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
🌟 Oregon covers people of all ages regardless of immigration status. Through Healthier Oregon, a state-funded program, people of all ages who live in Oregon and meet income and other criteria qualify for full OHP Plus-level benefits no matter their immigration status. OHA states: "Starting July 1, 2023, immigration/citizenship status no longer affects whether someone qualifies for OHP." Adults 26+ were added on July 1, 2023, completing all-ages coverage. 🔴 Current status (checked July 16, 2026): OHA's official pages show NO enrollment cap, waitlist, new-enrollment freeze, or wind-down for Healthier Oregon — it remains open and people of any age can apply, and Healthier Oregon still appears in the adult (138% FPL), pregnancy (190% FPL), and children (305% FPL) columns of OHA's current income guide (OHP 9954D, effective March 1, 2026). (This differs from some other states — do not assume Oregon matches them.) 🔴 Oregon-specific effect of the federal changes: OHA states plainly, "In Oregon (unlike other states), this does not mean people will lose OHP." In October 2026, some OHP members will MOVE TO Healthier Oregon rather than lose coverage — this affects adults with these immigration statuses: refugees, asylees, survivors of domestic violence or human trafficking, and some humanitarian parolees; it does not affect children, or adults with those statuses who qualify for OHP Bridge. Healthier Oregon is an OHP program and has the same benefits. In January 2027, members who have OHP through Healthier Oregon will move to OHP Open Card (a type of OHP for members who are not in a coordinated care organization, or CCO); OHP Open Card has the same OHP benefits, but the health care providers you can see may differ. In 2027, Healthier Oregon members may also be affected by other changes, including more frequent renewals and work or activity rules for some adults. This is a fast-changing area — rely on the latest official OHA guidance.
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
🔴 The honest headline for Oregon: the state does not currently run a state-funded food program for immigrants federal SNAP leaves out — the widely-named "Food for All Oregonians" is a legislative proposal that has not become law, so right now there is no Oregon food benefit that automatically replaces SNAP for an excluded immigrant. (1) What the proposal is. Food for All Oregonians was carried in the 2025 session as Senate Bill 611 ("Relating to public assistance"), which would "establish the Food for All Oregonians Program" inside ODHS to provide nutrition assistance to people who would qualify for federal SNAP but are ineligible because of their immigration status, with the department directed to implement it by January 1, 2027 (the 2025 version was scaled to children age six and under). (2) 🔴 But it did not pass. SB 611 advanced out of the Senate Human Services Committee but was then referred to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, where it remained when the 2025 session adjourned — it was not enacted and is not funded. So an immigrant whom the 2025 federal law removes from SNAP does not, right now, have an Oregon state-funded food benefit to fall back on; this is like California, where the equivalent expansion is not yet available, and unlike Washington, whose FAP is already running. Advocates continue to push the measure, so this may change — but do not rely on it today. (3) 🌟 What Oregon still offers regardless of the change. Federal SNAP itself is still open on Oregon's normal rules, and a mixed-status household should still apply for its eligible members — most importantly U.S.-citizen children — because SNAP is not a public charge test (see the shared program page). While excluded, community food pantries and food banks remain available for help. (4) 🔴 Confirm before you rely on anything: SNAP's immigrant rules and the fate of Food for All Oregonians are both moving; verify your own category and any new state program with ODHS (one.oregon.gov).
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
🌟 This is the answer to the question the federal layer leaves open. Federal rules let a state choose to limit WIC to U.S. citizens, nationals, and qualified aliens (7 CFR 246.7(c)(3)) — Oregon has not taken that option, and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) says so plainly in its own WIC materials: "Citizenship or legal status is not required to receive WIC services," and "WIC does not ask for, or verify, the legal status of participants or participant's parents." The Oregon WIC eligibility page lists the four criteria that actually matter: live in Oregon; be a pregnant, postpartum, or breastfeeding woman, an infant, or a child under 5; have household income under 185% of the federal poverty limit; and have a nutritional need or risk. Immigration status is not among them, and "WIC does not ask for or verify a WIC participant's Social Security Number." 🔑 Read that as an affirmative statement of state policy, not merely an absence of a contrary rule. 🌟 Proof of active OHP/Medicaid, SNAP, or TANF makes you income eligible regardless of household income. 🔴 One short reassurance, with the detail on the WIC program page: OHA states "WIC was not included in the former Public Charge rule," and that WIC participation "does not, at this time, impact an immigrant's ability to establish legal citizenship." Policy can change — confirm with your local WIC clinic or call 211.
