2400 - REQUIREMENTS SPECIFIC TO REFUGEE (RE) CASH ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
2410 General Requirements - This program provides assistance for eligible refugees, asylees, and trafficking victims who are not U.S. citizens. Immigrants, Cubans, and Haitians entrants are not considered refugees. The special program for unaccompanied refugee minors and refugee minors in foster care is administered by Social Services.
To be eligible, refugee status must be documented and verified through the SAVE program (see 2140). The refugee must possess Form I-94 issued by the Immigration and Naturalization Service indicating either that the person has been paroled into this country or has been granted "voluntary departure" or a permanent resident card (I-551 or I-94 with I-551 stamp). A copy of the I-94 or I-551 shall be retained in the case file. The following codes on the card indicate refugee status: AM1, AM2, AM3, AM6, AM7, AM8, ASl, AS2, AS3, AS6, AS7, AS8, C7P, CNP, CU6, CU7, CU8, CU9, CU0, CUP, CUX, GA6, GA7, GA8, IC6, IC7, M83, M93, P7l, P76, REl, RE2, RE3, RE4, RE5, RE6, RE7, RE8, RE9, R86, Visa 92 (or V-92), and Y64. Since a dependent of a U.S. citizen may also possess one of these forms, it must be established whether the individual came into this country as a dependent of a U.S. Citizen or as a refugee. Refugees who are dependents of repatriated U.S. Citizens are included under the repatriation program. (See 1722.) Adult victims of severe forms of trafficking who have been certified by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services are eligible for benefits and services to the same extent as refugees. Children who have been subjected to trafficking are also eligible like refugees but do not need to be certified. (Please see Policy Memo #01-07-04, for further details on specific eligibility requirements under this category.)
Cash assistance, funded under the refugee program, is available to adult refugees without children who have been in the United States for 8 months or less beginning with the month in which they entered the United States. Asylees are eligible for 8 months beginning with the month that asylee status is granted. Trafficking victims are eligible for 8 months beginning with the month that they are designated as a victim of trafficking by the Office of Refugee Resettlement. In addition to the documentation listed above, documentation of granted asylee status can include: an Order of an Immigration Judge granting asylum under 208 of the INA if the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) has waived the right to appeal the case (the date on the Immigration Judge Order will serve as the date that asylum was granted), or an Asylum Approval Letter from an INS Asylum Office. For trafficking victims, staff must call 1.866.401.5510 to verify that an individual has been certified as a trafficking victim before benefits can be authorized. The length of time a refugee has been in the United States can be determined by using the date of entry as indicated on the I-94 card or the resident alien card. A system shall be implemented to remove current and future recipients from funding under the refugee program as they reach the 8 month funding limits expressed below.
Refugee funding is available through the 8th month of residency in the United States. The KAECSES system identifies refugees and the appropriate federal funding sources by the program type, entry of the citizenship code and date of entry in the U.S. on the ETRC screen, and other entries in the system.