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Learn about federal benefits policy and how potential changes
and reforms can affect the immigrant community here in
Massachusetts. We monitor federal policy concerning food stamps,
health care, cash assistance, and services for immigrant victims of
violence.
Important Documents on Immigrant Inclusion in Health ReformNILC Guide to Immigrant Eligibility for Federal Benefits Immigrant Inclusion: Why Excluding People from Health Care Exchange Hurts Everyone Citizenship Documentation and Verification: GAO Report Summary on Impact of Cit Doc and Verification Talking Points on Additional Verification and Cit Doc August Recess Tool Kit Immigrant Inclusion in Health ReformSummary of Senate Finance Committee Immigrant Related Amendments
10/ 5/2009
- Click above link to view a list of amendments that were voted on during Senate Finance Committee Markup.
Summary of Immigrant Inclusion in Preliminary Senate Finance Committee Health Reform Bill
9/18/2009
- On Wednesday, Spetember 16th the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Max Baucus of Montana, released the Chairman's Mark for his committee's health care reform bill, the last of the committee's in Congress to release their version of a bill. Over the next week or two the bill will be debated and amended in committee, but the attached is a summary by the National Immigration Law Center on the impact on immigrant access to health coverage under the Chairman's Mark. Click above link to access fact sheet.
Call Senators Baucus and Snowe Today!
8/ 6/2009
- Members of the Senate Finance Committee are negotiating their committee's version of the health care bill right now and they may be considering two options that would negatively impact immigrant access to health coverage:
(1) A mandatory five-year waiting period on subsidies in the exchange for lawfully present immigrants
(2) Perhaps a sponsor requirement to purchase health care coverage for immigrants (at full-cost, without access to subsidies) or pay a tax penalty as well as potential other sponsor related barriers.
We need to weigh in with Sen. Baucus and Sen. Snowe of the committee to OPPOSE these barriers(contact info below):
Click link above for messaging and contact information.
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Action Alerts and UpdatesAccess to Federal Benefits for Iraqi and Afghan Military Interpreters
3/16/2009
- There are a growing number of Iraqi nationals in both Massachusetts and the rest of the United states who were military interpreters during the Iraq war. In 2007, Congress created a "Special Immigrant Visa" or SIV status to quickly evacuate these allies directly to the United States, bypassing the normal refugee processing. We discovered last year that, due to drafting issues in the federal law, many of these SIV holders are legal permanent residents who are now subject to the five-year bar on federal Food Stamp/SNAP benefits, Medicaid, TANF, employment services and not eligible for SSI.For SIV holders, the current federal law permits only 8 months of RRP and all other federal benefits, and then they are treated like all other Legal Permanent residents - required to wait an additional 4 years and 4 months before they can qualify! (Note - Iraqi nationals who entered with refugee status do NOT have this five year wait and are eligible right away, and indefinitely for most federal benefits beyond the 8 month limit on RRP cash benefits.)
We believe the 8 month limit on Food Stamps/SNAP and other federal benefitswas a drafting error in the originallaws authorizing this SIV status (for both Iraqis and Afghan nationals). MLRI is now working with several Iraqi nationals in Massachusetts who are needing these federal benefits as they fall on hard economic times. We have reignited discussions with members of our Congressional delegation to address this problem in upcoming legislative or budget vehicles. If you are aware of any Iraqi (or Afghan) nationals in this situation who need federal Food Stamp/SNAP benefits or other federal benefits, please contact Pat Baker at MLRI at pbaker@mlri.org or 617-357-0700 x 328.
Generic Letter to E-mail to Senators Asking for Inclusion of ICHIA in SCHIP Reauthorization
1/22/2009
- Click on link above to access a generic letter that can be e-mailed to Senators urging them to include legal immigrant children and pregnant women in SCHIP reauthorization.