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
🌟 This is the most valuable fact on this page for immigrant families. The federal EITC requires a Social Security number valid for employment, so a family that files with ITINs cannot claim it — see the federal rule for this program. Oregon is different: the Oregon Department of Revenue opens its own Earned Income Credit to ITIN filers. In the state's words: "If you can't claim the federal EITC only because you, your spouse, or your dependent(s) don't have a Social Security number (SSN) that is valid for work, [you] may claim the Oregon EIC using an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) or an SSN that isn't valid for work." The credit is a percentage of the federal EITC: "If you have a dependent who is younger than 3 at the end of the tax year, your Oregon EIC is 12 percent of your federal EITC; otherwise, your EIC is 9 percent of your federal EITC." ITIN filers claim it on Schedule OR-EIC-ITIN. 🔑 In plain terms: a working family in Oregon that files with ITINs, and therefore cannot claim the federal EITC, may still claim the Oregon EIC — 9% of the federal amount they would otherwise qualify for, or 12% with a child under 3. We say may, not will — you must still meet every other federal EITC requirement apart from the work-authorized SSN, including the income limits. The Oregon EIC is refundable, so it can be paid even to a worker who owes no Oregon tax. 🔴 Note the boundary: this is Oregon's own credit. Claiming the Oregon EIC with an ITIN does not make you eligible for the federal EITC and does not change your immigration status.
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
Oregon delivers CHIP through the Oregon Health Plan (OHP) — there is no separate CHIP brand, and children's Medicaid and CHIP are one combined children's pathway. For children the result is strongly good: the state's income guide states, "Healthier Oregon provides OHP Plus-level coverage for individuals who meet income and other criteria, regardless of immigration status," and OHA states, "Starting July 1, 2023, immigration/citizenship status no longer affects whether someone qualifies for OHP." So a child's immigration status is not a barrier — a child who would qualify for OHP/CHIP but for immigration status is covered through Healthier Oregon with the same OHP Plus benefits. As of the July 16, 2026 check, OHA's pages show no enrollment cap, waitlist, or new-enrollment freeze for Healthier Oregon, and OHA states that the 2026 federal changes will "not affect children." This is a changing area; rely on the latest official OHA guidance.
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
🔴 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), the public charge conclusion, and the SSI federal payment standard and resource limits all live on the shared ssi program page. This row carries only what is specific to Oregon and answers the key question honestly: does Oregon have a CAPI-style cash route for immigrants excluded from SSI? Oregon's state cash for the aged/blind/disabled is OSIP (the Oregon Supplemental Income Program), run by ODHS. The ODHS rule states OSIP is "Cash supplements and special need payments to individuals who are determined eligible for OSIPM and meet the requirements set forth under OARs 461-155-0500 through 461-155-0710." 🔑 The immigrant boundary is the point: Oregon's citizenship/status rule (OAR 461-120-0110) states that "in all programs except the OSIPM-Healthier Oregon, REF, and REFM programs," to be in the benefit group you must "Be a citizen of the United States" or "Meet the noncitizen status requirements in OAR 461-120-0125" (a qualified non-citizen). Note the only regardless-of-status exception is OSIPM-Healthier Oregon — and Healthier Oregon is "Medicaid coverage for individuals who are not eligible for other medical programs solely because they do not meet citizenship or noncitizen status," i.e., medical, not cash. So the precise boundary is: OSIP cash reaches citizens or qualified non-citizens (lawfully present); it does not reach undocumented immigrants; and Oregon has no CAPI-style broad state cash aimed at people excluded from SSI solely by immigration status — on the official rules we checked, we did not find a state-funded cash route on the cash side for the undocumented. 🔴 Do not confuse this with medical: Oregon's Healthier Oregon (regardless of immigration status) is medical coverage, not cash — do not treat it as a cash substitute for SSI (see this site's medicaid "Oregon Health Plan" row). If you are an aged/blind/disabled qualified immigrant denied SSI, check on OSIP with the ODHS Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC, 1-855-673-2372) or your local ODHS Aging and People with Disabilities (APD) office — 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.
