatives caring for rel6 ative children have necessary resources. 

7 (4) A plan to simplify or combine application 

8 requirements for State public assistance programs to 

9 reduce administrative burdens on recipients, with a 

10 focus on families consisting of grandparents or other 

11 older caretaker relatives raising relative children. 

12 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

13 are authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 to carry 

14 out this section. 

15 SEC. 8. GRANDFAMILIES AND KINSHIP FAMILIES ALLIANCE 

16 GRANTS. 

17 (a) PURPOSE.—The purposes of this section are— 

18 (1) to provide funds, through the Administra19 tion for Community Living, to strengthen and sup20 port grassroots efforts that address the unique needs 

21 of grandfamilies or kinship families, including those 

22 supporting children with disabilities or those navi23 gating through mental health concerns or trauma; 

24 and 


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1 (2) to establish cross-sector partnerships, in 

2 order to establish interagency collaborations and fos3 ter the integration of new or existing activities, de4 signed to increase the health, well-being, financial 

5 security, or legal standing of members of 

6 grandfamilies or kinship families. 

7 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

8 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis9 trator’’ means the Administrator of the Administra10 tion for Community Living. 

11 (2) CROSS-SECTOR.—The term ‘‘cross-sector’’, 

12 used with respect to an entity, means that members 

13 of the entity represent different service-related sec14 tors, such as aging, child welfare, income support, 

15 food and nutrition, legal, health and mental health, 

16 or education services. 

17 (3) CROSS-SECTOR PARTNERSHIP.—The term 

18 ‘‘cross-sector partnership’’ means an alliance, or 

19 other partnership, that— 

20 (A) is cross-sector in nature; and 

21 (B) serves a local (which may be regional) 

22 area. 

23 (4) EDUCATIONAL PROVIDER.—The term ‘‘edu24 cational provider’’ includes an institution of higher 

25 education, including such an institution that is a 


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1 junior or community college (as defined in section 

2 312(f) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

3 U.S.C. 1058(f))), and a secondary school (as defined 

4 in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary 

5 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)). 

6 (5) GRANDFAMILY OR KINSHIP FAMILY.—The 

7 term ‘‘grandfamily or kinship family’’ means a fam8 ily in which a child resides with and is being raised 

9 by a grandparent, another extended family member, 

10 or an adult with whom the child has a close family11 like relationship, such as a godparent or a close fam12 ily friend. 

13 (6) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

14 has the meaning given such term in section 4 of the 

15 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

16 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

17 (7) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

18 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

19 meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher 

20 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 

21 (8) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means any of 

22 the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Com23 monwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, 

24 the United States Virgin Islands, and the Common25 wealth of the Northern Marianas. 


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1 (c) GRANT PROGRAM.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, acting 

3 directly, or by contract with another entity, shall 

4 carry out a grant program. In carrying out the pro5 gram, the Administrator shall make grants, on a 

6 competitive basis, to eligible entities. The Adminis7 trator shall make the grants for periods of 5 years 

8 and in amounts of not less than $200,000 per year. 

9 (2) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to re10 ceive a grant under this section, an entity shall— 

11 (A) be a nonprofit organization, State or 

12 local agency (including an area agency on aging 

13 as defined in section 102 of the Older Ameri14 cans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3002)), an Indian 

15 Tribe, or an educational provider in 1 or more 

16 States; and 

17 (B) have a proven record of supporting 

18 members of grandfamilies or kinship families 

19 and convening key stakeholders to address an 

20 issue related to grandfamilies or kinship fami21 lies. 

22 (3) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a 

23 grant under this section, an entity shall submit an 

24 application with respect to a cross-sector partnership 

25 to the Administrator, at such time, in such manner, 


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1 and containing such information as the Adminis2 trator may require, including— 

3 (A) information that demonstrates the en4 tity’s capacity for establishing and sustaining 

5 cross-system partnerships aimed at improving 

6 the health, well-being, financial security, or 

7 legal standing of grandfamily or kinship family 

8 members; 

9 (B) information that demonstrates the en10 tity sought and included, or an assurance that 

11 the entity will seek and include, input from key 

12 stakeholders, including members of 

13 grandfamilies or kinship families, when estab14 lishing the partnership and identifying relevant 

15 activities; 

