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Senate
SB286 / File No. 49 1
General Assembly File No. 49
February Session, 2026 Senate Bill No. 286
Senate, March 17, 2026
The Committee on Aging reported through SEN. HOCHADEL
of the 13th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of
the Senate, that the bill ought to pass.
AN ACT INCREASING FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR
GRANDPARENTS AND OTHER NONPARENT RELATIVES RAISING
CERTAIN CHILDREN.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsection (a) of section 17b-112 of the 2026 supplement to 1
the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 2
thereof (Effective July 1, 2026): 3
(a) (1) The Department of Social Services shall administer a 4
temporary family assistance program under which cash assistance shall 5
be provided to eligible families in accordance with the temporary 6
assistance for needy families program, established pursuant to the 7
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 8
1996. The Commissioner of Social Services may operate portions of the 9
temporary family assistance program as a solely state-funded program, 10
separate from the federal temporary assistance for needy families 11
program, if the commissioner determines that doing so will enable the 12
state to avoid fiscal penalties under the temporary assistance for needy 13
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families program. Families receiving assistance under the solely state -14
funded portion of the temporary family assistance program shall be 15
subject to the same conditions of eligibility as those receiving assistance 16
under the federal temporary assistance for needy families program. 17
Under the temporary family assistance program, benefits shall be 18
provided to a family for not longer than thirty -six months, except as 19
provided in subsections (b) and (c) of this section. For the purpose of 20
calculating said thirty -six-month time limit, months of assistance 21
received on and after January 1, 1996, pursuant to time limits under the 22
aid to families with dependent children program, shall be included. For 23
purposes of this section, "family" means one or more individuals who 24
apply for or receive assistance together under the temporary family 25
assistance program. If the commissioner determines that federal law 26
allows individuals not otherwise in an eligible covered group for the 27
temporary family assistance program to become covered, such family 28
may also, at the discretion of the commissioner, be composed of [(1)] (A) 29
a pregnant woman, or [(2)] (B) a parent, both parents or other caretaker 30
relative and at least one child who is under the age of eighteen, or who 31
is under the age of nineteen and a full -time student in a secondary 32
school or its equivalent. A caretaker relative shall be related to the child 33
or children by blood, marriage or adoption or shall be the legal guardian 34
of such a child or pursuing legal proceedings necessary to achieve 35
guardianship. If the commissioner elects to allow state eligibility 36
consistent with any change in federal law, the commissioner may 37
administratively transfer any qualifying family cases under the cash 38
assistance portion of the state-administered general assistance program 39
to the temporary family assistance program without regard to usual 40
eligibility and enrollment procedures. If such families become an 41
ineligible coverage group under the federal law, the commissioner shall 42
administratively transfer such families back to the cash assistance 43
portion of the state -administered general assistance program without 44
regard to usual eligibility and enrollment procedures to the degree that 45
such families are eligible for the state program. 46
(2) To the extent permissible under federal law, the payment 47
standard for a family that receives benefits under the temporary family 48
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assistance program, and in which the head of the household is a 49
nonparent caretaker relative and the legal guardian of a child, shall be 50
equal to the prevailing monthly foster care rate per child, based on the 51
child's age and medical condition, paid by the Department of Children 52
and Families. 53
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2026 17b-112(a)
AGE Joint Favorable
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The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of
the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not
represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose. In general,
fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional
knowledge. Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final
products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.
OFA Fiscal Note
State Impact:
Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $
Social Services, Dept. GF - Cost At least 6.6
million
At least 7.1
million
Note: GF=General Fund
Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
The bill will result in a cost of at least $6.6 million in FY 27 and $7.1
million in FY 28 to the Department of Social Services' (DSS) Temporary
Family Assistance (TFA) program.
The bill increases the payment standard for households headed by a
nonparent caretaker relative with legal guardianship to match
prevailing monthly foster care rates, based on the child’s age and
medical condition.
The bill does not specify which foster care reimbursement category
will be used to set the TFA payment standard. Based on projected
average monthly foster care rates of $877 for FY 27 and $903 for FY 28,
the bill is expected to increase DSS annual costs by at least $6.6 million
and $7.1 million, respectively.
Current average monthly TFA rates for family units range from $525
for a family with one child to an average of $893 for a family with three
or more children . The cost to the state will be more for children with
higher needs and associated services. For context, the average monthly
foster care rate for a child with medically complex needs is
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approximately $1,657.
The actual cost will depend on: (1) the number of individuals
impacted and (2) the foster care rate used as the basis for the TFA
payment.
The Out Years
The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would
continue into the future subject to: (1) the number of individuals
impacted and (2) the foster care rate used as the basis for the TFA
payment.
Sources: Department of Children and Families Foster Care Rates
Department of Social Services Caseload Data
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OLR Bill Analysis
SB 286
AN ACT INCREASING FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR
GRANDPARENTS AND OTHER NONPARENT RELATIVES RAISING
CERTAIN CHILDREN.
SUMMARY
To the extent allowed by federal law, this bill increases the temporary
family assistance (TFA) payment to families with a head of household
who is (1) a nonparent caretaker relative (e.g., grandparent) and (2) the
legal guardian of a child. It does this by making the TFA payment equal
to the prevailing monthly foster care rate for f amilies based on the
child’s age and medical condition.
Generally, nonparent caretaker relatives may qualify for financial
assistance through the departments of children and families (DCF) or
social services (DSS). Those who become guardians of foster children
through DCF (i.e. Subsidized Guardianship Program) receive a larger
payment than those who become guardians of children not involved in
the child welfare system and receive a TFA payment for the child from
DSS.
DCF payments equal the prevailing monthly foster care rate, which
varies based on the child’s age and medical condition. TFA payments
vary by family size.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2026
COMMITTEE ACTION
Aging Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 14 Nay 0 (03/05/2026)