Obsolete per IM-38 May 1, 2018
Public Law 96-212, The Refugee Act of 1980, provides 100% federal funding for financial assistance, medical assistance, and social services to all refugees regardless of national origin.
Public Law 96-422, The Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980, provides 100% federal funding of financial assistance, medical assistance, and social services for Cuban/Haitian Entrants. Cuban/Haitian Entrants are not classified as refugees and thus were not eligible under Public Law 96-212. The Cuban/Haitian Entrants eligibility is presently the same as for refugees under Public Law 96-212.
The Refugee Assistance Amendments for 1982 (Public Law 97-363) made several program changes from that originally enacted in Public Law 96-212.
The Foreign Operations Appropriates Act of 1988 added coverage under the Refugee Resettlement Program for Amerasians admitted from Vietnam with immigrant status.
The Refugee Resettlement Program, under title IV of the Immigration and Nationality Act, is a Federal Program of assistance and services to refugees resettling in the United States. Regulations at 45 CFR Part 400, provide for Federal refugee funding for two special assistance programs – Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA), which provides monthly cash assistance payments to needy refugees, and Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA) which provides payment of hospital and medical bills in a similar manner to the Medicaid program. Both RCA and RMA are available up to eight months after a refugee’s arrival in the U.S.
Refugee Cash Assistance is budgeted the same as the Temporary Assistance program. The guidelines are the same as Temporary Assistance in reference to work programs and job expectations.
Refugee Medical Assistance is offered if the refugee is not eligible for any Medicaid/MC+ program. The refugee can choose to just receive Medicaid, if eligible, and not receive Refugee Cash Assistance. (Just as when eligible for Temporary Assistance, the recipient may choose Medical Assistance for Families and not receive cash assistance.)
Look at eligibility for all levels of assistance before offering Refugee Cash Assistance and/or Refugee Medical Assistance to the Refugee applicant.