Restores benefits for cross-border Native Americans. A technicality in the welfare reform law made ineligible for benefits Native Americans born on either the Mexican or Canadian side of border Reservations. While the 1997 Balanced Budget Act restored SSI benefits to this population, they remained ineligible for food stamps. Many persons with disabilities who are unable to work rely on food stamp benefits to meet their basic food needs. Since the passage of the welfare bill and the loss of food stamp benefits, many non-citizens with disabilities had been unable to access adequate nutritional diets.
Many elderly persons rely on food stamps to meet their nutritional needs.
Food stamp benefits often protect elderly persons from having to choose between food and medicine. Since passage of the welfare reform law and the loss of food stamps, many elderly non-citizens could meet their basic dietary needs. The Food Stamp Program is the most important safety net for families with children, providing millions of children with access to an adequate diet. The welfare reform law made it very difficult for many families to provide adequate food for their children. Click here for FRAC's press release on the signing of the bill.