Medicaid
Public health insurance for low-income people, jointly funded by the federal and state governments. It covers doctor visits, hospital care, prescriptions, pregnancy, and children's care. States run it under federal rules, and each state has its own name and details (California calls it Medi-Cal).
Key difference in this state
๐ด๐ Alabama has NOT adopted the ACA Medicaid expansion โ the single most important fact for immigrants to know. As a result, Alabama Medicaid has no category for low-income adults in general; it covers only narrow groups: children, pregnant women, parents and caretaker relatives of a dependent child (at just 18% of the federal poverty level โ among the very lowest limits in the entire country, so almost any working parent earns too much), and people who are aged, blind, or have a disability. So a low-income adult in Alabama who is not pregnant, is not raising a dependent child, and is not aged/blind/disabled generally has NO Medicaid pathway at all โ this has nothing to do with immigration status; it is true for U.S. citizens too. For immigrants specifically: qualified non-citizens must still meet the federal rules (see the federal Medicaid program details, including the five-year bar and the 2025 OBBBA changes). One door stays open regardless of immigration status: Emergency Medicaid, which pays for emergency care (including labor and delivery) for people who meet every other requirement but do not have a qualifying immigration status (a federal requirement in every state โ check details with the Alabama Medicaid Agency). The program is run by the Alabama Medicaid Agency (apply through InsureAlabama / medicaid.alabama.gov or the MyDHR portal). ๐ด We did not find any Alabama state-funded Medicaid program covering undocumented adults or children the way California does (reported honestly as 'not found,' not a claim that none can exist). Children whose family income is above the Medicaid limit may qualify for ALL Kids (Alabama's separate CHIP; see the CHIP row). This is a changing area โ verify with the Alabama Medicaid Agency.
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
Public health coverage for children in families whose income is too high to qualify for Medicaid but too low to afford private coverage. It is jointly funded by the federal and state governments (Title XXI of the Social Security Act). Each state designs and runs its own program under federal rules โ as a separate CHIP, as a Medicaid-expansion CHIP, or both โ so the name, income limits, and details differ by state (state eligibility levels range from about 170% to 400% of the Federal Poverty Level). Besides children, some states' separate CHIP programs also cover pregnant women.
Key difference in this state
๐ ALL Kids is Alabama's Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) โ a genuinely standalone program administered by the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH), separate from the Alabama Medicaid Agency. It covers children under age 19 whose family income is above Medicaid but up to 312% of the federal poverty level, at low cost in two tiers (a 'Low Fee' tier and a 'Fee' tier, each with a small annual fee and income-based copays). On immigration, ADPH states the child must be 'a U.S. citizen or an eligible immigrant,' be an Alabama resident, be under 19, have no other health coverage, and not be eligible for Medicaid. 'Eligible immigrant' follows the federal qualified-non-citizen rules (see the federal Medicaid/CHIP program details, including the five-year bar). ๐ด We could not confirm from official Alabama sources whether the state has adopted the optional CHIPRA ยง214 / ICHIA election that lets a state waive the five-year wait for lawfully-residing immigrant children โ so a lawfully-present child within their first five years should simply apply and let ALL Kids make the determination rather than assume either yes or no (reported honestly; verify with ALL Kids). Unlike Texas, we did not find an Alabama CHIP-Perinatal pathway that covers a pregnant woman regardless of immigration status; Alabama's pregnancy coverage runs through Medicaid/Plan First and ADPH's ALL Babies program โ check those directly. This is a changing area โ verify with ALL Kids / ADPH.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, "food stamps")
Monthly food benefits that help low-income households buy the food they need. Benefits come on an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card โ EBT has been the sole method of SNAP issuance in all states since June 2004 โ which you swipe like a bank card at authorized grocery stores. The benefit amount is based on the USDA's Thrifty Food Plan, updated each year to keep pace with food prices, and depends on your household size and how much monthly income is left after certain expenses are deducted. It is a federal program (USDA Food and Nutrition Service), but state public assistance agencies run it through their local offices โ you must apply in the state where you currently live, so the application and the local name vary by state (California calls it CalFresh). Benefits generally arrive no later than 30 days after the office receives your application; households with little or no money that need help right away may get benefits within 7 days.