이 주의 주요 차이점
🔴 The federal layer is not repeated here: TANF's "qualified alien" categories, the five-year bar, the federal exceptions (refugees/asylees/Cuban-Haitian entrants, etc.), and the public charge conclusion live on the shared tanf program page. This row carries only the immigration points as Oregon applies them, and answers the key question honestly: does Oregon have a state-funded cash route for immigrants excluded from TANF? (1) Oregon TANF's status requirement: Oregon's citizenship/status rule (OAR 461-120-0110) states that "in all programs except the OSIPM-Healthier Oregon, REF, and REFM programs," you must be a U.S. citizen or a qualified non-citizen meeting OAR 461-120-0125 (the specific qualifying categories are federal and live on the shared page). (2) 🔴 One Oregon-specific narrow exception: the same rule, section (5) — "In the TANF program, a survivor of domestic violence is not subject to section (1) of this rule when the individual is at risk of further or future domestic violence." That is a real but narrow humanitarian exception, only for at-risk domestic-violence survivors — not a general cash route for the undocumented at large. (3) 🔴 Does Oregon then have a statewide state-funded TANF-replacement cash program for non-qualified immigrants, as some states do? We did not find one — the ODHS cash-programs page lists only TANF, TA-DVS (domestic-violence survivors), and Refugee Services, and we found no statewide state-funded cash program covering non-qualified/undocumented immigrants who do not meet federal TANF. This is "we did not find a dedicated program," not "we guarantee there is none." (4) 🔴 Do not confuse this with medical: Oregon's regardless-of-status inclusivity is on the medical side (Healthier Oregon, which is Medicaid), not cash — do not treat it as a cash substitute for TANF (see this site's medicaid "Oregon Health Plan" row). Check your specific situation with an ODHS Self-Sufficiency office.
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 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 Oregon applies them. Oregon's Employment Department (OED) requires work authorization: OED states "Anyone who is authorized to work in the U.S. may be eligible for unemployment insurance benefits." This holds at both ends: (1) you must have been authorized to work when you earned the base-year wages (or those wages cannot support your claim), and (2) you must now hold a status that allows you to work and be "able and available to work." At filing, if you are not a U.S. citizen you must provide your Alien Registration number and work-authorization documents. 🔑 The key is here: this is exactly the line between someone authorized both then and now (who can collect) and someone who had no work permit at the time (whose wages from that period cannot be used). You must also be unemployed through no fault of your own. State rules differ — rely on the state where you worked (here, Oregon's OED).
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 Oregon state immigrant rule for Section 8 that expands beyond the federal HUD rule. Section 8 is HUD-funded and administered by local public housing authorities, which apply HUD's federal noncitizen rules. HUD states the rule for Oregon plainly: a Public Housing Authority "will determine eligibility for the housing choice voucher program based on the total annual gross income and family size, U.S. citizenship and specified categories of non-citizens who have eligible immigration status." Portland's Home Forward puts the household rule concretely: "One member of your household must be a legal citizen or eligible immigrant," and a household with undocumented family members is still eligible "as long as at least one family member has eligible residency or legal citizenship status" — so a mixed-status family is not turned away entirely. (Home Forward even tells applicants that a head of household without a Social Security number should enter "999999999" in that field.) The specific federal status categories live on this program's shared federal page and are not repeated here; status is verified by your local housing authority under HUD rules. On a state-funded rental route: OHCS is the state housing-finance agency and funds various rental programs, but we did not find official language for a state-funded Oregon rental-assistance program whose immigrant eligibility is broader than the federal Section 8 rule — the regardless-of-immigration-status inclusivity we could ground in Oregon is on the medical side (Healthier Oregon), not housing. So this row claims no state expansion beyond the federal rule; check current programs with OHCS (800-453-5511).
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
🔴🔴 This is the key safety question, answered independently from Oregon's own materials — do not copy another state's answer onto Oregon. Unlike some states' energy programs, Oregon LIHEAP does condition eligibility on immigration status. Oregon's official LIHEAP State Plan has a "Citizenship or Legal Residency Verification" section whose stated purpose is "ensuring that household members are U.S. citizens or qualified non-citizens who are qualified to receive LIHEAP benefits"; its procedures include "Non-citizens must provide documentation of immigration status." and "Non-citizens are verified through the SAVE system." In plain terms: you must be a U.S. citizen or a qualified non-citizen (the federal "qualified alien" categories), so undocumented immigrants are not eligible for LIHEAP. 🔴 Be honest about the edges so no one is wrongly scared off or wrongly reassured: (1) many lawfully-present immigrants (green-card holders, refugees, asylees, and other qualified non-citizens) can qualify — do not rule yourself out if you have status. (2) A Social Security number is not an absolute requirement — the State Plan says "Social Security Numbers are strongly encouraged but not required," with exceptions. (3) This is grounded from the statewide State Plan; the exact documents each local CAA asks for can vary, so ask yours. 🌟 The regardless-of-immigration-status inclusivity we could ground in Oregon is on the medical side (Healthier Oregon), not energy assistance — we did not find that the state-funded OEAP has broader immigrant eligibility than LIHEAP, so we do not claim it. This differs from states that do not condition energy aid on status — do not copy their rule onto Oregon. Apply through your local Community Action Agency and ask them directly about your specific status.
이 페이지에는 현재까지 수록된 복지 항목만 나열되어 있으며, 이 주에 이 항목들만 있다는 의미는 아닙니다.