The letter can be e-mailed to New England Senate Delegation with address and links to on-line e-mail form below:
Now Is the Time! Call the New England Delegation of Senators to Support Immigrant Children's Access to Healthcare
1/22/2009
- Thanks to the help of calls from numerous organizations and individuals and the firm support of Senator Kerry in the Senate Finance Committee, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) reauthorization bill that will hit the Senate floor includes the Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act (ICHIA). ICHIA would remove the 5-year bar for legally present immigrant children and pregnant women to be covered by SCHIP, expanding federal coverage for immigrants and helping reverse a trend of shrinking benefits that began in 1996 with welfare reform. The House of Representatives already passed SCHIP reauthorization last week that included ICHIA. SCHIP reauthorization with ICHIA will likely be voted on in the Senate early next week, but as early as Friday, January 23rd. While both members of the MA Senate delegation are supporters, please contact members of the MA delegation to thank them for their support and contact other members of the New England Senate delegation (particularly, Senator Shaheen of NH, who has yet to give a definite answer on her support) and ask them to: 1)Support the inclusion of ICHIA in SCHIP reauthorization
2)Fight any attempts to undermine immigrant childrens' access to coverage in SCHIP reauthorization
Click the link above for contact information for New England Senators:
Senate Finance Committee Votes 12-7 to Remove 5-year Bar for Legal Permanent Resident Children and Pregnant Women in SCHIP Reauthorization
1/16/2009
- Please call and thank Senator Kerry for his support in the Senate Finance Committee, which approved the inclusion of the Legal Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act (ICHIA) in the SCHIP reauthorization bill that will be voted on in the Senate. ICHIA would remove the 5-year waiting period for immigrant children and pregnant women to qualify for SCHIP. Republicans will likely move to strike the amendment from the bill when it goes to the Senate Floor late next week or the week of January 26th, so it is essential to keep up the pressure on the New England Senate delegation to vote in favor of SCHIP reauthorization with ICHIA and against any anti-immigrant attempts to remove ICHIA from SCHIP reauthorization. For contact information of New England Senate delegation and talking points, please click link above.
Thank Senator Kerry for His Support of the Removal of the 5-year Bar for Immigrant Children and Pregnant Women and Ask Him to Fight Against Potential Anti-Immigrant Amendment in SCHIP Reauthorization
1/14/2009
- As part of a group of immigrant health care advocates on the federal level, MIRA is pushing for the inclusion of the Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act (ICHIA) in the reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). ICHIA would remove the 5-year bar for legally present immigrant children and pregnant women to be covered by SCHIP. The House of Representatives in the newly sworn-in 111th Congress passed the SCHIP reauthorization (H.R. 2) on January 14th with ICHIA attached by a vote of 289-139, but more work needs to be done in the Senate. The Senate Finance Committee is currently working on its draft of the bill and it appears unlikely that ICHIA will be included, although there is support in the committee to include ICHIA as an amendment. While Senator Kerry (who sits on the committee) has signaled his support for inclusion of ICHIA in the SCHIP reauthorization bill, there is concern that other members of the committee will attempt to include an amendment limiting immigrant access to these benefits.
Please call Senator Kerry to thank him for his support for ICHIA and urge him to oppose any attempts by his colleagues in the Finance Committee to attach anti-immigrant amendments to the bill. Please see attached letter to Senator Kerry.
MA Senator Kerry: 202-224-2742 (DC Office) or 617-565-8519 (Boston Office)
Urge New England Delegation of Senators to Support Immigrant Children's Access to Healthcare
1/13/2009
- As part of a group of advocates on the federal level, MIRA is pushing for the inclusion of the Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act (ICHIA) in the reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). ICHIA would remove the 5-year bar for legally present immigrant children and pregnant women to be covered by SCHIP. The House of Representatives in the newly sworn-in 111th Congress has signaled its support for the inclusion of ICHIA in SCHIP reauthorization, but more work needs to be done in the Senate, where ICHIA is not currently included in the bill. Voting should take place on SCHIP reauthorization THIS WEEK. While both members of the MA Senate delegation are supporters, please contact members of the MA delegation to thank them for their support and please contact other members of the New England Senate delegation and urge their support for the inclusion of ICHIA in SCHIP reauthorization. Click on link above for contact information for New England Senators:
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