Key difference in this state
Alabama SNAP is the federal SNAP, run by the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR), with benefits issued on an EBT card; apply through the MyDHR portal (mydhr.alabama.gov). On immigration status, Alabama applies the federal SNAP rules โ including the 2025 OBBBA (H.R.1) Section 10108 narrowing of non-citizen eligibility, and the green-card five-year wait with its exemptions (these are program-level federal rules; see the federal SNAP program details and its statutory alert โ this row does not repeat them). ๐ด One honest and important conclusion: we did not find any Alabama state-funded food benefit for immigrants excluded by the federal rules, the way California has CFAP (reported honestly as 'not found,' not a claim that none can exist). So immigrants in Alabama who are cut off by the federal rules generally have no state-funded backstop. A mixed-status household can still apply for SNAP for the eligible members (such as U.S.-citizen children); household members who are not applying generally do not have to give their immigration status for the eligible members to benefit โ rely on the official Alabama DHR and MyDHR guidance for specifics. This is a changing area โ verify with Alabama DHR.
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
Nutrition support for pregnancy and early childhood. In USDA's own words, WIC "serves to safeguard the health of low-income pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women, infants, and children up to age 5 who are at nutritional risk by providing nutritious foods to supplement diets, information on healthy eating including breastfeeding promotion and support, and referrals to health care." Coverage runs from pregnancy until a child turns 5: pregnant women; postpartum women (up to 6 months after the end of a pregnancy); breastfeeding women (up to the infant's first birthday); infants; and children up to their fifth birthday. Every applicant first gets a free, simple health check by WIC staff, and must be individually determined to be at nutrition risk by a health professional โ two major types are recognized: medically-based risks such as anemia, underweight, a history of pregnancy complications, or poor pregnancy outcomes; and dietary risks such as inappropriate feeding practices or failure to meet the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Food benefits come on an eWIC card, which works just like a debit card and can be used at WIC-approved grocery stores and farmers' markets. Benefits are not limited to food: they also include health screening, nutrition and breastfeeding counseling, immunization screening and referral, and substance abuse referral. It is a federal program (USDA), but in USDA's words, "while funded through grants from the Federal Government, WIC is administered by 89 State agencies," with services at county health departments, hospitals, schools, Indian Health Service facilities, and other clinic locations โ you apply through a WIC agency in your area, so the local name and process vary. Moms, dads, foster parents, and anyone else raising kids under 5 can apply for the kids in their care.
Key difference in this state
๐ The federal layer leaves the immigration-status question to the states (the federal WIC rule lets a state choose whether to limit WIC by immigration status โ see this program's federal rule; this row does not repeat it). Alabama has not adopted such a limit: immigration status is not among the eligibility requirements shown on the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) WIC pages, which list income (no greater than 185% of the federal poverty level), being in one of the WIC categories (pregnant women, breastfeeding women, women who have had a baby within the last six months, infants, and children under 5), nutrition risk, and living in Alabama. ๐ An honest note on how far Alabama's own words go: unlike Texas โ whose HHSC page affirmatively says "U.S. citizenship is not a requirement for eligibility" โ the ADPH WIC pages we reviewed make no such explicit statement, and we do not manufacture one (reported honestly as "not found on Alabama's pages," not a claim that the rule is different). What the ADPH WIC pages do list as what to bring is proof of identity, proof of residence, and proof of income "or enrollment in Medicaid/SNAP/Family Assistance" โ and no citizenship, immigration-status, or Social Security number requirement is stated. A no-immigration-status-test for WIC, WIC not being a public charge factor, and no required SSN are the federal norm (see this program's federal rule). Policy can change โ call Alabama WIC at (888) 942-4673 or check with your local county health department.
