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).
이 주의 주요 차이점
🌟 Michigan adopted the ACA Medicaid expansion, with the adult expansion group branded the Healthy Michigan Plan (HMP). The official MDHHS eligibility page states HMP covers people 19-64 with income "at or below 133% of the federal poverty level" under MAGI (a standard 5-percentage-point income disregard makes the effective limit about 138% FPL, the ACA expansion level). Michigan Medicaid is run by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS); you apply through MI Bridges (newmibridges.michigan.gov) or your local MDHHS office. Children under 19 are covered up to about 212% FPL (U-19 Medicaid plus MIChild, Michigan's CHIP); pregnant individuals receive comprehensive Medicaid while pregnant and for two calendar months after the pregnancy ends. On immigration status (safety-critical): full Medicaid requires a U.S. citizen or a qualified immigration status, and lawful permanent residents generally face a five-year bar during which coverage is limited to Emergency Services Only (ESO). 🌟 But as of August 1, 2024, Michigan's official policy manual (BEM 225) states that "children under age 21 and pregnant individuals (including through the entirety of their postpartum period) are no longer subject to the five-year bar" and "should be approved for full coverage even if their immigration status would normally require them to first reside in the United States lawfully for five years" — this is Michigan's adoption of the ICHIA / CHIPRA lawfully-residing option. For people without a qualifying status — the manual names "undocumented non-citizens and non-immigrants who have stayed beyond the period authorized by USCIS" — Medicaid "is limited to coverage of emergency services only" (ESO), which covers an emergency medical condition including labor and delivery. 🔴🔴 Did-not-find, stated honestly: unlike California, Illinois, or New York, we found no Michigan state-funded program providing full-scope Medicaid to undocumented adults or children — for people without a qualifying status, Michigan's Medicaid pathway is Emergency Services Only. Do not assume the whole family is barred, and do not assume everyone qualifies for full coverage — a mixed-status household can have some members on full Medicaid (citizen, or lawfully residing children and pregnant people) and others eligible only for emergency services. 🔴 A federal law change (the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act) is scheduled to narrow immigrant Medicaid/CHIP eligibility effective October 1, 2026; Michigan's official page says "Most pregnant individuals and children under the age of 21 who lawfully reside in Michigan will also continue to receive full coverage." Because immigration rules are safety-critical and changing, verify your own household through MI Bridges or your local MDHHS office.
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 — as a separate CHIP, as a Medicaid-expansion CHIP, or both — 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.
이 주의 주요 차이점
🔑 Michigan's CHIP is named MIChild. Michigan's policy manual BEM 130 calls MIChild "a MAGI-related Medicaid Expansion program for children who are under 19 years of age and who are not enrolled in comprehensive health insurance." The income ceiling is about 212% FPL (verbatim, "Countable income as determined by MAGI rules cannot exceed 212% of the federal poverty level"), and by age "Age zero to age one is 196 percent to 212 percent" and "Age one to age 19 is 161 percent to 212 percent" — children below that band go straight to U-19 Medicaid, MIChild picks up the higher income band, and together they cover a Michigan child continuously from the lowest incomes up to about 212% FPL. MIChild has no asset test and, as of January 1, 2024, no monthly premium. 🔴 The immigration rules are the same as Michigan Medicaid (BEM 225, safety-critical): the child must be a U.S. citizen or a qualified immigration status; 🌟 but as of August 1, 2024, "children under age 21 ... are no longer subject to the five-year bar," so a lawfully residing child (under 19, with any lawful immigration status) skips the usual five-year wait and can get full coverage, and refugees, asylees, and other humanitarian categories are exempt from the five-year bar under federal rules. 🔴 Did-not-find, stated honestly: unlike California, Illinois, or New York, we found no Michigan state-funded program covering undocumented children — undocumented children are not within MIChild/CHIP coverage (people without a qualifying status have only the Medicaid Emergency Services Only pathway). 🔴 A child's eligibility depends on the child's own status, not the parents'. 🔴 A federal change (the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act) is scheduled to narrow immigrant Medicaid/CHIP eligibility effective October 1, 2026; Michigan officially says most children under 21 who lawfully reside in Michigan will continue to receive full coverage; rely on the current rule and verify through MI Bridges.
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 — EBT has been the sole method of SNAP issuance in all states since June 2004 — 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 — 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.
이 주의 주요 차이점
Michigan calls SNAP the "Food Assistance Program (FAP)"; it is run by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), and you can apply via MI Bridges (newmibridges.michigan.gov). 🔑 Unlike states that use the standard 130% federal threshold, Michigan uses Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility (BBCE) to raise the gross income limit to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level — the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service (USDA FNS) official BBCE state chart (marked updated June 29, 2026) lists Michigan as: "All households are eligible (language on application and notice)," assets "No limit on assets," gross income limit "200%." The net income limit is still the federal standard of 100% FPL. 🔴 SNAP immigration rules are governed by the shared federal SNAP page and are safety-critical — do not rely on this row alone, and see the federal SNAP program page for the current, authoritative immigrant-eligibility framework and any statutory alerts (including the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act / Public Law 119-21 section 10108 narrowing of noncitizen SNAP eligibility, which Michigan's BEM 225 also lists among its SNAP legal citations). Because these rules are in flux and getting them wrong can jeopardize a household, verify your own eligibility through MI Bridges or your local MDHHS office. A member being ineligible does not necessarily bar the rest of a mixed-status household — eligible members (including U.S.-citizen children) can still receive SNAP/FAP.
