Budget Restores Immigrants’ Aid

Fri., Aug. 1, 1997

From Staff Reports

The federal budget deal offers good news for legal immigrants who receive federal aid because they are elderly or disabled.

Last year, changes to the welfare law required those immigrants to be cut off from Supplemental Security Income by this October.

Immigrant groups affected included the Hmong, who came to this country after the Vietnam War. Hmong in some communities talked of committing suicide because they didn’t think they could survive without the aid.

The Washington Legislature agreed to extend some state welfare benefits to immigrants who lost SSI. Thursday, state officials said that apparently won’t be necessary.

Liz Dunbar, spokeswoman for the Department of Social and Health Services, said no one has seen the new law. But press accounts and immigrant advocacy groups say the federal program will again cover the immigrants who arrived by last August.

“As soon as we have confirmation, that (state) program can basically be shelved,” Dunbar said.

, DataTimes

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Budget Restores Immigrants’ Aid

Jesse Tinsley

Jim Meehan

Molly Quinn

Rob Curley

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