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)
A refundable federal tax credit for low- to moderate-income working people and families. In the IRS's words, the EITC "helps low- to moderate-income workers and families get a tax break. If you qualify, you can use the credit to reduce the taxes you owe โ and maybe increase your refund." The key word is refundable โ as the IRS puts it, "This is a refundable credit, so you can get back more than you pay in taxes." In plain terms: you can get money back even if you owe no tax at all. You must have earned income (wages, salary, tips, or self-employment income), and you claim it on your federal tax return โ there is no separate application form, no office to visit, and no waiting list. The credit is larger if you have qualifying children, but workers without any children can also get a smaller version. For tax year 2025 (the return you file in 2026), the maximum credit is $649 with no qualifying children, $4,328 with one, $7,152 with two, and $8,046 with three or more. The tax year 2025 income cutoffs (adjusted gross income) are $19,104 (single, head of household, married filing separately, or qualifying surviving spouse) or $26,214 (married filing jointly) with no children; $50,434 / $57,554 with one child; $57,310 / $64,430 with two; and $61,555 / $68,675 with three or more. Investment income must be $11,950 or less for tax year 2025. These amounts are adjusted every year โ rely on the IRS tables for the year you are actually filing. This is a purely federal program, administered directly by the IRS under one nationwide set of rules; states have no role in the federal EITC. But note: separately from this federal credit, many states and some local governments run their own state EITC, usually set as a percentage of the federal credit, varying in whether it is refundable, and sometimes with different rules โ see your state's details.
Key difference in this state
๐ด๐ The most important honest fact on this page: Alabama has no state Earned Income Tax Credit โ and Alabama's reason is different from Texas's or Florida's. Alabama DOES have a state personal income tax (rates of 2% to 5%; you file Alabama Form 40, administered by the Alabama Department of Revenue), so โ unlike Texas and Florida, which have no state income tax at all โ Alabama has a state return a credit could in principle attach to. But it has not created an earned-income credit: Alabama's Form 40 credits are all claimed on Schedule OC, and that full list (credit for taxes paid to another state, credit for taxes paid to a foreign country, the Alabama Accountability Act, the Scholarship Granting Organization (SGO) credit, the Alabama Adoption Credit, historic rehabilitation, the Investment CreditโAlabama Jobs Act, the Childcare Facility Tax Credit, and many others) contains no Earned Income Tax Credit. So, unlike California, New York, or Oregon โ which run their own state EITC โ Alabama has no state EITC to stack on top of the federal one. โ ๏ธ One honest nuance, so you are not misled the other way: the words "Earned Income Credit (EIC)" do appear in Alabama's Form 40 instruction booklet, but only on line 4a of the Federal Income Tax Deduction Worksheet โ there you enter the federal EIC amount from your federal return, so it can be used to work out the federal tax you may deduct from your Alabama income; it is not an Alabama state credit. Do not misread that line as "Alabama has a state EITC." ๐ด What this means for immigrant families: the federal EITC requires a Social Security number valid for employment for the filer, the spouse, and each qualifying child (this is a federal rule โ see this program's federal rule and rely on the IRS), so a family that files with ITINs cannot claim the federal EITC; and because Alabama has no state EITC of its own, there is no Alabama equivalent of California's CalEITC extending an earned-income credit to ITIN filers. We did not find any Alabama state earned-income credit (reported honestly as "not found," not a claim that none can exist).
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a monthly federal cash payment from the Social Security Administration (SSA) for people who have very little income and few resources AND who are age 65 or older, blind, or have a qualifying disability (children can qualify too). To get SSI, your countable resources must stay under $2,000 for an individual or $3,000 for a couple. It is run directly by the federal government under one nationwide standard โ the 2026 maximum federal payment is $994/month for an individual and $1,491/month for a couple โ and some states add a small state supplement on top.
