PDFWAC 182-507-0130

Refugee medical assistance (RMA).

(1) You are eligible for refugee medical assistance (RMA) if all the following conditions are met. You:
(a) Meet immigration status requirements of WAC 182-507-0135;
(b) Have countable resources below one thousand dollars on the date of application;
(c) Have countable income equal to or below two hundred percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) on the date of application. The following income is not considered when determining eligibility for RMA:
(i) Resettlement cash payments made by the voluntary agency (VOLAG);
(ii) Income of a sponsor is not counted unless the sponsor is also part of your assistance unit; and
(iii) Income received after the date of application.
(d) Provide the name of the VOLAG which helped bring you to the United States so that the department of social and health services (DSHS) can promptly notify the VOLAG (or sponsor) about the medical application.
(2) If you receive refugee cash assistance (RCA) you are eligible for RMA as long as you are not otherwise eligible for medicaid or a children's health care program as described in WAC 182-505-0210. You do not have to apply for or receive RCA in order to qualify for RMA.
(3) You are not eligible to receive RMA if you are:
(a) Already eligible for medicaid or a children's health care program as described in WAC 182-505-0210;
(b) A full-time student in an institution of higher education unless the educational activity is part of a DSHS-approved individual responsibility plan (IRP); or
(c) A nonrefugee spouse of a refugee.
(4) If approved for RMA, the agency or its designee issues an approval letter in both English and your primary language. The agency or its designee also sends a notice every time there are any changes or actions taken which affect your eligibility for RMA.
(5) You may be eligible for RMA coverage of medical expenses incurred during the three months prior to the first day of the month of the application. Eligibility determination will be made according to medicaid rules.
(6) If you are a victim of human trafficking you must provide the following documentation and meet the eligibility requirements in subsections (1) and (2) of this section to be eligible for RMA:
(a) Adults, eighteen years of age or older, must provide the original certification letter from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). No other documentation is needed. The eight-month eligibility period will be determined based on the entry date on your certification letter;
(b) A child victim under the age of eighteen does not need to be certified. DHHS issues a special letter for children. Children also have to meet income eligibility requirements;
(c) A family member of a certified victim of human trafficking must have a T-2, T-3, T-4, or T-5 visa (derivative T-Visas), and the family member must meet eligibility requirements in subsections (1) and (2) of this section.
(7) The entry date for an asylee is the date that asylum status is granted. For example, you entered the United States on December 1, 1999, as a tourist, then applied for asylum on April 1, 2000, interviewed with the asylum office on July 1, 2000, and were granted asylum on September 1, 2000. The date of entry is September 1, 2000, and that is the date used to establish eligibility for RMA.
(8) RMA ends on the last day of the eighth month from the month you entered the United States. For example, if you entered the United States on May 28, 2011, you are eligible through the end of December 2011. You may receive RMA benefits for more months if you are in a category of persons for whom the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement has extended the eligibility period.
(9) If you are approved for RMA you are continuously eligible through the end of the eighth month after your entry to the United States, regardless of an increase in income.
(10) The agency, or its designee, determines eligibility for medicaid and other medical programs for your spouse when the spouse arrives in the United States. If the spouse is not eligible for medicaid due to your countable income, the spouse is still eligible for RMA for eight months following the spouse's entry into the United States.
(11) If you disagree with a decision or action taken on the case by the agency, or its designee, you have the right to request a review of the case action(s) or request an administrative hearing (see chapter 182-526 WAC). The request must be received by the agency, or its designee, within ninety days of the date of the decision or action.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 41.05.021 and 41.05.160. WSR 20-21-008, § 182-507-0130, filed 10/8/20, effective 11/8/20. Statutory Authority: RCW 41.05.021 and 2011 1st sp.s. c 15. WSR 12-19-001, § 182-507-0130, filed 9/5/12, effective 10/6/12. WSR 12-02-034, recodified as § 182-507-0130, filed 12/29/11, effective 1/1/12. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.08.090, 74.08A.320, Pub. L. No. 110-181, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, Pub. L. No. 111-08, the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009, Division F, Title VI, Section 602; Office of Refugee Resettlement State Letter 09-17 from April 9, 2009; and federal guidance issued on May 15, 2009, by the Food and Nutrition Service, United States Department of Agriculture. WSR 09-21-046, § 388-466-0130, filed 10/14/09, effective 11/4/09. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.08A.320, 74.08.090, and Public Law 110-161 Section 525; Public Law 110-181 Section 1244; FNS Admin Notice 08-17; State Letter 04-12 from the Office of Refugee Resettlement. WSR 08-14-116, § 388-466-0130, filed 6/30/08, effective 8/1/08. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057. WSR 04-05-010, § 388-466-0130, filed 2/6/04, effective 3/8/04. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.08.090, 74.08A.320. WSR 00-21-065, § 388-466-0130, filed 10/16/00, effective 11/1/00.]