Pennsylvania program
Respite money for a relative aged 55 or older raising the child
Help paying back respite and caregiving costs for an older relative raising a child. The county Area Agency on Aging assesses the family.
What it is
Help paying back respite and caregiving costs for an older relative raising a child. The county Area Agency on Aging assesses the family.
Caregiver Support can help an older relative who lives with and raises a child under 18. It reimburses eligible expenses rather than paying ahead. Household income affects the percentage repaid, even though it does not block enrollment itself.
Eligibility rules
- The caregiver must be at least 55, live with the child and meet the relative-caregiver category. The child must be under 18.
- The program has a separate category for adults ages 18–59 with disabilities.
- There is no financial eligibility requirement for enrollment. Reimbursement is 100% at or below 200% of poverty and tapers toward 380%.
- For the older-relative child category, the caregiver cannot be the child’s biological parent. An adoptive parent or a grandparent with custody may fit if the caregiver is at least 55, lives with the child under 18 and meets the program’s other requirements. The Area Agency on Aging also checks qualifying informal caregiving arrangements.
What you get
- Up to $600 monthly back for eligible respite and caregiving expenses.
- Up to $5,000 lifetime for qualifying home changes and assistive devices.
- A care assessment through the Area Agency on Aging.
What the help includes
- The care plan approves eligible respite, caregiving supplies and services. Expenses paid to a relative are not reimbursable. The April 24, 2026 directive sets a $600 monthly care-plan cap, with your assessed reimbursement percentage applied.
- The April 24, 2026 directive sets a $5,000 lifetime cap per caregiver for home changes and assistive devices together. Your reimbursement percentage applies. The cap is separate from the monthly care-plan limit.
If you decide to apply
- Ask your county Area Agency on Aging for a Caregiver Support Program assessment.
- Bring the caregiver's age and address, the child's information and household income records.
- Discuss proposed care expenses and keep receipts for any costs approved for reimbursement.
The local Area Agency on Aging · Official page ↗
After you ask
- The Area Agency on Aging assesses the situation and sets the care plan and reimbursement share.
- A care manager visits within about two weeks of the referral and reassesses every six months. The written care plan lists which costs are approved and your share; funding or a waiting list can affect what is available.
Good to know
This child-caregiver category is for an older relative rather than the child's biological parent. Reimbursement means you may need to pay the cost first.
Other details
- The household income of the person receiving care sets the reimbursement percentage.
- Receipts matter because the program pays back approved expenses. Enrollment itself does not mean every purchase is reimbursable.
Official sources
“Does our relative caregiver fit this program, and what respite costs could it pay back? Could you explain the upfront costs and reimbursement share and help us arrange an assessment?”
Why I’m asking: I want our caregiver to have a break without committing to costs the program will not reimburse.
More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules
Who does what
The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.
You
The relative caregiver calls the Area Agency on Aging and asks for an assessment.
Your social worker
The social worker supplies the child's diagnosis and care needs for the assessment.
The care team
Records and letters when the application asks for them.
- Who decides
- The Area Agency on Aging for the county.
- Ask the agency
- “I am 55 or older and raising my grandchild, who has leukemia. Can you assess us for the Caregiver Support Program and its respite reimbursement?”
How to apply
First step: Call the county Area Agency on Aging and ask for a Caregiver Support Program assessment.
- Call the county Area Agency on Aging and ask for the Caregiver Support Program assessment.
Official application / program page ↗
Where it starts: Apply through the Area Agency on Aging for the county.
What to gather
- Caregiver's age and address
- The child's diagnosis
- Household income, which sets the share paid back
How long: The directive calls for a home assessment within ten business days after referral to the care manager and supervisory review within ten business days after the visit. Funding, waiting lists and payment processing are separate.
What a yes looks like
A care plan with a monthly percentage paid back.
What a no looks like, and the next move
Caregiver under 55 or a biological parent: the categories do not fit.
Watch out
- The child category excludes biological parents; adoption or custody alone does not exclude a qualifying older relative.
- It pays you back; it does not pay ahead. Keep receipts.
The numbers and the rules
The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 9, 2026.
What it is worth
Up to $600 a month paid back for respite and caregiving costs; up to $5,000 lifetime for home changes; relative caregiver 55 or older raising a child under 18.
- $600/month — Maximum monthly reimbursement
- $5,000 — Lifetime home modification and assistive device ceiling
- $55 — Caregiver minimum age
- $200 — Full reimbursement at or below (percent of poverty)
- $380 — Reimbursement tapers to (percent of poverty)
Covers: Respite care · Reimbursement of caregiving supplies and services · Home modifications and assistive devices
What it costs the family: None; the share paid back depends on the household income of the person cared for.
The eligibility facts, as published
- Caregiver
- 55 or older, not the biological parent, living with the care receiver
- Care receiver
- a child under 18 (category 2), or an adult 18-59 with a disability (category 3)
- Income
- no financial eligibility requirement to enroll; reimbursement 100% at or under 200% FPL, tapering toward 380%
The trap: It is not a general respite voucher for parents. Pennsylvania has none outside Medicaid.
Where I read this
- PA Department of Aging — Caregiver Support Program — Pennsylvania Department of Aging, read September 8, 2026
- PA Department of Aging — Apply for Caregiver Support — Pennsylvania Department of Aging, read September 8, 2026
- Franklin County — Caregiver Support Program brochure 2026 — Franklin County, read September 8, 2026