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West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual Chapter 15

West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual Page 78 Chapter 15 Noncitizens, Refugees, and Citizenship

Except for the provisions stated in this chapter, the eligibility requirements for the Refugee Medical Assistance Program are the same as for regular Medicaid. If a refugee or asylee who is receiving refugee medical assistance receives increased earnings from employment, the increased earnings shall not affect the refugee/asylee’s continued medical assistance eligibility. The refugee/asylee shall continue to receive refugee medical assistance until he reaches the end of his time-eligibility period for refugee medical assistance, in accordance with CFR 400.100(b). In cases where a refugee/asylee obtains private medical coverage, any payment of RMA for that individual must be reduced by the amount of the third- party payment. 15.8.9 SNAP ELIGIBILITY All refugees/asylees who apply for SNAP are considered as noncitizens lawfully admitted for permanent residence and are to be treated as any other SNAP applicant. However, participation is limited to five years from entry into the U.S. For asylees only, the 40 Qualifying Quarters requirement is waived for the first seven years from granting of asylum status. 15.8.10 REFERRALS FOR SERVICE The Worker will contact CCWVA for all refugees and asylees, approved or denied for any program, and submit it to the SAVE Coordinator and the Refugee Resettlement Program. The Department of Human Services has a purchase-of-services contract with Catholic Charities of West Virginia (CCWVA). The purpose of this agreement is to provide necessary services to enable the refugee/asylee to become self-sufficient as soon as possible. Emphasis is placed on employment services, job placement, ESL training, counseling, translation by the bilingual staff, and cultural adjustment. After the initial referral to the SAVE Coordinator, all referrals pertaining to service needs or to the refugee/asylee's refusal to cooperate with WorkForce West Virginia by refusing to participate in any available and appropriate training programs, employment programs, or ESL classes, will be made directly to CCWVA at the address below. This may be done by utilizing form DFA-REF-1 or a phone call. CCWVA will respond to the local worker after counseling the refugee/asylee or providing the service requested.