Legislator Abrahams Urges Grandparents Raising Grandchildren to Apply for State Grant

Grant will help ease financial strain

Nassau County Legislator Kevan Abrahams (D-Hempstead) reminds grandparents raising grandchildren that there is a non-parent caregiver grant available through the state of New York. For more information and help applying, call the National Committee of Grandparents for Children’s Rights: Long Island Kinship Connection at (516) 481-1006, (631) 444-3160, 1-866-624-9900, or visit http://www.nysnavigator.org/county/nassau.php or www.nysnavigator.org.

Formal custody of the children is not required, and unlike most financial assistance grants, the non-parent caregiver grant is not predicated on the income or assets of the recipient. Eligible grandparents will receive approximately $400 a month for one grandchild, and approximately an additional $150 a month for each additional child.

“This is a little known resource to help ease the financial burden that grandparents often experience while raising their grandchildren,” Legislator Abrahams said. “And less than 10 percent of the people that are eligible for the grants have applied. I encourage grandparents to contact the National Committee of Grandparents for Children’s Rights now. Money should not be an obstacle when raising grandchildren.”

The non-parent caregiver grant is part of the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families funding provided by the Department of Social Services. The National Committee of Grandparents for Children’s Rights is committed to helping grandparents obtain the grant.