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 — 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 — 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.
이 주의 주요 차이점
🌟 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 — see this program's federal rule; this row does not repeat it). Michigan has not adopted such a limit: immigration status is not among Michigan's listed WIC eligibility requirements. Michigan WIC — administered by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) — describes who it serves as "low and moderate income pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, infants, and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk." 🔑 An honest note on how far Michigan's own words go: unlike Texas — whose HHSC page affirmatively says "U.S. citizenship is not a requirement for eligibility" — we did not find any statement making citizenship, immigration status, or a Social Security number a requirement on Michigan's WIC pages, and we do not manufacture one (reported honestly as "not found on Michigan's page," not a claim that the rule is different). 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 — verify by finding your local WIC clinic at Signupwic.com or calling 2-1-1.
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 – and maybe increase your refund." The key word is refundable — 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 — 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 — 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 — see your state's details.
이 주의 주요 차이점
🔴🌟 Two honest facts, and please hold both. (1) Michigan DOES have a state earned-income credit, and it is more valuable than a nonrefundable one. Michigan has a state personal income tax (you file the MI-1040), and the Michigan Department of Treasury states: "Public Act 4 of 2023 expanded the Michigan EITC from 6% of the federal EITC to 30% (see Michigan Compiled Law 206.272). This credit expansion is retroactive to the 2022 tax year." 🌟 Crucially, the Michigan credit is refundable: Treasury says "Even if you do not owe tax, both the Michigan EITC and the federal EITC could lead to a tax refund." That is unlike Ohio's nonrefundable credit — a very-low-income family that owes little or no Michigan tax can still receive the credit as a cash refund (similar in mechanism to California's refundable CalEITC). So do not assume Michigan has no state EITC — it does, at 30% of the federal credit, and refundable. (2) 🔴 But one limit is unchanged, and it matters for immigrant families: the Michigan credit is bootstrapped onto the federal EITC. Treasury says "If you do not qualify for the federal EITC, you do not qualify for the Michigan EITC." The federal EITC requires a Social Security number valid for employment for the filer, the spouse, and each qualifying child (a federal rule — 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 the Michigan credit runs through federal eligibility, that family cannot claim the Michigan credit either. Michigan did not decouple its credit from the federal SSN requirement the way California's CalEITC does. 🔴 Note the boundary: this is Michigan's own credit, claimed on your Michigan return; it does not make you eligible for the federal EITC and does not change your immigration status. Verify your own situation with the Michigan Department of Treasury and the IRS.
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 — the 2026 maximum federal payment is $994/month for an individual and $1,491/month for a couple — and some states add a small state supplement on top.
이 주의 주요 차이점
🔴 SSI (Supplemental Security Income) is a federal program run by the Social Security Administration (SSA) — who can get it and the immigration rules (why you generally must be a "qualified alien," the exemptions for refugees/asylees/certain veterans, and the limits after PRWORA in 1996) all live in this program's federal rule and are not repeated here; rely on this program's federal rule and the SSA. This row carries only the Michigan layer. 🌟 Michigan has a state-funded cash program run by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) — State Disability Assistance (SDA). Per the MDHHS Bridges Eligibility Manual, BEM 261: "To receive SDA, a person must be disabled, caring for a disabled person, or age 65 or older." It is state-funded (its legal base is the state's Annual Appropriations Act and Michigan Administrative Code R400.3115–R400.3180) and is applied for through MI Bridges. 🔴🔴 Please keep three things straight, so you are not misled in either direction. (1) SDA is not an "SSP on top of SSI" — it is a separate pot of state cash, often for people who do not yet have (or cannot get) SSI; do not treat it as money added automatically to your SSI check. (2) 🔴🔴 Cash is not health coverage: SSI recipients in Michigan generally get Medicaid automatically, but that is medical and separate from this cash — do not conflate them. (3) 🔴🔴 SDA has its own citizenship/immigration requirement and is not designed specifically for people shut out of federal SSI by immigration status. Per MDHHS BEM 225, SDA — like FIP, CDC, and SNAP — requires that "A person must be a U.S. citizen or have an acceptable non-citizen status." So Michigan's SDA is not a California-CAPI-style program that fills the federal status gap — we did not find a Michigan state-funded cash program aimed specifically at people excluded by federal status rules. Verify your own situation with the SSA (for federal SSI) and your local MDHHS office (for state SDA), each separately.
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.
