Refugee Cash and Medical Assistance (RCA/RMA) for Cuban and Haitian entrants, refugees and asylees: 12 months from the eligibility date

Refugee Cash and Medical Assistance (RCA/RMA): 12 months from the eligibility date

Short answer (as of October 8, 2026): the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) set the time limit for Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) and Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA) at 12 months in a Federal Register correction published October 1, 2026. It applies to people whose ORR eligibility date is on or after January 1, 2026. The correction tells “Recipients” (the July notice addressed “States”) to implement it within 30 days of October 1, 2026 (by about October 31). ORR’s own fact sheets still said four months when we checked them on October 8, 2026 — the Federal Register notices, not the fact sheets, set the period.

ORR’s Cash & Medical Assistance page says people in its eligible populations “determined ineligible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and/or Medicaid are eligible for time-limited RCA and/or RMA from their date of eligibility.” This page starts with Cuban and Haitian entrants, then covers the other groups ORR serves.

Who the programs cover — Cuban and Haitian entrants first

Cuban and Haitian entrants

The Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980, §501(e) (printed as a note to 8 U.S.C. 1522), defines a “Cuban and Haitian entrant” as:

1. “any individual granted parole status as a Cuban/Haitian Entrant (Status Pending) or granted any other special status subsequently established under the immigration laws for nationals of Cuba or Haiti, regardless of the status of the individual at the time assistance or services are provided”; and
2. “any other national of Cuba or Haiti” who (i) “was paroled into the United States and has not acquired any other status” under the Immigration and Nationality Act, (ii) “is the subject of removal proceedings,” or (iii) “has an application for asylum pending” — and “with respect to whom a final, nonappealable, and legally enforceable order of removal has not been entered.”

ORR’s regulation for entrants, 45 CFR 401.12, says cash and medical assistance “shall be provided to Cuban and Haitian entrants by the same agencies, under the same conditions, and to the same extent as such assistance is provided to refugees.” Everything below about refugees therefore applies to entrants in the same way.

Two points from ORR’s Policy Letter 16-01 Documentation Guide matter for entrants:

• A green card does not end entrant status for this purpose. For the CH6 adjustment code on the I-551, the guide says: “Even after a Cuban/Haitian Entrant (Status Pending) becomes a permanent resident, he/she is still considered to be a Cuban and Haitian entrant.”
• TPS alone is not entrant status. The guide says TPS “is not a ‘special status’ for Cuban/Haitian Entrant purposes,” but a Haitian TPS holder whose I-94 or entry document shows a later re-entry in “parole” “may” qualify as an entrant through that parole.

The other groups ORR serves

45 CFR 400.43 lists the statuses that make a person eligible: paroled as a refugee or asylee under INA section 212(d)(5); admitted as a refugee under section 207; granted asylum under section 208; Cuban and Haitian entrants; certain Amerasians from Vietnam; and people admitted for permanent residence who previously held one of those statuses. ORR’s eligibility page (updated September 18, 2026) lists its current populations as refugees, Amerasians, asylees, Cuban and Haitian entrants, Afghan and Iraqi special immigrants, certain Afghan humanitarian parolees, certain Ukrainian humanitarian parolees, victims of human trafficking and eligible unaccompanied children.

Asylum applicants are not on the list. 45 CFR 400.44: “An applicant for asylum is not eligible for assistance under title IV of the Act unless otherwise provided by Federal law.” ORR adds that it “does not serve asylum-seekers unless the asylum-seeker is a member of an otherwise eligible population.” A Cuban or Haitian national with a pending asylum application is that kind of member, because the entrant definition above names that person.

RCA and RMA: what each one is

Three rules connect the two programs:

• Medicaid comes first. 45 CFR 400.94(d): “If the appropriate State agency determines that the refugee applicant is not eligible for Medicaid or SCHIP under its State plans, the State must determine the applicant’s eligibility for refugee medical assistance.”
• RMA does not require RCA. 45 CFR 400.100(c): the state agency “may not require that a refugee actually receive or apply for refugee cash assistance as a condition of eligibility for refugee medical assistance.”
• RCA recipients who cannot get Medicaid get RMA. 45 CFR 400.100(d): “All recipients of refugee cash assistance who are not eligible for Medicaid or SCHIP are eligible for refugee medical assistance.”

