Citizens of COFA countries may be able to get help with medical, food, cash and child care benefits

Oregon Department of Human Services sent this bulletin at 10/01/2024 10:00 AM PDT

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Oct. 1, 2024

You may be able to get help with medical, food, cash and child care

Citizens from the Compact of Free Association (COFA) countries who live in Oregon may now be able to get help with medical, food, cash, and child care benefits if they meet income limits and other eligibility requirements. COFA countries include the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau.

On March 9, 2024, President Biden signed a new law under the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA). This law expands the benefits that citizens of COFA countries may be eligible for including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). The federal government needed time to tell states on how to apply the law. Citizens of COFA countries living in Oregon may be able to get:

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) since March 9, 2024.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) since March 9, 2024 (unless exempted by rule).
Temporary Assistance for Domestic Violence Survivors (TA-DVS) since March 9, 2024 (unless exempted by rule).
Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) since May 1, 2024.
Medical benefits since December 28, 2020.

The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) encourages COFA citizens to apply for these benefits as soon as possible, even if they were denied earlier this year.

For more information and to learn how to apply for these benefits, visit benefits.oregon.gov.

Consider sharing an ODHS flyer, available in English on one side and Marshallese, Chuukeese, Palauan or Ponhpeian on the other, today.

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