Page 18

Chapter: 0200 General Program Information Program: RAP 16 0260.0000 Refugee Assistance This chapter presents general program information about the Refugee Assistance Program. 0260.0001 Caseload Distribution (RAP) Caseload assignments are frequently made according to the characteristics of a given assistance group and the type of assistance received. These breakdowns are called Temporary Cash Assistance cases, Family-Related Medicaid cases or SSI-Related Medicaid cases. Each type may include food stamps.

A Temporary Cash Assistance case or Family-Related Medicaid case may contain one or more of the following types of assistance: Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA), Refugee Assistance Program (RAP), food stamps, Family-Related Medicaid, MEDS or Medically Needy.

An SSI-Related Medicaid case may contain one or more of the following types of assistance: Institutional Care Program (ICP), MEDS-AD, Protected Medicaid (PM), Medically Needy, Emergency Medicaid for Aliens (EMA), Hospice, Home and Community Based Services (HCBS), Refugee Assistance Program (RAP), Qualified Medicare Beneficiaries (QMB), Working Disabled (WD), Special Low Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB), Optional State Supplementation (OSS), Part B Medicare Only (PBMO), Home Care for Disabled Adults (HCDA), or food stamps. All programs are Medicaid Programs except OSS, HCDA and food stamps. The Department of Elder Affairs currently handles Home Care for the Elderly (HCE).

A mixed caseload contains one or more Temporary Cash Assistance or Family-Related Medicaid and SSI-Related types of assistance, with or without food stamps.

Child in Care (CIC) cases are frequently specialized due to the special confidentiality requirements and unique policy. Therefore, they are not considered part of the Temporary Cash Assistance or Family-Related Medicaid caseload and the information about the case is limited to eligibility specialists with special confidential security profiles.

0260.0100 REFUGEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (RAP) Refugees are individuals who have been forced to flee their native country due to a fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a social group. The Refugee Assistance Program provides financial and medical assistance to Refugees who do not otherwise qualify for TCA or Medicaid.

The purpose of RAP is to provide for the effective resettlement of refugees and to assist them to achieve economic self-sufficiency as quickly as possible. Refugee cash and medical assistance is limited to four months from a refugee’s date of entry into the United States. Victims of Human Trafficking may also receive benefits under the RAP program. 0260.0101 Legal Basis (RAP) The legal basis for RAP is the Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA); The Refugee Act of 1980, The Trafficking Victims Protection Act and The William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008. The rules that govern the administration of Refugee cash and medical assistance programs can be found in 45 CFR 400 and 45 CFR 401. 0260.0102 Program Overview (RAP) The Refugee Act of 1980 and standardized resettlement services for refugees admitted to the United States, provided for regular and emergency admission of refugees and authorized federal assistance for refugee resettlement. RAP reimburses states for 100 percent of services provided to refugees and other eligible populations.