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Welfare Reform and Its Impact

In 1996, after much debate, Congress passed the PRWORA. An important result of this law was that states were no longer required to provide most forms of public benefits to legal immigrants. Subsequent legislation softened some of the laws concerning treatment of legal immigrants in areas such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits and food stamps. But the ability of legal immigrants to receive public assistance has clearly changed after passage of the PRWORA

Previous to the PRWORA, the federal government set most of the eligibility requirements for federal welfare programs. The PRWORA allowed states to set the requirements for many of these programs. This was particularly true for immigrants. States were allowed to decide whether immigrants could participate in programs such as Medicaid and the newly formed Temporary Assistance For Needy Families, which replaced the Aid to Families with Dependant Children.

As a result of the PRWORA, different states treat immigrants in different ways. Some states are generous with the benefits they provide to immigrants; others are not. What legal immigrants can receive depends on where they reside.


Inside Welfare Reform and Its Impact