Refugee Cash Assistance and Refugee Medical Assistance Extension
May 15, 2020
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Washington state requested a waiver from the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement to extend Refugee Cash Assistance and Refugee Medical Assistance beyond the standard eight-month time limit.
Recipients are generally eligible to receive RCA/RMA benefits for a maximum of eight months from their documented date of entry (for refugees, Special Immigrant Visa/SIV holders and Cuban-Haitian Entrants) or eight months from the date of the grant of their immigration status (for asylees, victims of trafficking and other humanitarian immigrants).
Due to the policy change in response to COVID-19, an eligible person may receive RCA and/or RMA benefits through September 30, 2020. Clients currently on RCA or RMA who continue to meet program eligibility requirements had their benefits automatically extended through September 30, 2020. Other clients may be eligible to reapply and receive benefits through September 30, 2020, if their eligibility date falls between April 1, 2019 and January 31, 2020 and continue to meet all other program eligibility requirements.
The following chart outlines who is eligible to receive an extension for benefits:
|
Month of Arrival/Eligibility |
Standard Eight-month Time Limit |
Process |
Extended Time Period |
|
April 2019 |
November 2019 |
New application |
September 30, 2020 |
|
May 2019 |
December 2019 |
New application |
September 30, 2020 |
|
June 2019 |
January 2020 |
New application |
September 30, 2020 |
|
July 2019 |
February 2020 |
New application |
September 30, 2020 |
|
August 2019 |
March 2020 |
New application |
September 30, 2020 |
|
September 2019 |
April 2020 |
Automatic Extension |
September 30, 2020 |
|
October 2019 |
May 2020 |
Automatic Extension |
September 30, 2020 |
|
November 2019 |
June 2020 |
Automatic Extension |
September 30, 2020 |
|
December 2019 |
July 2020 |
Automatic Extension |
September 30, 2020 |
|
January 2020 |
August 2020 |
Automatic Extension |
September 30, 2020 |
|
February 2020 |
September 2020 |
Ineligible |
Not Applicable |
|
March 2020 and forward |
October 2020 |
Ineligible |
Not Applicable |
People can reapply for assistance by:
- Calling the Customer Service Contact Center at 877-501-2233.
- Applying online at WashingtonConnection.org Links to an external site..
Interpretation services are available over the phone. Community Services Offices are currently closed for general lobby services.
For additional information from DSHS about COVID-19 updates, please visit DSHS COVID-19 Information Links to an external site..