The CAO will authorize RCA or RMA benefits as it would for any other client receiving cash or MA. When authorizing RCA or RMA, the CAO will assign the following program status code to the D or PC category:
Program status code - 02
The CAO will assign program status code 02 to a budget which contains only refugees. All refugees included in the budget must meet the requirements for the refugee code and have the same date of entry into the US. If refugees living together entered the U.S. on different dates, the CAO will establish separate budgets based on each date of entry.
EXAMPLE: A mother and her 19 year old adult child enter the US on 6/15/2016. The husband's departure was delayed and he does not enter the US until 7/22/2016. The CAO determines the eligibility based on the current household composition. The mother is one RCA budget and the adult child is another RCA budget with the 8 month clock starting 6/15/2016. When the husband arrives, if the wife has employment, her income is deemed to her husband. If there is no income and the husband is otherwise eligible for RCA, an RCA budget will be opened separately for the husband with the clock starting 7/22/2016. The adult child's income does not affect eligibility for the parents. If the child was under 18 or 18 and in high school, TANF would be explored.
(8 months = 240 days)
Mother - DOE 6/15/2016 - D 02 - 1 person grant $205.00 - Expires 2/10/2017
Adult Son - DOE 6/15/2016 - D 02 2 - 1 person grant $205.00 - Expires 2/10/2017
Father - DOE 7/22/2016 - D 02 3 - 1 person grant $205.00 - Expires 3/18/2017
RCA recipients will not be required to share an FSA when there are multiple budget grant groups.
NOTE: Spouses share an FSA in one budget group just like TANF unless they have a different Date of Entry; that is the only time spouses should have multiple RCA budgets. Income of a spouse is deemed to the other spouse to determine income eligibility, when they have different entry dates.
Husband and Wife - DOE 6/15/2016 - D 02 - 2 person grant $316.00 - expires 2/10/2017
If eligible for RCA, the CAO will authorize category D and create an alert to review continued eligibility before the RCA time period ends. The CAO will apply the TANF requirements, except for the earned income incentive, to compute the amount of the monthly assistance payment. The CAO will use the date of application as the date the refugee cash assistance begins.
45 CFR 400.45 45 CFR 400.45(f)(3) 45 CFR 400.51
NOTE: If the refugee has an urgent need for cash assistance, the CAO will process the application as quickly as possible and issue the initial payment from the county emergency fund.
Reminder:
Review for RCA only if the refugee does not qualify for TANF cash benefits.
If the refugee does not meet any other Medicaid categories, the CAO will determine eligibility for RMA. The CAO will apply TANF-related MA requirements, except for the earned income incentive, to determine eligibility. All children are referred to the Children's Health Insurance program (CHIP) before determining their eligibility for RMA.
The RMA time limit is determined based on the date of entry for each refugee.
The date of eligibility for human trafficking victims is determined by the date of certification.
The date of eligibility for asylees is the date asylum is granted.
When RMA time eligibility ends, the CAO will determine the refugee's eligibility for continued assistance.
Reissued April 30, 2018, replacing February 14, 2013