TITLE

Welfare Reform: Many States Continue Some Federal or State Benefits for Immigrants: HEHS-98-132

AUTHOR(S)

Nadel, Mark V.

PUB. DATE

July 1998

SOURCE

GAO Reports;7/31/1998, p1

SOURCE TYPE

Government Document

DOC. TYPE

Article

ABSTRACT

Although welfare reform allowed states to drop immigrants from their welfare rolls, most states have opted to provide some welfare benefits to part of this population. Nearly all states have chosen to continue providing federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Medicaid benefits to prereform immigrants as well as provide these benefits to new immigrants after five years of U.S. residency. About one-third of the states use state funds to provide similar benefits to some new immigrants during the five-year bar. The greatest economic impact of welfare reform for most of these immigrants is the loss of food stamps. After the implementation of food stamp restrictions, an estimated 940,000 immigrants who had received food stamps in 1997 were no longer eligible to receive them. Almost one-fifth of this group consisted of immigrant children. With the implementation of the welfare reform restrictions for immigrants, state and local governments face added responsibilities. States' future challenges include verifying the citizenship or immigration status of applicants for all federal public benefits and enforcing affidavits of support for new immigrants sponsored by relatives.

ACCESSION #

18223930

Tags: PUBLIC welfare;  PUBLIC spending;  HUMAN services;  MEDICAID;  HEALTH insurance -- United States;  IMMIGRANTS -- Services for;  IMMIGRANTS -- United States

 

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