ORR shortens refugee cash and medical assistance eligibility to four months

Validated finding · five-country-2010-20260922-v118-evidence-presentation-fix

CountryUnited States

Operative dateMay 5, 2025

CategoryHumanitarian

Policy toolBenefits

Affected groupNew applicants

Policy effect

The Office of Refugee Resettlement announced that refugee cash assistance and refugee medical assistance eligibility would be reduced from 12 months to four months for participants becoming eligible after the transition period.

Conditions and exceptions

Validated condition or limit: The Office of Refugee Resettlement announced that refugee cash assistance and refugee medical assistance eligibility would be reduced from 12 months to four months for participants becoming eligible after the transition period.

Official source excerpt

Quoted verbatim from the official source below. Ellipses indicate omitted text.

Children and Families (ACF), HHS. ACTION: Notice of change of eligibility period. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: In accordance with ORR regulations, the Director of ORR is announcing the shortening of the Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) and Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA) eligibility period from 12 months to four months of assistance for participants who become eligible for ORR benefits 45 days after publication of this notice. For 30 years, ORR had not increased the RCA and RMA eligibility period. In 2022, during a surge in refugee admissions, ORR increased the eligibility period from eight months to 12 months. ORR has determined that it must shorten the RCA and RMA eligibility period to four months to avoid a significant budget shortfall. DATES: The changes described in this Federal Register notice are effective 45 days after the date of publication--exceeding the minimum permitted by 45 CFR 400.211(b). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Colleen Mahar-Piersma, Refugee Policy Unit, Division of Policy and Procedures, Office of the Director, Office of Refugee Resettlement, Administration for Children and Families, by phone at (202) 260-5493, … eligibility period will only come into effect for those individuals who become eligible in the future. Refugees whose date of eligibility for ORR benefits is on or after 45 days following publication of this notice are subject to the shortened RCA and RMA eligibility period. (Authority: 45 CFR 400.211) Angie Salazar, Acting Director, Office of Refugee Resettlement. [FR Doc. 2025-04839 Filed 3-20-25; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4184-45-P </pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body> </html> ``` …

Federal Register 90 FR 13370Federal Register 90 FR 13370. ORR shortens refugee cash and medical assistance eligibility to four months. Effective 2025-05-05.Open official source

Retrieved from https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/03/21/2025-04839/office-of-refugee-resettlement-notice-of-change-of-eligibility

Review method

Two separate automated exact-claim source reviews

Automated source validation is not independent human legal review. The finding should not be treated as legal advice. Record fcp-32d5e294d7d50a6121bf. Something wrong? Flag this record.

ORR shortens refugee cash and medical assistance eligibility to four months

Policy effect

Conditions and exceptions

Official source excerpt

Review method

Other United States changes operative in 2025