II 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4747 

To amend title IV of the Social Security Act to require States to provide 

information about available benefits and services to kinship caregivers. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 

Mr. CASEY (for himself and Mr. YOUNG) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance 

A BILL 

To amend title IV of the Social Security Act to require 

States to provide information about available benefits 

and services to kinship caregivers. 

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 ‘‘Informing Grandfami5 lies Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. STATE NOTIFICATIONS TO KINSHIP CAREGIVERS 

7 OF CHILD TANF RECIPIENTS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(a) of the Social Secu9 rity Act (42 U.S.C. 608(a)) is amended by adding at the 

10 end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(13) STATE REQUIREMENTS REGARDING NO2 TICE AND GUIDANCE TO KINSHIP CAREGIVERS.— 

3 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A State to which a 

4 grant is made under section 403 shall ensure 

5 that the State agency provides to any kinship 

6 caregiver, including grandparents and other rel7 ative caregivers, of a minor child if the child is 

8 a recipient of assistance under the State pro9 gram funded under this part (or under a State 

10 program funded with qualified State expendi11 tures (as defined in section 409(a)(7)(B)(i))), 

12 written notice that— 

13 ‘‘(i) explains the options of the kin14 ship caregiver under Federal, State, and 

15 local law to participate in the care and 

16 placement of the child, including the finan17 cial ramifications of the options and any 

18 options that may be lost by choosing cer19 tain benefits; 

20 ‘‘(ii) describes the requirements under 

21 section 471(a)(10) to become a foster fam22 ily home and the additional services and 

23 supports that are available for a child 

24 placed in such a home; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) if the State has elected the op2 tion to make guardianship assistance pay3 ments under section 471(a)(28), describes 

4 how the kinship caregiver may enter into 

5 an agreement with the State to receive the 

6 payments; 

7 ‘‘(iv) describes policies under the 

8 State program funded under this part that 

9 may help kinship caregivers and the rel10 ative children they care for; and 

11 ‘‘(v) provides direct contact informa12 tion for kinship navigator programs de13 scribed in section 427(a)(1) or other agen14 cies and community organizations that 

15 provide resources and assistance, such as 

16 housing, supplemental nutrition assistance, 

17 health care, and child care. 

18 ‘‘(B) TIMING OF NOTICE.—The notice re19 quired under subparagraph (A)— 

20 ‘‘(i) shall be provided to a kinship 

21 caregiver of a minor child at the time that 

22 the kinship caregiver attends an eligibility 

23 interview for assistance (either on the kin24 ship caregiver’s own behalf or on behalf of 

25 the child) under the State program funded 


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1 under this part (or under a State program 

2 funded with qualified State expenditures 

3 (as defined in section 409(a)(7)(B)(i))); or 

4 ‘‘(ii) if the kinship caregiver (or the 

5 minor child) is already receiving assistance 

6 under such a program on the date of en7 actment of this paragraph, shall be sent to 

8 the kinship caregiver as soon as practicable 

9 after such date. 

10 ‘‘(C) PROVISION OF GUIDANCE TO KINSHIP

11 CAREGIVERS.—A State to which a grant is 

12 made under section 403 shall ensure that the 

13 State agency responsible for administering the 

14 State program funded under this part employs 

15 a resource employee who is trained to provide 

16 guidance to kinship caregivers, including grand17 parents and other relative caregivers, of a 

18 minor child if the child is a recipient of assist19 ance under the program (or under a State pro20 gram funded with qualified State expenditures 

21 (as defined in section 409(a)(7)(B)(i))), on 

22 legal options regarding custody and guardian23 ship of the child, including explaining to the 

24 kinship caregiver how each legal option cor25 responds to the availability of benefits and servVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:26 Oct 17, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4747.IS S4747

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1 ices, and who serves as a liaison with other 

2 agencies and community organizations that pro3 vide resources and assistance to kinship care4 givers.’’. 

5 (b) INCLUSION IN STATE PLAN.—Section 

6 402(a)(1)(B) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 602(a)(1)(B)) is 

7 amended by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(vi) The document shall provide a 

9 detailed explanation of how the State in10 tends to comply with section 408(a)(13).’’. 

Æ 


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