Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

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Wyoming program

Monthly cash assistance

POWER is Wyoming’s monthly cash assistance for families with children and low earnings.

What it is

POWER is Wyoming’s monthly cash assistance for families with children and low earnings.

POWER helps with ordinary bills when earnings are low. The grant depends on who is in the unit and whether you pay your own housing. A relative raising a child whose parents are not at home gets a grant worked out on the child alone.

Eligibility rules
  • The table applies from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. It uses earned-income columns, not a percentage of poverty.
  • The income test is very low: for a single parent with two or three children, earnings must be under about $1,246 a month, or $1,539 if the family pays for housing. For a married couple the figures are $1,846 and $2,139.
  • Savings and other counted assets must be under $5,000; two registered vehicles do not count.
  • A person receiving SSI is excluded from the grant unit, changing its size and payment.
What you get
  • Monthly cash assistance for an eligible family.
  • A separate calculation for some relatives raising a child.
Coverage and costs
  • For a unit of three or four, the maximum monthly grant is $646 without the shelter allowance or $939 with it. Actual payments depend on the case.
  • Adults have a five-year lifetime limit.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the Department of Family Services office about POWER through the state benefits system.
  2. Have recent earnings, bank balances, housing costs and details of who lives at home ready. If care prevents work, discuss a written good-cause request with the worker.

Wyoming Department of Family Services · Official page ↗

After you apply
  • The ordinary application standard is 30 calendar days. The decision letter identifies the unit and income column used.
Good to know

Being at the hospital does not by itself excuse you from the work rules. Put a good-cause request in writing and the worker decides it.

Other details
  • The displayed income figure uses only the lower single-parent earnings column. Being above it does not settle eligibility: housing costs, marriage, other income and a nonparent child-only arrangement need the office's calculation.
  • A relative raising the child can have a child-only case that leaves the relative's own income out; the office checks the relationship and any foster or SSI payments the child receives.
Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Would POWER help while earnings are lower? How do the work rules and savings test affect us, and could you help with an application and a good-cause request if appropriate?”

Why I’m asking: I need to know whether cash help can cover basic bills while our child needs care.

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

Apply the month income stops and say who is in the unit.

Your social worker

The social worker can write to support a good-cause request.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
Wyoming Department of Family Services.
Ask the agency
“My child is in cancer treatment and I am at the hospital. Can I apply for cash assistance, and can good cause be recorded for the work requirements?”

How to apply

First step: Apply through the state's benefits system the month a parent's pay stops.

  1. Apply the month a parent's pay stops, not later.
  2. If a relative is raising the child, ask for the caretaker-relative version by name.
  3. If the hospital makes the work requirements impossible, ask for good cause in writing.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Apply through the state's benefits system; ask for the caretaker-relative version if a relative is raising the child.

What to gather

  • This month's earnings
  • What is in the bank
  • Who lives at home and who the child's parents are

How long: Thirty calendar days for an ordinary application.

What a yes looks like

A monthly payment and a letter naming the unit and the column used.

What a no looks like, and the next move

Usually savings or earnings. Ask which, and reapply when it changes.

Watch out

  • Countable savings over $5,000 rule you out.
  • A hospital stay is not automatically an excuse from the work requirements; ask for good cause in writing.
  • Someone getting the federal disability payment is left out of the grant unit, which changes the amount.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.

What it is worth

Up to $646 a month for a unit of three or four, or $939 with the shelter allowance. Countable resources must not exceed $5,000.

  • $646/month — Largest monthly grant, unit of 3 or 4, shelter-disqualified column
  • $939/month — Largest monthly grant, unit of 3 or 4, shelter-qualified column
  • $1,246/month — Maximum earned income, single parent, unit of 3 or 4, shelter-disqualified column
  • $1,539/month — Maximum earned income, single parent, unit of 3 or 4, shelter-qualified column
  • $1,846/month — Maximum earned income, married couple, unit of 3 or 4, shelter-disqualified column
  • $5,000 — Countable asset limit
  • $2 — Registered and licensed vehicles excluded
  • $30 — Calendar days to authorise an ordinary application
  • $5 — Lifetime limit for an adult

Covers: Monthly cash assistance · A version for a relative raising a child whose parents are not in the home

What it costs the family: None.

The eligibility facts, as published

Income
the published earned-income cell for the assistance unit size and column
Assets
Countable resources no more than $5,000; two registered and licensed vehicles excluded. Ownership and exclusions require a case-specific calculation.
Time limit
five years for an adult
Exclusions
someone receiving the federal disability payment is left out of the grant unit

The trap: Being at the hospital all day is not automatically an excuse from the work requirements. The manual's at-home caregiving code is about full-time care at home, not a hospital stay; ask for good cause in writing rather than assuming.

Where I read this

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