The Medicaid side changed on October 1, 2026. As our Medicaid page explains, Public Law 119-21, sec. 71109 limits federal financial participation to citizens and nationals, lawful permanent residents, Cuban/Haitian entrants and COFA migrants. Entrants stay inside that list. For the groups outside it, the sequence in 45 CFR 400.94(d) is what sends a person found ineligible for Medicaid or CHIP to the RMA determination — within the time limit, and subject to the other RMA rules.

How long: from 36 months to 12

The statute allows up to 36 months: 8 U.S.C. 1522(e)(1) authorizes full federal reimbursement of cash and medical assistance “during the thirty-six month period beginning with the first month in which such refugee has entered the United States.” The regulation leaves the actual number to ORR: under 45 CFR 400.211(a) the period “will be determined by the Director each year, based on appropriated funds available for the fiscal year,” and at later points in the fiscal year “only if a reduction in the eligibility period is indicated.” The 12-month figure can therefore change again.

The July 14, 2026 notice gives the history in its own words: “Initially, ORR provided these benefits for up to 36 months after arrival. Due to funding constraints, the eligibility period was subsequently reduced to 18 months, then 12 months, and to 8 months in FY 1992. The 8-month eligibility period remained in place for 30 years until FY 2022, when ORR expanded eligibility to 12 months.”

The 2025 cut. The March 2025 notice announced “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,” adding that ORR “must shorten the RCA and RMA eligibility period to four months to avoid a significant budget shortfall.” (The July 2026 notice cites that document as dated March 31, 2025; the Federal Register’s own record of 90 FR 13370 shows March 21, 2025.)

The July 2026 increase. Paragraph 6 of the July 14 notice: “ORR-eligible individuals whose eligibility date is on or after January 1, 2026, will be eligible for up to 8 months of RCA and RMA, provided they meet all applicable eligibility requirements under 45 CFR part 400 Subparts E and G.” The same paragraph says that for people who received fewer months because of the four-month limit, “States or Replacement Designees (RDs) may provide additional months of assistance … if the individual remains eligible for benefits at the time the additional assistance is provided,” or may issue retroactive payments for unpaid months in which the state finds the person met every requirement. The verb is may, not must. Paragraph 7 adds: “Nothing in this notice is intended to allow payment for any month in which an individual did not meet all eligibility requirements in effect for RCA or RMA.”

The October 2026 correction. FR Doc. 2026-20111: “After further review of the considerations listed 45 CFR 400.211, ORR determined that the eligibility period should be 12 months. This submission is to correct the time eligibility period to 12 months for both programs.” It directs readers to “correct all references to the 8-month eligibility period to 12 months” in the July notice. Its DATES line: “Recipients should implement this change to the RCA and RMA eligibility time period within 30 days of this publication in the Federal Register, consistent with 45 CFR 400.211(b).”

When the clock starts

The months run from the ORR eligibility date, not from the date of the application. For entrants, 45 CFR 401.12(c) counts from the first month in which the person “was first issued documentation” by immigration authorities showing parole, voluntary departure status, or that the person’s residence in a U.S. community is known to the government. ORR’s documentation guide adds: “the date of grant of the initial parole and not the date of the subsequent parole is the entry date for eligibility for ORR benefits and services,” and the same holds when a person was paroled first and placed in removal proceedings later — the initial parole date controls. ORR’s entrant fact sheet says the assistance is “limited to a period of time from your date of ORR eligibility.”

How much RCA pays

The amount depends on where the person lives. ORR’s Cash & Medical Assistance page (updated September 14, 2026) says “RCA benefits are generally equivalent to public cash benefit levels established by state governments” and that “RCA processes and benefit amounts differ by location.” Each state or replacement designee describes its program in a state plan and budget estimate submitted to ORR each year. We do not list dollar amounts on this page; ORR’s CMA page says to contact the State Refugee Coordinator “for information about RCA in your state.”

