Restrictions Changed For Relative Caregiver Program

A new state law reduces the requirements needed for families to become eligible for the Relative Caregiver Program (RCP).

UCDD Case Manager Marcia Riddle said the change allows relatives with any court order to enroll in the program instead of requiring a final order. Riddle said she thinks it is a positive change because they have a lot of people in the region who are now able to access the program.

“Maybe they had been granted, they had been granted custody of the child by an order of the court, but they didn’t have the orders,” Riddle said. “They didn’t say final order or they weren’t, you know, they hadn’t gone, ever gone back to get that final order, so therefore they weren’t, under the old guideline, eligible.”

Riddle said the law also removed an income limit requiring participants to be a certain amount below the poverty line to receive support. Riddle said the changes are important to the Upper Cumberland because it is much more common then people realize for children in the area to be raised by relatives other than their parents.

“It seems to be fairly common in that grandparents, aunts, uncles, are oftentimes raising children for whatever reason that the parent can’t,” Riddle said.

Riddle said she believes these changes came about because the program is constantly being refined to best support relative caregivers.

“I think it’s been lots of conversations I’m sure between DCS and everybody looking at what we were seeing and how, across the state and with all the relative caregiver programs, and seeing what impact it’s had on people and actual cases,” Riddle said.

Riddle said there were also changes to the wording of the law for when families pursue or agree to child support, but those changes were minor compared to the other two.