Use This Form To Apply For All Child Benefit Programs: Fill & Download for Free

The paperwork was a surprise. Not that there would BE paperwork, but that it’s so complicated and intrusive, I can’t manage to fill it out, and as an English speaker, there is no assistance available. So I don’t receive aid I qualify for. Just Medicaid. (I managed TANF and SNAP for a couple years before it became too hard to do paperwork.)Also, it took so many years for the doctors to figure out what rare conditions I have, that by the time they were able to give a diagnosis, I no longer had any “qualifying work credits.” I was disabled but working, then a car accident, disabled and not working, but with no clear or even unclear relationship between the accident and the worsening of my condition. It’s still a mystery, despite an uncountable number of drs.And then there’s the 5 year lifetime limit on SNAP, aka food stamps, and other welfare programs of that nature in the US.At the time I applied for SNAP, I had one child. I signed an agreement for TANF & SNAP saying I’m aware that if I have any other children in the future, they will not qualify for benefits. I’m surprised how many people are unaware that this law now exists.After working and earning a good income, it was so humiliating to apply for services. But I had a child, so I did it for him.I struggled to continue working, in denial about the severity of my medical condition, but still couldn’t get the credits or diagnosis. I was a Sole Propietor, paying the entire 15% to FICA. On very little actual income-not enough to earn credits for SSDI. (I qualify for SSI, but I can’t do the paperwork and there is no one to help.)Most important, I learned that what I worked so hard to be able to do, all the years of high quality education, to increase my ability to earn a high income, could be taken away from me (as assets) in an instant. A car accident where I was a passenger, hit by a drunk driver who was never charged. That accident pushed my ability to work with a disability past the point of no return.Second most important, I learned that since I don’t like lemonade, when life hands out the lemons, I choose to make cake. (If you don’t get my joke-it’s that humor is important. ;)And third, I learned to want what I have. To prevent “wanting” things I can’t afford, I don’t bother to look. For my birthday this year? I can think of nothing to request that could be given. I have what I need, from family. Possessions, I still have more than I can use. Perhaps help getting paperwork done for SSI to ease the financial burden on my mom would be nice.For the curious, I was eventually diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, as the main things. Mix in a little fibromyalgia and some scoliosis and a heaping helping of Generalized Anxiety, and you’ve got a recipe to apply for welfare! Except that you can’t because that’s what you’ve got ;) Too much disability to apply for disability! Add the child, too much responsibility to hand off that responsibility.My wish to all who read this: May you never learn any of it first hand.

Not really. And I’d like to hit on a couple of specific misconceptions here.“Native Americans receive money from the government.”Native American nations received federal grant dollars in the EXACT same way as states. But, nobody says simplistically, “Americans/states get money from the government!”But, this very thing is said about tribal nations and Native American individuals. This seems to be part of the time-honored tradition of generalizing, simplifying and stereotyping Native people.If you want to really get down to brass tacks on this, I’ll explain how it works.Tribal nations run the same type of programs that states do, and they have very similar regulations involving eligilbity and grant fund use. This money comes out of the federal budget and goes to states AND tribes, because they are both operating programs that are paid into by the American people. And the grant outlays represent services that are extended to citizens of the nation.So, take Child Support Enforcement, for example.This is a program that all 50 states (and some territories) operate, and involves the collection and dispersal of child support money. So, states get grant dollars from the federal government, and they also put in a certain amount of state funds into the pot as well, and they serve the citizens of their state. The program budget is comprised of a number of line items – such as, salaries and benefits of Child Support officers, subcontractors, overhead costs, office space, equipment, supplies, etc. Native American tribal members living off reservation, paying into taxes (yes, all Natives pay federal tax, and those living off res pay all associated state taxes) who are involved in the child support system might get services from the state. However, tribes can choose to operate their own Child Support Enforcement programs. Their budget depends on the tribal population to be served and the costs already described above. This amount – in the form of a federal grant – is then backed out of the state grant, accordingly, and sent to the tribe.Why?Because they are now serving their own people. And these people would have been going to the state for services if the tribe hadn’t set up their own program.So, it’s basically the same amount of federal dollars involved. These grant funds come from federal revenue, which is paid into by Native Americans too (did I mention all Natives pay taxes?). Oh yeah, the CSE program also has a tribal match requirement. That means that tribes, without the benefit of the tax enforcement regimes that states might enjoy, are required to contribute a certain percentage of the overall program budget. This is also referred to as tribal “hard dollars.” I believe it’s something like 25-30%.Anyway, this is just one grant. Almost all grants that go to tribes are like this. For any one “tribal grant” you will likely find the same or a mirrored program within the states. People might point out the Higher Ed grants for Native students, for example. Well, it’s not much different than the Pell Grant. Yet, how many people say, “Americans get free college?” ‘Cause many people sure as shit say that about Natives.The other thing I’d like to mention is the eagle feather exemption.There is a federal law broadly prohibiting or restricting the possession of eagle feathers (and parts). However, Natives are exempted from this law, based on religious considerations.But, to provide more detail or context, consider there are other exemptions extended to various groups based on religious practices. For example, giving alcohol to minors (under 21) could be illegal in many - if not most - cases. But, sacramental wine is regularly consumed by youth in some Christian churches in this country. You don’t even need a permit for that. As a point of comparison, Natives that want to legally possess eagle feathers are required to apply for a permit from the Department of the Interior.There are other example of exemption to federal law, based on religious practices.See:As U.S. struggles with health reform, the Amish go theirown wayIn any event, even some non-Native people can apply for permits to possess eagles or part. Many institutions and wildlife educators/specialists have such permits. Heck, you can even be a certified falconer and keep live birds!Anyway, Natives don’t usually kill eagles for these feathers or parts (for some tribes that is highly taboo, and would have even represented a capital offense in earlier times). They usually find them after they have died, either through natural or man-made causes (e.g. hit by wind turbines, vehicles, caught on wires and fences, etc.) In fact, the majority of feathers that might be acquired come through the national eagle repository in Colorado. This is all tightly controlled and regulated.The waiting list for a full eagle is like 3–5 years last time I checked. A dozen nice feathers might take 1–2 years. A collection of miscellaneous loose feathers (variety) might be about 6 months to a year. A single feather requested for a graduation might be fulfilled in, say, 3–6 months.Having our native eagle population decimated while trying to maintain our traditional religious practices is not a “special right.” It’s a matter of living in a colonial-settler state.

