Policy Impact Analysis - 117/S/4489

Bill Overview

Title: Grandfamilies Act of 2022

Description: 22 This bill expands access to specified programs for children living with grandparents or other family members who are not their legal guardian. Specifically, the bill provides that a child of a relative eligible for Old-Age and Survivors Insurance benefits is eligible for such benefit payments if that child (1) began living with such relative before age 18, (2) receives at least 50% of their support from such relative, and (3) has lived with such relative pursuant to a court order for at least 12 months. Additionally, the bill revises the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) eligibility requirements for children living with specified caretaker relatives. First, the bill lessens the requirement for TANF applicants to assign their rights to child support when such assignment may impact the likelihood of reunifying the child with their noncustodial parent, such as where the noncustodial parent is working to gain financial stability so they may reunify with their child. Further, when a child, but not the caretaker relative, receives TANF benefits (i.e., child-only cases), or if the caretaker relative is 55 or older, the bill (1) excludes such caretaker’s income from that child’s eligibility determination, (2) removes the 5-year cap on assistance, and (3) exempts such caretaker relatives from TANF work requirements. The bill also (1) encourages states to enact temporary guardianship laws, (2) provides grants for state plans to support caretaker relatives, and (3) requires the Administration for Community Living to provide grants for establishing cross-sector partnerships that support families with caretaker relatives.

Sponsors: Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA]

Target Audience

Population: Children living with grandparents or other family members without legal guardianship

Estimated Size: 2700000

• The bill is designed to address families where children are living with grandparents or other family members who are not their legal guardians.
• In the US, about 2.7 million children live in grandfamilies, according to Generations United.
• These children might be on the brink of poverty or affected by economic hardships, especially if they rely on programs like TANF.
• The bill aims to relax certain TANF rules and extend OASDI benefits, typically aiding those who are financially vulnerable and dependent on such support systems.
• The number of children globally in similar non-parental guardian arrangements is difficult to measure, but such family dynamics exist due to various reasons such as parental death, migration, or abandonment.

Reasoning

• The policy targets households where children are living with grandparents or other relatives who are not their legal guardians, estimated to be about 2.7 million children in the US.
• To get a representative view, it is crucial to include a range of affected individuals such as grandparents, the children themselves, and other involved relatives.
• The Cantril Wellbeing Score is used to gauge changes in self-reported wellbeing due to policy implementation.
• While the policy primarily benefits children in grandfamilies, it also provides indirect benefits to the relatives caring for them by easing financial stress, which could improve overall household wellbeing.
• It is important to consider the duration of the policy's impact and that some people may not be affected at all.
• Budget constraints mean significant but not universal support, so we expect variability in impact significance.

Simulated Interviews

Cost Estimates

Key Considerations

• Increased eligibility could strain federal resources if more children enter the welfare system than projected.
• There may be significant variability in how states implement guardianship laws and access to grants, impacting the effectiveness of the policy.
• Long-term impacts on child welfare and educational outcomes could indirectly benefit economic productivity and societal welfare.