What is Welfare?
Welfare includes programs and services aimed at meeting the basic financial and material needs of people. These include:
Cash Assistance
Cash Assistance programs provide low-income individuals and families with financial resources to help meet their basic needs. There are two types of Cash Assistance:
- Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
- General Assistance
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) is the most common form of cash assistance. TANF is a program that was created in 1996 by the Personal Responsibilities and Work Opportunities Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), and it replaced AFDC. Eligibility for TANF is determined by income, resources, and family composition.
Most adult welfare consumers are required to participate in a "work activity" for a specified numbers of hours per week. After participating for 5 years, TANF families are expected to become self-sufficient and stop receiving TANF.
In PA, a family can extend their time on TANF through these programs:
25% of TANF cases are child-only, meaning that benefits are given to support the child alone, not the child's guardian(s).
General Assistance (GA) is cash assistance for persons with disabilities or individuals who are in some other categories. Generally, there are no time limits for General Assistance. However domestic violence and drug/alcohol treatment eligibility are usually each only for 9 months in a lifetime.
Medical Assistance (MA)
Medical Assistance, run by the Department of Welfare (DPW), is for low-income families, elderly persons and persons with disabilities. Individuals enrolled in Medicaid receive an ACCESS card, which is shown to providers who accept Medicaid payments.
There are different eligibility requirements for Medicaid based on age, disability, medical needs, and income. Anyone who receives the following benefits is automatically eligible for Medicaid without filing a separate application:
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- General Assistance (GA)
- Refugee Cash Assistance
- State Blind Pension
- State Subsidized Adoption
- Title IV-E Foster Care
- Received TANF for at least three of the previous six months prior to losing eligibility because of an increase in income from employment or the receipt of child support.
Anyone who receives TANF, GA, or SSI generally receives full MA benefits, which pay for doctors, hospital visits, prescriptions and most other medical expenses.
A person who receives TANF or SSI, may also get dental care and medical supplies. MA coverage will pay for medical bills retroactively up to three calendar months before you applied.
Leaving cash assistance: If a person leaves TANF because their earnings are too high, the family is usually still eligible for Medical Assistance for one year under the Extended Medical Coverage (EMC) program. For the first six months, they are eligible regardless of what their income is. For the second six months, the family is eligible as long as their monthly income is below 185% ($2,647 for a family of 3 in 2007) of the federal poverty level. To get Extended Medical Coverage, a person must tell their caseworker that they are leaving welfare for work.
A person may qualify for Medical Assistance even if they never received cash welfare.
Apply for MA at the local County Assistance Office. The requirements are:
- U.S. citizen or lawfully admitted non-citizen
- Resident of Pennsylvania
- Meet income and resource guidelines for either full MA benefits or limited MA benefits
TIP: There are many different MA programs for people in different situations. If you do not qualify under one category, you may qualify under another. If someone tells you that you don’t qualify under one category, be sure to ask about others.
The income and resource guidelines to qualify for full MA benefits are similar to those for TANF. However, if you don’t qualify for full MA benefits, you may qualify for one of the following programs:
- Limited MA benefits or Medically Needy Only (MNO) program: People with slightly higher incomes can qualify for limited MA benefits. MNO pays for doctor visits, tests, hospitalization and certain specialty services. It does not pay for prescription drugs, medical equipment or adult dental care.
For limited MA benefits, eligibility is determined six months at a time, and is based on the person or family’s expected income for the next six months. - Medical Assistance for Workers with Disabilities (MAWD): For people receiving SSI/SSDI or who have an impairment/condition that meets DPW's Medical Review Team's definition of disability, working and earning compensation.
- Medical Assistance for Workers with a Medically Improved Condition (MAWMIC):For people who received or could have received MAWD (see above), but are now medically improved and working 40 hours per month at minimum wage or higher.
To find out if you are eligible for these programs or how you can apply, call:
| Information and Referral Service for Children’s Health Insurance Program | 1-800-986-5437 |
| Your Local County Assistance Office | Look-up |
| Consumer Health Coalition | 412-456-1877 |
| Pennsylvania Health Law Project | 412-434-5779 |
State Health Insurance Programs:
- Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP): For children in low-income families which earn too much to qualify for full or limited MA benefits. Coverage can be free or subsidized, depending on family's income and child’s age.
- Adult Basic Health Insurance (adultBasic): A program for adults between the ages of 19 and 64 who do not qualify for Medicare or Medicaid coverage. To be eligible, the family must:
- Be residents of PA for at least 90 days
- Have been without health insurance for 90 days prior to enrollment, except if they or their spouse lost health insurance coverage because they are no longer employed.
- Meet low-income requirements (In 2006, the maximum was $19,600 for a single person, and $33,200 for a family of 3)
Other
Other forms of assistance include:
- Energy assistance (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program - LIHEAP)
LIHEAP offers low-income families cash grants, which are sent to the utility provider, or crisis grants, for situations that endanger a family of having no heat such as broken equipment, fuel shortages, or service shut-offs. - Subsidized Child Care (Child Care Works)
For families who earn less than 200% of the poverty level, and work 20 hours a week, Child Care Works will help cover the cost of child care. Families still have to make a small co-payment ($5-$25) and the state will pay the rest ($75-$95 per week per child). - For a list of more services, visit the Department of Public Welfare's Website