found this online … but read the whole thing… it says no, but there are so many ways that they can… Fact Sheet: Immigrants and Public BenefitsAugust 21, 2018Are undocumented immigrants eligible for federal public benefit programs?Generally no. Undocumented immigrants, including DACA holders, are ineligible to receive most federal public benefits, including means-tested benefits such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, sometimes referred to as food stamps), regular Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Undocumented immigrants are ineligible for health care subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and are prohibited from purchasing unsubsidized health coverage on ACA exchanges.Undocumented immigrants may be eligible for a handful of benefits that are deemed necessary to protect life or guarantee safety in dire situations, such as emergency Medicaid, access to treatment in hospital emergency rooms, or access to healthcare and nutrition programs under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).Are legal immigrants eligible for federal public benefit programs?Only those with lawful permanent resident (LPR) status, but not until they have resided as a legal resident for five years. LPRs – sometimes referred to as green card holders – do not have full access to all public benefit programs and are subject to limitations before being eligible for federal means-tested benefits, including Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), TANF, SNAP, and SSI. Such limitations include the “five-year bar,” which requires the individual to have maintained LPR status in the U.S. for five years before being eligible for benefits. However, under some federal benefit programs, this requirement can be bypassed when the recipient has worked 40 quarters under a visa. Quarters worked by parents when the immigrant was a dependent child, or by a spouse while married to the immigrant, count towards the immigrant’s 40 quarters.LPRs are eligible to apply for Medicare and Public/“Section 8” Housing as well, as long as the five-year bar is fulfilled. For LPRs to become eligible for Social Security benefits for both retirement and disability, they are required to have completed 40 quarters of work in addition to having maintained LPR status for five years.Certain additional categories of immigrants, specifically refugees, asylum seekers, and victims of human trafficking or domestic violence have the same eligibility requirements for federal benefits as LPRs. Individuals on non-immigrant and temporary visa holders are ineligible for benefits.Are immigrants eligible for state benefit programs?In some states, yes. Twenty-six states make immigrants eligible for state-funded benefit programs. Most of these states either offer assistance to families or provide access to healthcare to otherwise uninsured immigrants. Examples of these programs are New York’s Safety Net Assistance, California’s CalFresh Food Assistance Program, and California’s Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI).What is the protocol for “mixed-status families,” i.e., undocumented parents with citizen children?Like any U.S.-born citizen, U.S. citizen children of undocumented parents can received federal benefits if they meet eligibility requirements without penalty. Similarly, the child’s eligibility does not change their parents’ or any other family members’ eligibility for that benefit.How much do legal immigrants use federal public benefit programs?Legal immigrants use federal public benefit programs at lower rates than U.S.-born citizens. As recently as 2013, the rate at which non-citizens have used public benefit programs was less than that of U.S.-born citizens. For example, 32.5 percent of native-born citizen adults receive SNAP benefits compared to 25.4 percent of naturalized citizen adults and 29 percent of noncitizen adults. In addition to immigrants’ lower rate of SNAP usage, they also receive lower benefit values, costing the program less.