Key difference in this state
๐ด The federal layer is not repeated here: federal SSI's strict non-citizen rules (a qualified-alien category, the further conditions, the five-year bar, and that OBBBA did not change SSI's non-citizen rules) live on the shared ssi program page. This row carries only what is specific to Alabama, and answers one key question honestly: does Alabama have a CAPI-style immigrant cash route like California's? (1) On the SSA sources we checked, Alabama adds essentially no state supplement on top of federal SSI for an ordinary person living in the community: SSA's "State Assistance Programs for SSI Recipients โ Alabama" records "No recipients" for the mandatory minimum supplementation; its optional state supplement is state-funded and run by the county Departments of Human Resources, but its scope is limited to a supplement "provided to SSI recipients (including children) and some non-SSI recipients who reside in the specified living arrangements and who meet state criteria" โ those specified living arrangements are physician-approved independent home-life care (IHC), a personal care home, a foster home, or a cerebral palsy treatment center, i.e. situations that involve professional care, with a state supplement of roughly $56โ$196 a month. So an aged, blind, or disabled person living in their own home who does not need that kind of professional care receives, in Alabama, essentially federal SSI itself with no broad state add-on. (2) ๐ด Does Alabama then have a CAPI-style immigrant program that fills the gap for those excluded by immigration status? We did not find one โ on the sources we checked, we did not find a dedicated Alabama state program that pays SSI-equivalent cash to aged, blind, or disabled immigrants excluded from federal SSI solely by immigration status (CAPI, on the sources we checked, is a California program), and Alabama's optional supplement tracks SSI eligibility rules rather than being an immigrant route for those excluded by status. This is "we did not find a dedicated program," not a guarantee there is none: check with your county Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) office, your local Area Agency on Aging, and 2-1-1 about any local help โ do not rule yourself out.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) gives time-limited monthly cash assistance and work supports to low-income families with children, to help them achieve economic security and stability. The federal government sends each state a block grant, and each state designs and runs its own TANF program under its own name (California calls it CalWORKs) with its own benefit amounts and rules. States set the monthly cash amount, add work-participation requirements, and set time limits within the federal 60-month (5-year) lifetime cap on federally funded assistance. Besides the monthly cash grant, TANF also funds services such as childcare, job training, and transportation.
Key difference in this state
๐ด The federal layer is not repeated here: TANF's federal immigrant rules (undocumented immigrants are not eligible for federally funded TANF; the five-year bar for most qualified aliens; which categories are exempt; and that OBBBA did not change TANF's immigrant rules) live on the shared tanf program page. This row carries the Alabama specifics and answers one key question honestly: does Alabama use state funds to cover TANF-excluded immigrants the way New York's Safety Net Assistance (SNA) does? On the sources we checked: Alabama Family Assistance requires the benefiting household member to be a U.S. citizen/national or in a satisfactory immigration status; the DHR FA application form has columns for "U.S. Citizen or National Yes/No" and "In Satisfactory Immigration Status Yes/No" (the federal status rules live on the shared tanf page and are not repeated here). The DHR Public Assistance Payment Manual also carries alien-exclusion provisions, including "Aliens who would be included but for the five-year bar from assistance," i.e. the federal five-year bar is applied in Alabama. ๐ด On balance, unlike New York's SNA, we did not find an Alabama state-funded route that pays FA cash to those excluded from federally funded TANF by immigration status. This is "we did not find a state-funded cash route," not a guarantee either way: check with your county Alabama DHR office or 2-1-1 about what you specifically may get (and whether eligible members of your household โ for example a citizen child โ can receive a payment on their own) โ and do not rule yourself out.
Unemployment Insurance (UI)
Unemployment Insurance is temporary weekly cash paid to workers who lost their job through no fault of their own, to help you get by while you look for the next one. It is funded by taxes paid by employers (federal FUTA and state SUTA) โ workers generally do not pay into it. It is a joint federal-state program: each state runs its own unemployment insurance program under shared federal rules, so eligibility, the weekly amount, and how many weeks you can receive vary by state. You apply in the state where you worked. To qualify you generally must be unemployed through no fault of your own, meet a work-and-wages threshold in a "base period," and be currently able to work, available to work right away, and actively looking for work. The first payment usually arrives two to three weeks after you file.
