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Details for Service Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA)
Service Name Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA) Program Name At-Risk Family Health and Safety Benefits
Goal Provide outreach, support and services to individuals and families identified as being at risk of compromised health and safety to eliminate or reduce those risks.
Objective Assure that families at risk of economic challenges receive health and safety benefits to mitigate those risks.
Division Division of Social Services
Service Description

The North Carolina Refugee Medical Assistance Program (RMA) provides health care to needy refugees who do not meet qualifications for any other health care program. RMA is a short-term transitional program available for the first twelve (12) months a refugee resides in the United States.

 

Local departments of social services (DSS) determine eligibility for RMA. In providing RMA to refugees, providers must provide at least the same services in the same manner and to the same extent as provided under the North Carolina Medicaid program.  Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA/MRF) is the program of last resort. Refugees must FIRST be evaluated for all Medicaid program for any of the mainstream Medicaid programs {Family and Children’s Medicaid (MAF) i.e. Medicaid Pregnant Women (MPW), Aged, Blind, and Disabled (Adult) Medicaid, NC Health Choice for Children (NCHC) and Children’s Health Insurance Program (NC CHIP)} and determined ineligible PRIOR to being placed on RMA.  RMA provides health care coverage for the first 12 months a refugee resides in the USA and has eligibility status, such as:

  • Refugee s
  • Asylees
  • Cuban and Haitian Entrants
  • Certain Amerasians  (from Vietnam)
  • Victims of Human Trafficking
  • Special Immigrant Visa (SIV)  Holders from Iraq and Afghanistan
  • NOTE : SIV holders and potentially transition to Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR)  status within the first ninety (90) days, after date of entry into the United States.
  • Afghan Special Immigrant Parole (SI/SQ)
  • Afghan individuals with Special Immigrant (SI) Conditional Permanent Residence (CPR)
  • Afghan Humanitarian Parolees (AHP)
  • Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolees (UHP)
  • Non-Ukrainian Individuals  displaced from Ukraine

 

NOTE: Current, Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR) status holders may have held one of the above statuses prior to adjusting to LPR status.

 

Refugee Services are funded entirely by Federal funds.
Web Site https://www.ncdhhs.gov/divisions/social-services/refugee-services Year First Initiated 1980
Available State Wide Yes Geographic Area Served
Grants Provided No Competitive Bidding No
Competitive Bidding Details
Waiting List No Waiting List Start Date
Number Waiting
Waiting List Details

Income Eligibility
Income Eligibility Yes
Income Eligibility Method Family and Children’ Medicaid, Aged, Blind, and Disabled (Adult) Medicaid, or NCHC program formulas are used to determine if the refugee individual is eligible for those serivces first, if not then eligible for RMA.
Income Eligibility Type Countable earned income such as salary/wages, commissions, tips, annual and sick leave, etc.
Whose Income Eligibility Any refugee assistance service may be provided to any refugee who is receiving cash assistance, including supplementary assistance, or whose gross family income is not more than 90 percent of the state's median income as issued by the administration for public services and adjusted for family size, except that vocational training may not be provided to a refugee who is not 16 years of age or older.
Income Disregard Yes
Income Disregard Desc Payments for supportive services (volunteers), foster care board payments, earned income tax credit, social security income, etc.
Income Verified Yes
Income Verified Method Earning statements, tax/business records, banks, award letters, clerk of court records, and other knowledgeable sources.
Income Criteria Poverty guidelines are updated periodically in the "Federal Registry" by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services under the authority of 42 U.S.C. 9902(2).
Income Eligibility Change 7/1/2010
Income Eligibility Method Prior To Change N/A
Income Eligibility Other

Target Population
Age Range Start Age Range End
0 100+

Legal Authority
Authorization Level Authorization Type Citation
Federal Public Law Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980, Title V, Section 501(a), Public Law 96-422, 94 Stat. 1799, 8 U.S.C 1522 note; Refugee Act of 1980, Section 412, Public Law 96-212, 94 Stat. 111, 8 U.S.C 1522; William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008, Section 212-235, Public Law 110-457; Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000, Public Law 106-386
State Administrative Rules 10A NCAC 71O

Budget Information
State Fiscal Year (SFY)
As of the month of
Authorized Budget Fiscal Year 2024 SFY 2023-2024 Year To Date Expenditures Balance
Salary and Fringes (1X) 0 0 0
Salary Other (1X) 0 0 0
Operating (2X-5X) 0 0 0
Contracts/Allocations (6X) 0 0 0
Reserves (7X) 0 0 0
Transfers (8X) 0 0 0
Total Requirements 0 0 0
Receipts-Federal 0 0 0
Receipts- Local receipts 0 0 0
Receipts- Other receipts 0 0 0
Total Receipts 0 0 0
General Fund Appropriations 0 0 0
Match
State Local Other
0 0 0
 
MOE
State Local
0 0
 
FTEs
0.00
Please be advised that data is updated frequently. It is recommended to return to this site to get the most recent information.