How to apply

• Indiana application route: Indiana’s Division of Family Resources says qualifying refugee-status individuals living in Indiana can apply for cash and medical benefits through Benefits Portal (in.gov), linked from its Refugee Services page (checked October 23, 2026).

• Where: ORR’s eligibility page says “Individuals can be screened for eligibility at a state government benefits office or local ORR-funded agencies providing services.” Its entrant fact sheet says Cuban/Haitian entrants “can sign up at the state government benefits office or closest resettlement agency in your state beginning on or after the date that you qualify as a Cuban/Haitian Entrant.”

• Who to call: ORR says to “contact your State Refugee Coordinator for information about RCA in your state” and about RMA. ORR’s contacts page (updated September 30, 2026) notes that ORR “is updating its state-by-state listing of local resettlement providers” and, meanwhile, points to the State Refugee Coordinator.

• What to bring (entrants): ORR’s entrant fact sheet lists proof of entrant eligibility “and the date you received it,” including: an I-94 noting parole; a DHS form showing a Notice to Appear, an Order of Release on Recognizance or another removal-proceedings form; a form from an immigration judge or USCIS showing a pending asylum application; an Employment Authorization Document with certain codes; or other federal documentation of eligibility. ORR’s documentation guide names, among others, Form I-862 (Notice to Appear), Form I-220A (Order of Release on Recognizance), and EADs (Form I-766) with codes A04 or C11 for paroled Cuban and Haitian nationals. The fact sheet says its list “does not include all types of documentation.”

• Notice and hearing rights: under 45 CFR 400.54(a), “A written notice must be sent or provided to a recipient at least 10 days before the date upon which refugee cash assistance will be reduced, suspended, or terminated,” and the notice must state the action, the reasons and “the right to request a hearing.”

State program websites listed by ORR

ORR’s Key State Contacts page (updated September 18, 2026) lists a State Refugee Coordinator and a program website for 49 states and the District of Columbia; Wyoming is not on that page. The table below includes only the websites from ORR’s list that answered our link check on October 8, 2026. Several of the listed websites belong to non-government organizations rather than state agencies. For every other state, and for coordinator phone numbers, use ORR’s state list directly.

Why ORR changed the period

ORR’s July 14, 2026 notice gives its reasons: “ORR received a full-year appropriation at the FY 2024 enacted level, resulting in greater available funding than previously anticipated. In addition, actual arrival trends are lower than earlier projections.” It continues: “But, at the same time, recent legislative changes have limited access to certain government benefits for some ORR-eligible populations, increasing reliance on ORR-funded assistance during the initial resettlement period. These changes are expected to increase participation in ORR benefits, including RMA.” The notice does not name the legislation. Our pages on Medicaid, SNAP and the 2025 law’s immigration provisions cover the benefit changes from Public Law 119-21 with their own sources.

What these sources do not answer

• Per-state payment amounts. ORR’s CMA page says amounts differ by location and does not list them; we did not publish any.
• How a state handles months already paid under the four-month limit. The July 2026 notice says states “may” provide additional months or retroactive payments; neither 2026 notice says what any one state will do. Ask the state program.
• Whether a Cuban or Haitian national whose parole was terminated still counts as an entrant. The definition covers a national who “was paroled … and has not acquired any other status”; we found no ORR guidance on terminated parole in the documents listed in this page’s sources and do not answer the question either way. See our page on the CHNV parole termination for the litigation.

Related information

• Public benefits for immigrants — the federal eligibility rules by status
• Medicaid for immigrants — the October 1, 2026 change to federal funding
• CHIP — health coverage for children
• SNAP (food stamps)
• Public benefits eligibility — the cases
• Refugee admissions suspension (USRAP)
• Community health centers by state — care with sliding-scale fees
• Free and discounted hospital care by state
• Healthcare access regardless of immigration status
• Housing by immigration status

Last verified: 2026-10-08.

General procedural information for educational purposes. Not legal, tax, or immigration advice. Laws and fees change — verify with the issuing agency before taking action. For case-specific guidance, consult a licensed immigration attorney or other appropriate professional.