16 (C) a plan from the entity to incorporate 

17 at least 1 recommendation from the report to 

18 Congress, issued in November 2021, of the Ad19 visory Council to Support Grandparents Raising 

20 Grandchildren in the activities carried out 

21 under the grant; 

22 (D) information that demonstrates that 

23 the cross-sector partnership involved has devel24 oped or adopted, or an assurance that the part25 nership will develop or adopt, well-defined acVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:39 Jun 30, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00027 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4489.IS S4489

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1 tivities that are evidence-informed or trauma 

2 specific or trauma informed, to enhance the 

3 health, well-being, financial security, or legal 

4 standing of grandfamilies or kinship families; 

5 (E)(i) memoranda from at least 3 organi6 zations that are cross-sector stakeholders that 

7 indicate the organizations will participate in the 

8 cross-sector partnership; 

9 (ii) an assurance that at least 1 partici10 pating stakeholder organization, or the lead en11 tity itself, will be an institution of higher edu12 cation that provides not less than a 2-year pro13 gram that is acceptable for full credit toward a 

14 degree; and 

15 (iii) an assurance that the contributions of 

16 the participating stakeholder organizations will 

17 be reflected in the programmatic budget of the 

18 partnership; 

19 (F) information that demonstrates how the 

20 eligible entity will work with the cross-sector 

21 partnership to align existing (as of the date of 

22 submission of the application) activities to sup23 port members of grandfamilies or kinship fami24 lies; 


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1 (G) information that demonstrates how the 

2 eligible entity will identify, support, and provide 

3 stipends to volunteers to support the goals of 

4 the cross-sector partnership, which volunteers 

5 may include— 

6 (i) volunteers or participants of 

7 AmeriCorps programs under the National 

8 and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 

9 U.S.C. 12501 et seq.) or the Domestic Vol10 unteer Service Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 

11 4950 et seq.), the National Community 

12 Care Corps program supported by the Ad13 ministration for Community Living, or any 

14 other federally-funded program supporting 

15 volunteers in community service; 

16 (ii) community members; or 

17 (iii) students at an institution of high18 er education who are seeking internships 

19 or direct volunteer experiences; 

20 (H) information that identifies potential 

21 members of a cross-sector advisory council 

22 that— 

23 (i) will be comprised of at least 7 

24 members, and on which a majority of 

25 members are or have in the past been 


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1 members of grandfamilies or kinship fami2 lies; and 

3 (ii) will advise the partnership on ac4 tivities to be carried out under the grant; 

5 and 

6 (I) a plan developed by the eligible entity 

7 to work in partnership with technical resource 

8 centers supported by the Administration for 

9 Community Living on activities related to the 

10 objectives for the grant. 

11 (4) PREFERENCES.—In determining which enti12 ties shall receive grants under this section, the Ad13 ministrator shall give preference to entities that— 

14 (A) provide geographic diversity, including 

15 entities that serve rural localities; 

16 (B) support children who have been or17 phaned by the COVID–19 pandemic or opiate 

18 endemic; 

19 (C) have capacity to provide culturally ap20 propriate activities; 

21 (D) demonstrate capacity to work with 

22 educational systems, including systems for early 

23 childhood education or elementary education; or 

24 (E) support children with disabilities living 

25 with a grandfamily or kinship family. 


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1 (5) USES OF FUNDS.— 

2 (A) REQUIRED USES.—An entity that re3 ceives a grant under this section shall use the 

4 grant funds— 

5 (i) to establish or sustain a cross-sec6 tor partnership to strengthen and support 

7 grassroots efforts that address the unique 

8 needs of grandfamilies or kinship families, 

9 including those supporting children with 

10 disabilities or those navigating through 

11 mental health concerns or trauma; 

12 (ii) to foster the integration of new or 

13 existing activities designed to increase the 

14 health, well-being, financial security, or 

15 legal standing of members of grandfamilies 

16 or kinship families; and 

17 (iii) to promote peer-to-peer support 

18 efforts, including such efforts through sup19 port groups, social activities, or edu20 cational training. 