Key difference in this state
๐ด Unemployment Insurance is an earned, insurance-type benefit, not a means-tested public benefit โ see this program's federal rule (why it is generally not subject to PRWORA's "qualified alien" / five-year-bar rules, and the OBBBA federal-funding limit on high earners with $1,000,000+ base-period wages, both live there and are not repeated here). This row carries only the immigration points as Alabama applies them. The Alabama Department of Labor (ADOL) requires non-citizens to prove lawful work authorization: ADOL's FAQ states, "If you are not a citizen of the United States, you must provide us with your work authorization number," and requires a non-citizen to submit "a valid copy of their alien identification card, front and back ... to prove their status as a legal alien." ๐ The key is here: this is an earned route โ it does not look at how low your income is, but it does require that you were authorized to work when you earned the wages and are still authorized now, and that you can prove it. State rules differ โ rely on the state where you worked (here, Alabama's ADOL).
Section 8 / Housing Choice Voucher
The Housing Choice Voucher โ commonly called "Section 8" โ is federal rental assistance that helps very-low-income families, the elderly, and people with disabilities rent decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. The funds come from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the program is run locally by public housing agencies (PHAs), usually state or local government entities. You find your own rental unit that meets program housing-quality standards; after the PHA approves the unit and tenancy, it pays the rent subsidy directly to the landlord. If the rent is at or below the local "payment standard," you generally pay about 30 percent of your adjusted monthly income toward rent, and the subsidy covers the rest. It is the nation's largest rental-assistance program, helping about 2.3 million families. Because funding is limited, many areas keep a waiting list.
Key difference in this state
๐ด There is no separate Alabama state immigrant rule for Section 8, because there is no statewide Alabama Section 8 โ each local PHA applies HUD's federal noncitizen rules. Those federal rules (at least one household member must have an eligible immigration status, and "mixed" families can receive prorated assistance rather than being turned away entirely) live on this program's shared federal page and are not repeated here. We did not find an Alabama state-funded rental-voucher program with its own, different immigrant rule to add here, so this row does not claim any state expansion beyond the federal rule. Rely on your local PHA for how status is verified.
LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program)
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps low-income households pay their home energy costs โ mainly heating (winter) and cooling (summer) bills, plus energy-crisis aid (for example, when you face a shutoff or need reconnection), light home weatherization, and minor heating-equipment repair or replacement. It is a federally funded block grant managed by the Office of Community Services within HHS (HHS/ACF/OCS), and then run by each state, territory, and tribe, which set their own eligibility rules and application process. ๐ด LIHEAP does not send cash directly to individuals and never charges a fee; you apply through your state's or tribe's energy-assistance agency. The federal income ceiling is 150% of the poverty level, or 60% of state median income if that is higher; many states also grant "categorical eligibility" to households that receive TANF, SSI, SNAP, or needs-tested veterans' benefits.
Key difference in this state
๐ด Alabama LIHEAP does have a citizenship/immigration requirement โ do not assume it is open to everyone regardless of status, and do not assume a lawfully present non-citizen is shut out. Alabama's official LIHEAP policy manual and applicant checklist require you to "Live in Alabama and be a U. S. citizen or qualified alien." "Qualified alien" is defined broadly and can receive LIHEAP if all other points of eligibility are met: lawful permanent residents (green-card holders), people paroled into the U.S. for at least one year, refugees, people granted asylum, people whose deportation or removal is withheld, Cuban/Haitian entrants, non-citizens who have been battered or subjected to extreme cruelty in the U.S., and trafficking victims. Non-qualified aliens are generally not eligible โ with one important exception in the manual's own words: "those with children who are either citizens/qualified aliens when there is no other adult citizen/qualified alien in the household." So a mixed-status family whose children are citizens or qualified aliens is not automatically shut out. But Alabama does not offer a path for a household with no citizen or qualified-alien member (and no such qualifying child). Check your exact situation with your local community action agency. (LIHEAP is generally not a PRWORA "federal means-tested public benefit," so the federal five-year bar is not the operative test here โ ADECA's own citizen/qualified-alien rule is.)
This page lists only the programs we've covered so far โ it does not mean these are the only benefits in this state.