130 CMR, § 522.002 - Refugee Resettlement Program
(A)
Regulatory Authority. The Refugee Resettlement Program
(RRP) is regulated pursuant to Chapter 2 of Title IV of the Immigration and
Nationality Act (INA),
8
U.S.C. 1521
et seq. and
Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA) is provided in accordance with 45 CFR 400
Subpart G.
(B)
Overview.
(1) The RRP
was established by the Refugee Act of 1980. The Refugee Act of 1980 authorizes
funds for the administration and implementation of social and educational
services and employment training and placement, as well as cash assistance and
medical assistance to refugees without regard to race, religion, nationality,
sex, or political opinion. It is the intent of the Refugee Act of 1980 to
promote the resettlement and economic self-sufficiency of refugees within the
shortest time frame possible.
(2)
The Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants (ORI) is the state agency
responsible for the delivery of services to refugees under the RRP. ORI has
entered into an agreement with the MassHealth agency to provide RMA to eligible
individuals. Refugee resettlement agencies under contract with ORI make the RRP
eligibility determination and assist refugees to submit an application for
MassHealth.
(C)
Eligibility Requirements. Individuals must submit an
application for MassHealth and meet the following requirements:
(1) have valid documentation of refugee,
asylee, Cuban and Haitian entrant, Iraqi and Afghan Special Immigrant Visa
(SIV) holder, or Amerasian status from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS); or of victim of human trafficking status from the Federal
Administration for Children and Families or USCIS;
(2) be a resident of Massachusetts;
(3) have modified adjusted gross income of
the MassHealth MAGI household that is less than 200% of the
federal-poverty-level (FPL) standards or meet a deductible in accordance with
130 CMR
520.028 through
520.035;
and
(4) be ineligible for
MassHealth Standard, Common Health, Care Plus, and Family
Assistance.
(D)
Period of Eligibility.
(1)
Eight-month Eligibility
Period. A refugee who meets the eligibility requirements of RMA is
eligible to receive MassHealth Standard or Care Plus for an eight-month period
beginning with the date of entry into the United States.
(2)
End of Eight-month
Eligibility Period. A refugee who has been in the country for
eight months from his or her date of entry is no longer eligible for MassHealth
under the refugee resettlement program. Such refugee will be notified in
advance of termination.
(3)
Extended MassHealth Eligibility. A refugee who becomes
ineligible for MassHealth solely by reason of increased earnings from
employment or increased hours of employment will have coverage for the balance
of the eight-month period.
Notes
State regulations are updated quarterly; we currently have two versions available. Below is a comparison between our most recent version and the prior quarterly release. More comparison features will be added as we have more versions to compare.
No prior version found.