Refugee Public Assistance Refugee public assistance involves two programs - refugee cash assistance and refugee medical assistance.
Refugees are eligible for eight months after arrival in the country.
Eligibility criteria parallel the state s Medicaid and welfare programs. Application for this assistance is made at the local department of social services. Refugees are a special group of immigrants who are admitted into the United States because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. These individuals enter the United States legally as a refugee pursuant to Section 207 of the Immigration and Naturalization Act. For the most part, refugees cannot return home because of the danger they would face upon returning.