이 주의 주요 차이점
🔴 TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) has a federal immigration layer — why you generally must be a "qualified alien," and how categories like refugees/asylees and qualified immigrants past the five-year point apply — all in this program's federal rule, not repeated here; rely on this program's federal rule. This row carries only Michigan's execution. Michigan calls TANF the Family Independence Program (FIP), run by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS); the online application entry point is MI Bridges (newmibridges.michigan.gov). 🔑 Who it serves: FIP is for needy families with a qualifying child (the cash grant is set by household size — see the income section). Two requirements deserve attention. (1) A work requirement — per the MDHHS Bridges Eligibility Manual, BEM 233A, "MDHHS requires clients to participate in employment and self-sufficiency-related activities and to accept employment when offered"; Michigan's employment program is called PATH (Partnership. Accountability. Training. Hope.); failing to participate without good cause is penalized, and some people are excused. (2) 🔴 The time limit changed — take note: per MDHHS BEM 234, Michigan set FIP's lifetime cumulative cap at 48 months in 1996, but "As of April 1, 2025, changes in Michigan law increased the allowable cumulative total of FIP to 60 months during an individual's lifetime"; the earlier 48-month cap still applies to older cases already closed for hitting 48 months before March 22, 2025. 🔴🔴 Cash/status distinction: mixed-status families can often apply for the eligible members (such as citizen children) — the whole family is not denied just because a household member is ineligible; the federal status requirements live in this program's federal rule, and Michigan's citizenship/non-citizen status rules are in BEM 225. Rely on MDHHS for amounts, requirements, and exemptions.
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) — 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.
이 주의 주요 차이점
🔴 Unemployment Insurance (UI) is an earned, insurance-type benefit, not a means-tested public benefit — 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 Michigan applies them. Michigan UI is administered by the Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA). UI eligibility has two sides: financial (you must have earned enough wages in your "base period") and non-financial (you must be unemployed through no fault of your own, be able and available to work, and actively look for work). 🔑 Work authorization is key: to collect UI you generally must have been authorized to work in the U.S. when you earned those base-period wages, and you must now be able, available, and authorized to work. So this is an earned route: it does not look at how low your income is, but it does require work authorization both then and now. State rules differ — rely on the state where you worked (here, Michigan's UIA).
Section 8 / Housing Choice Voucher
The Housing Choice Voucher — commonly called "Section 8" — 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.
이 주의 주요 차이점
🔴 There is no separate Michigan state immigrant rule for Section 8, because there is no statewide Michigan Section 8 — MSHDA (as the statewide PHA) and Michigan's local housing authorities all apply 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. As HUD states for Michigan, a Public Housing Authority determines Housing Choice Voucher eligibility "based on the total annual gross income and family size, U.S. citizenship and specified categories of non-citizens who have eligible immigration status," and to apply you "contact your local Public Housing Authority." 🌟 We did not find a currently operating Michigan state-level rental-voucher program with a broader-than-federal immigrant rule to add here: MSHDA administers the federal Housing Choice Voucher program (under federal rules), not a state-funded voucher with a broader immigrant rule. This row therefore claims no state expansion beyond the federal rule. Rely on your local PHA or MSHDA 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 — 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. 🔴 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.
이 주의 주요 차이점
🔴🔴 Safety-critical, and stated carefully because Michigan's energy assistance is delivered through more than one program. Michigan's LIHEAP-funded heat/energy help runs mainly through State Emergency Relief (SER) and the Michigan Energy Assistance Program (MEAP), administered by MDHHS, plus the separate Home Heating Credit (a Michigan tax credit from the Department of Treasury). 🔴 On immigration status, we grounded this against Michigan's official citizenship manual: Michigan's Citizenship/Non-Citizen Status policy (Bridges Eligibility Manual, BEM 225) requires U.S. citizenship or an acceptable non-citizen status only for its "designated programs" — which the manual lists verbatim as "FIP, SDA, MA, CDC and SNAP" (Family Independence Program, State Disability Assistance, Medicaid, child care, and food assistance). SER energy assistance is not on that designated-programs list; SER is governed by Michigan's separate State Emergency Relief manual, which we were not able to retrieve in full to quote verbatim. Because status is safety-critical, guard against errors in both directions: (1) Do not conclude that "anyone regardless of status can get it" — LIHEAP is a federal program, the federal "qualified alien" framework lives on this program's shared federal page, and SER not appearing in BEM 225's designated-programs list does not by itself prove status is never asked anywhere in the SER process; (2) Do not be scared off — Michigan's own citizenship manual scopes its citizenship requirement to FIP/SDA/Medicaid/child-care/SNAP and does not extend it to SER energy help, SER eligibility is based on the household's income and the energy emergency, and having one household member without status does not automatically bar the whole family; SER energy help is typically paid toward your energy provider, not cash handed to you. 🔴 Did-not-find, stated honestly: in the sources we could ground we did not find an explicit citizenship/immigration requirement for Michigan SER energy assistance, and we were not able to retrieve Michigan's SER-specific manual in full — verify your own household's situation with your local MDHHS office (for SER/MEAP) or the Department of Treasury (for the Home Heating Credit). The federal "qualified alien" framework is on the shared program page and is not repeated here.
이 페이지에는 현재까지 수록된 복지 항목만 나열되어 있으며, 이 주에 이 항목들만 있다는 의미는 아닙니다.