WAC 182-507-0130 Refugee medical assistance (RMA)

Effective September 6, 2025

You are eligible for refugee medical assistance (RMA) if all the following conditions are met. You: Meet immigration status requirements of WAC 182-507-0135; Have countable resources below $2,000 on the date of application; Have countable income equal to or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) on the date of application. The following income is not considered when determining eligibility for RMA: Resettlement cash payments made by a resettlement agency; Income of a sponsor is not counted unless the sponsor is also part of your assistance unit; and Income received after the date of application. Provide the name of the resettlement agency which helped bring you to the United States so that the department of social and health services (DSHS) can promptly notify the resettlement agency (or sponsor) about the medical application.

If you receive refugee cash assistance (RCA) you are eligible for RMA if you have countable resources below $2,000 on the date of application and you are not otherwise eligible for another medicaid or a children's health care program as described in WAC 182-505-0210. You do not have to apply for or receive RCA in order to qualify for RMA.

You are not eligible to receive RMA if you are: Already eligible for another medicaid or a children's health care program as described in WAC 182-505-0210; A full-time student in an institution of higher education unless the educational activity is part of a DSHS-approved individual responsibility plan (IRP); or A nonrefugee spouse of a refugee.

If approved for RMA, the agency or its designee issue an approval letter in both English and your primary language. The agency or its designee also sends a notice every time there are any changes or actions taken which affect your eligibility for RMA.

You may be eligible for RMA coverage of medical expenses incurred during the three months prior to the first day of the month of the application. Eligibility determination will be made according to medicaid rules.

If you are a victim of human trafficking you must provide the following documentation and meet the eligibility requirements in subsections (1) and (2) of this section to be eligible for RMA: Adults, 18 years of age or older, must provide the original certification letter from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). No other documentation is needed. The eligibility period will be determined based on the entry date on your certification letter; A child victim under the age of 18 does not need to be certified. DHHS issues a special letter for children. Children also have to meet income eligibility requirements; A family member of a certified victim of human trafficking must have a T-2, T-3, T-4, T-5 or T-6 visa (derivative T-Visas), and the family member must meet eligibility requirements in subsections (1) and (2) of this section.

The entry date for an asylee is the date that asylum status is granted. For example, you entered the United States on December 1, 1999, as a tourist, then applied for asylum on April 1, 2000, interviewed with the asylum office on July 1, 2000, and were granted asylum on September 1, 2000. The date of entry is September 1, 2000, and that is the date used to establish eligibility for RMA.

RMA certification period. (a) RMA ends on either: The last day of the eighth month from the month the person entered the United States if they entered the United States on or before September 30, 2021. For example, if they entered the United States on September 30, 2021, they are eligible through April 30, 2022; The last day of the 12th month from the month the person entered the United States if they entered the United States on or after October 1, 2021, through May 4, 2025. For example, if they entered the United States on October 25, 2021, they are eligible through September 30, 2022; or The last day of the fourth month from the month the person entered the United States if they entered the United States on or after May 5, 2025. For example, if they entered the United States on June 20, 2025, they are eligible through September 30, 2025. The number of months you may receive RMA benefits could change if the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement changes the eligibility period.

If you are approved for RMA you are continuously eligible through the end of the initial RMA certification period, regardless of an increase in income.

The agency, or its designee, determines eligibility for medicaid and other medical programs for your spouse when the spouse arrives in the United States. If the spouse is not eligible for medicaid due to your countable income, the spouse is still eligible for RMA under subsection (8) of this section.

If you disagree with a decision or action taken on the case by the agency, or its designee, you have the right to request a review of the case action(s) or request an administrative hearing (see chapter 182-526 WAC). The request must be received by the agency, or its designee, within 90 days of the date of the decision or action.

This is a reprint of the official rule as published by the Office of the Code Reviser . If there are previous versions of this rule, they can be found using the Legislative Search page .