	Introduction

The extent to which residents of the United States who are not U.S. citizens should be eligible for federally funded public aid has been a contentious issue since the 1990s. This issue meets at the intersection of two major policy areas: immigration policy and welfare policy. Over the past 20 years, Congress has enacted significant changes in both areas. Congress has also exercised oversight of revisions made by the 1996 welfare reform law (the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, P.L. 104-193 ) concerning the rules governing noncitizen eligibility for public assistance, and of legislation covering programs with major restrictions on noncitizen eligibility (e.g., Medicaid). This report covers noncitizen eligibility in the four major federal means-tested benefit programs: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps), the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance, and Medicaid. 104-193 ) established comprehensive restrictions on the eligibility of noncitizens for means-tested public assistance—with significant exceptions for those with a substantial U.S. work history or military connection. Current Eligibility Policy

Under current law, lawful permanent residents' eligibility for the major federal means-tested benefit programs depends on their immigration status; whether they arrived (or were on a program's rolls) before August 22, 1996 (the enactment date of P.L. After this term, they generally are ineligible for SSI, but may be eligible, at state option, for Medicaid and TANF. LPRs with a substantial work history—generally 10 years (40 quarters) of work documented by Social Security or other employment records—or a military connection (active duty military personnel, veterans, and their families) are eligible for the full range of programs. LPRs are not eligible for SSI during the first five years even if they had 40 credits of earnings (e.g., as a temporary worker prior to receiving LPR status). States have the option to cover LPRs who are children or who are pregnant during the first five years. Under current law, FAS citizens are not eligible for federal public benefits (except emergency services and programs expressly listed, such as Medicaid for emergency medical care or Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster services). Federal and State Benefit Eligibility Standards for Unauthorized Aliens

		Federal Benefits25

Unauthorized aliens (often referred to as illegal aliens) are not eligible for most federal benefits, regardless of whether they are means tested. 107-171 , the "farm bill," contained substantial changes to food stamp eligibility rules for noncitizens, expanding food stamp eligibility to include the following groups:
all LPR children, regardless of date of entry (it also ended requirements to deem sponsors' income and resources to these children); LPRs receiving government disability payments, so long as they pass any noncitizen eligibility test established by the disability program (e.g., SSI recipients would have to meet SSI noncitizen requirements in order to get food stamps/SNAP); and all individuals who have resided in the United States for five or more years as "qualified aliens"—that is, LPRs, refugees/asylees, and other non-temporary legal residents (such as Cuban/Haitian entrants). New entrants are not eligible for five years after entry.
The extent to which residents of the United States who are not U.S. citizens should be eligible for federally funded public aid has been a contentious issue since the 1990s. This issue meets at the intersection of two major policy areas: immigration policy and welfare policy. The eligibility of noncitizens for public assistance programs is based on a complex set of rules that are determined largely by the category of the noncitizen in question and the nature of services being offered. Over the past 20 years, Congress has enacted significant changes in U.S. immigration policy and welfare policy. Congress has also exercised oversight of revisions made by the 1996 welfare reform law (the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, P.L. 104-193) concerning the rules governing noncitizen eligibility for public assistance, and of legislation covering programs with major restrictions on noncitizen eligibility (e.g., Medicaid).
This report deals with the four major federal means-tested benefit programs: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps), the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance, and Medicaid. Laws in place for the past 20 years restrict the eligibility of legal permanent residents (LPRs), refugees, asylees, and other noncitizens for most means-tested public aid. Noncitizens' eligibility for major federal means-tested benefits largely depends on their immigration status; whether they arrived (or were on a program's rolls) before August 22, 1996, the enactment date of P.L. 104-193; and how long they have lived and worked in the United States.
LPRs with a substantial work history (defined as 40 quarters of Social Security covered earnings) or military connection are eligible for the full range of programs, as are asylees, refugees, and other humanitarian cases (for at least five to seven years after entry). Other LPRs must meet additional eligibility requirements.
For SSI, they are not eligible for the first five years even if they had a substantial work history (e.g., as a temporary worker prior to receiving LPR status). For SNAP, they generally must have been LPRs for five years or be under age 18. Under TANF, they generally are ineligible for five years after entry and then eligible at state option. States have the option of providing Medicaid to pregnant LPRs and children within the five-year bar; otherwise LPRs are ineligible for the first five years.
Unauthorized aliens (often referred to as illegal aliens) are not eligible for most federal benefits, regardless of whether they are means tested, with notable exceptions for emergency services (e.g., Medicaid for emergency medical care or Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster services).
This report does not track legislation and will be updated as policy changes warrant.