Also, in the winter of 1997-98, INS officials began asking legal permanent residents returning from trips abroad whether they or their children had ever received government benefits, including Medicaid. These policies led immigrants to desert government benefit programs in large numbers. In addition, because farmworkers earn the bulk of their income in a concentrated portion of the year, the typical process of determining eligibility by looking at the past two-months income may disqualify some needy children whose parents' income spiked during that time period. Fortunately, efforts to overcome immigration concerns are underway. To get out the word on its new policy, INS is attending community meetings, airing public service announcements, and issuing brochures in many foreign languages.
States also have options that can simplify the process for enrolling farmworker children.
Inc. This article appeared in the March 2000 issue of Closing the Gap, a publication of the Office of Minority Health. US Department of Health and Human Services, and is reprinted with permission.