Assistance Programs in Kansas

LIEAP is Kansas's Low Income Energy Assistance Program: a once-a-year benefit that helps pay winter heating costs, run by the Department for Children and Families. The application period is a set winter window that has closed for 2026, and DCF posts the next window when it is set. Apply through the DCF Self-Service Portal at cssp.kees.ks.gov during the window, or at a local DCF service center. Questions: Benefits Assistance at 1-888-369-4777.

Free home energy-efficiency work for income-eligible Kansas households: air sealing, insulation, and heating and cooling repairs that lower future bills. Kansas Housing Resources Corporation runs the program through local provider agencies. Contact KHRC at 785-217-2001 to be connected to the provider serving your county, since KHRC does not weatherize homes directly.

Food Assistance is Kansas's name for SNAP: monthly food money on a Kansas Benefits Card you use like a debit card at most grocery stores. The Department for Children and Families runs it. Apply through the DCF Self-Service Portal at cssp.kees.ks.gov, at your local DCF service center, or by phone. Call Benefits Assistance at 1-888-369-4777 or the DCF Customer Service Center at 1-833-765-2003.

WIC gives healthy food, breastfeeding support, nutrition help, and health referrals to pregnant and postpartum people, infants, and children under age 5. Kansas WIC runs through the Department of Health and Environment and local clinics. Start the online pre-application at kswic.com/PreAppPortal, find your local clinic at kdhe.ks.gov/wic, or call the state WIC office at 785-296-3683.

KanCare is Kansas's Medicaid and CHIP program: free or low-cost health coverage for children, pregnant people, low-income parents, older adults, and people with disabilities. Kansas has not expanded Medicaid, so most adults without children or a disability do not qualify no matter how low their income. Apply at ApplyForKanCare.ks.gov, or call the KanCare Clearinghouse at 1-800-792-4884.

Child Care Assistance pays part of the cost of child care so parents can work, look for work, or attend school, with the benefit loaded onto the Kansas Benefits Card and paid to DCF-enrolled providers. Apply through the DCF Self-Service Portal at cssp.kees.ks.gov, or call Benefits Assistance at 1-888-369-4777. Processing can take up to 30 days.

Kansas has a refundable state Earned Income Tax Credit worth 17 percent of your federal EITC. Because it is refundable, it can pay out as cash even when it is larger than the Kansas tax you owe. Claim it on your Kansas income tax return (Form K-40). You generally must qualify for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit first.

Kansas calls its TANF cash assistance the Successful Families Program: monthly cash for low-income families with children, paid on the Kansas Benefits Card, paired with work activities. Strict time limits apply. Apply through the DCF Self-Service Portal at cssp.kees.ks.gov or at your local DCF service center. For help, call Benefits Assistance at 1-888-369-4777 or DCF Customer Service at 1-833-765-2003.

Temporary weekly payments if you lost work through no fault of your own, from the Kansas Department of Labor. File your claim and your weekly certifications through the Claimant Self Service Portal linked at dol.ks.gov/unemployment. If you need help, the Contact Center is 1-800-292-6333 (local 785-575-1460), open during weekday business hours (Thursday closes earlier).

Kansas Legal Services provides free civil legal help to low-income Kansans on housing and eviction, family, consumer and debt, public benefits, and other noncriminal matters, across all 105 counties. Call intake at 316-267-3975, Monday through Friday, 8am to 4:30pm, or apply online at kansaslegalservices.org (the online application is open 8am Monday through 4:30pm Thursday).

Dial 2-1-1 from a Kansas phone for free, confidential help finding local assistance with rent, utilities, food, health care, and more. Kansas 211 is run statewide by United Way of the Plains and is answered Monday through Friday, 7am to 7pm, with a recorded message pointing to resources after hours. You can also text your ZIP code to 898-211 or search anytime at 211Kansas.org.