Homeland Security Extends TPS
for Somali Nationals
The Department of Homeland Security will extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nationals of Somalia for an additional 18 months. The extension means that TPS for Somali nationals will now expire on September 17, 2012.
TPS status allows people to live and work in the country legally, but does not offer a path to permanent citizenship. TPS opens the possibility of eligibility for some state public assistance programs. Generally, immigrants must have a legal permanent status or be a “qualified immigrant” to be eligible for federal public benefits such as SNAP (food stamps) or TAFDC. There are certain exceptions however, so we recommend expert consultation for any immigrant concerned with his/her eligibility for public benefits.
MA public assistance programs for which individuals granted temporary protected status may be eligible:
Medical
As aliens with special status, TPS recipients may be eligible for the following MassHealth programs:
- MassHealth Essential (for the elderly or disabled, if income under poverty level)
- MassHealth Family Assistance (for children under 19)
Also, they may be eligible for the following health programs for which there are no immigration status requirements:
- MassHealth Limited (emergency care only)
- Health Safety Net (reimbursement to acute hospitals and health care centers for care delivered to the uninsured)
- Healthy Start (prenatal care for pregnant women)
- Children’s Medical Security Plan (immunizations and primary care for children under the age of 19)
Cash Assistance
Some TPS recipients may be eligible for Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled and Children (EAEDC) cash benefits, administered through the MA Department of Transitional Assistance.
MA Driver’s license and MA ID
TPS recipients may be eligible for a driver’s license or MA ID card if they meet the state’s documentation requirements. Note, to meet the RMV’s Social Security Number (SSN) documentation requirement, in some cases, TPS recipients will first need to submit an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) as an identity document to the Social Security Administration, in order to have an SSN issued. Note: the estimated EAD processing time is 90 days.
See instructions for obtaining a driver’s license in the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) driver manual at: http://www.mass.gov/rmv/dmanual/chapter1.pdf
In-state Tuition
TPS recipients may be eligible for in-state tuition if they meet the state’s documentation requirements. See the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (MDHE) Residency Status for Tuition Classification Purposes at: http://www.mass.edu/library/Motions/2007/FAAP07-24.pdf . Note, there is a six month MA residency requirement for community college in-state tuition, and a twelve month MA residency requirement for state school and university in-state tuition.
Other Public Benefits available to MA immigrants regardless of immigration status:
- School lunch and breakfast
- WIC (supplemental food program for women, infants and children)
- Head Start
- Non-means tested benefits delivered at the community level, such as food pantries, homeless shelter, child protection services, and domestic violence, mental health and substance abuse treatment
Also see CRC guide “Programs without Immigration Requirements” (on www.mghsocialwork.org > Staff Access> Populations > Immigrants page).
-Adpated from “ DREAM Big: MIRA Bulletin, 23 November, 2010”, MIRA Coalition and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Health and Human Services Department website: http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=eohhs2terminal&L=5&L0=Home&L1=Consumer&L2=Multicultural+%26+Specific+Populations&L3=Refugees+and+Asylees&L4=Benefits+Available+to+Refugees+Resettled+in+Massachusetts&sid=Eeohhs2&b=terminalcontent&f=ori_c_haitian_tps&csid=Eeohhs2.
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