21 (B) ALLOWABLE USES.—An entity that re22 ceives a grant under this section may use the 

23 grant funds— 

24 (i) to support volunteer efforts related 

25 to objectives of the partnership, including 


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1 through stipends for members of 

2 grandfamilies or kinship families partici3 pating in advisory councils described in 

4 paragraph (3)(H), or providing peer-to5 peer supports described in subparagraph 

6 (A)(iii), who are not otherwise being paid 

7 for such participation or supports; 

8 (ii) for staff positions for the partner9 ship; 

10 (iii) to conduct a gap and asset anal11 ysis and to raise awareness of the needs of 

12 grandfamilies or kinship families within 

13 the local area served; 

14 (iv) to support technology and soft15 ware needs related to the partnership; 

16 (v) to reimburse project-related mile17 age for staff and volunteers; 

18 (vi) to attend grant recipient trainings 

19 or other meetings with technical resource 

20 centers supported by the Administration 

21 for Community Living; or 

22 (vii) to help grandfamilies or kinship 

23 families coordinate benefits or assistance 

24 under any Federal program or any State 


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1 or local program financed in whole or in 

2 part with Federal funds. 

3 (6) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—Amounts 

4 made available under this section shall be used to 

5 supplement and not supplant other Federal, State, 

6 and local public funds expended to provide services 

7 for grandfamilies or kinship families. 

8 (7) ANNUAL REPORT.— 

9 (A) INFORMATION FROM GRANT RECIPI10 ENTS.—Each recipient of a grant under this 

11 section shall annually submit to the Adminis12 trator information consisting of— 

13 (i) the number of individuals and or14 ganizations supported by the partnership 

15 funded by the grant, including the number 

16 of people who received direct services or 

17 training from the local activities carried 

18 out under this section and the estimated 

19 number of people who were impacted by 

20 the activities; 

21 (ii) demographic data, including the 

22 age, sex, ethnicity, disability status, and 

23 race of those supported by the partnership; 

24 (iii) the number of and demographic 

25 data for volunteers involved in supporting 


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1 the objectives of the activities and the 

2 number of people who benefited from the 

3 contributions of volunteers; 

4 (iv) recommendations to align and co5 ordinate activities across service-related 

6 sectors, such as aging, child welfare, in7 come support, food and nutrition, legal, 

8 health and mental health, or education 

9 services, for members of grandfamilies or 

10 kinship families, and lessons learned and 

11 promising practices developed during the 

12 year; and 

13 (v) ways in which the project sup14 ported by the grant has engaged individ15 uals with experience related to being a 

16 member of a grandfamily or kinship family 

17 in the design, implementation, and feed18 back related to the project. 

19 (B) REPORT BY ADMINISTRATOR.—Not 

20 later than 2 years after the date of enactment 

21 of this Act and every year thereafter, the Ad22 ministrator shall— 

23 (i) prepare, based on the information 

24 submitted under subparagraph (A), a reVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:39 Jun 30, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00034 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4489.IS S4489

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1 port on the impact of the program carried 

2 out under this section; and 

3 (ii) submit the report to— 

4 (I) the Committee on Health, 

5 Education, Labor, and Pensions, the 

6 Special Committee on Aging, and the 

7 Committee on Finance of the Senate; 

8 and 

9 (II) the Committee on Education 

10 and Labor and the Committee on 

11 Ways and Means of the House of 

12 Representatives. 

13 (8) EVALUATION.— 

14 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 

15 shall reserve not more than 10 percent of the 

16 funds made available under this section for ad17 ministrative purposes. 

18 (B) EVALUATION.—The Administrator 

19 shall use funds reserved under subparagraph 

20 (A) for evaluation in the aggregate of the local 

21 activities supported by the grants. 

22 (C) PERMISSIBLE USES OF FUNDS.—The 

23 Administrator shall use the reserved funds for 

24 administrative purposes that may include— 


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1 (i) the establishment of an inter2 agency task force to evaluate the rec3 ommendations provided by grant recipients 

4 under paragraph (7)(A)(iv), to foster Fed5 eral coordination related to activities for 

6 grandfamilies or kinship families; 

7 (ii) support for the Administration for 

8 Community Living’s Research, Demonstra9 tion, and Evaluation Center for the Aging 

10 Network, established under section 201(g) 

11 of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 

12 U.S.C. 3011(g)); 

13 (iii) evaluation described in subpara14 graph (B) by an independent evaluator, 

15 separate from any of the grant recipients, 

16 hired by the Administrator; and 

17 (iv) hosting, not less than annually, 

18 learning collaboratives with the grant re19 cipients. 

20 (9) FUNDS.—There is authorized to be appro21 priated to carry out this section $8,750,000 for each 

22 of fiscal years 2023 through 2027. 

Æ 


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