Archive for the ‘elderly refugees’ Category
Posted by Christopher Coen on November 20, 2011
A roundtable panel discussion In Austin addresses the issue of older refugees. Panelists included Zarni Tun (resettlement case manager with Refugee Services of Texas); Lorel Donaghey (employment specialist with Caritas of Austin); Casey Kasper (ESL teacher with Interfaith Action of Texas) and Rebecca Tulis (extended case manager with Refugee Services of Texas). The discussion is described at Austin Refugee Roundtable:
…Some of the problems faced by older refugees –identified as refugees over the age of 50- included:
- General fear of being a burden on family members.
- It is more difficult for them to learn English which makes it more difficult to pass the US citizenship test. This makes them not eligible to receive SSI/SSDI beyond 7 years.
- Employment difficulty since many jobs that would be a good fit (caring for others, childcare, sewing) require individuals to be fluent in English or able to work fast on big machines… Read more here
Posted in alienation-isolation, Austin, Caritas of Austin, elderly refugees, employment/jobs for refugees, ESL & ELL, language, mental health, Refugee Services of Texas, Refugee Services of Texas | Tagged: Austin, Caritas of Austin, elderly, ESL, Interfaith Action of Texas, panel discussion, Refugee Services of Texas, refugees, resettlement, Roundtable | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Christopher Coen on October 18, 2011
Freshman Sen. Rand Paul finally ended his two-week hold on extending Supplemental Security Income to elderly and disabled refugees, by demanding that the Senate Judiciary Committee’s immigration panel hold an oversight hearing on the entry of two terrorism suspects to the country via the refugee program. The SSI benefits expired for about 5,600 elderly and disabled refugees on Sept. 30. A POLITICO article has more:
Ending a two-week standoff, freshman Sen. Rand Paul agreed to lift his hold on a bill extending aid to thousands of elderly and disabled refugees living in the United States.
The Kentucky Republican allowed the bipartisan bill to advance after Democratic leaders promised to hold a congressional hearing into how individuals are selected for refugee status and request an investigation into why two terrorism suspects were admitted to the U.S. through a refugee program, an aide said…
…As part of the agreement with Paul, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the bill’s author and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s immigration panel, will hold an oversight hearing examining refugee resettlement in the United States. Paul will be among those testifying. And Schumer and Paul will jointly request the inspectors general at the Homeland Security, State and Health and Human Services departments investigate why the Iraqi terrorism suspects were allowed to enter the country... Read more here
Yet, we already know why the terrorism suspects got through the security barriers. Prior to the December 2009 underwear bombing incident the Department of Homeland Security was not checking refugee applications against a broader set of security data, including fingerprints. So, what then does Sen. Paul intend to do with this oversight hearing?
Posted in Congress, Dept of Homeland Security, disabled refugees, elderly refugees, Iraqi, right-wing, security/terrorism, SSI | Tagged: disabled, elderly, Rand Paul, refugees, resettlement, security, Senate Judiciary Committee, SSI | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Christopher Coen on October 10, 2011
Colorado’s eligibility crackdown on its Old Age Pension will not effect elderly refugees. Formerly, immigrants living in Colorado could sponsor their elderly parents as immigrants by telling the federal government they would take care of their relatives, but then sign up their family members for the Old Age Pension. Now, there is a five-year residency requirement, putting the state in line with federal benefits law. The new law also allows exceptions for hardship cases, such as elderly immigrants who are refugees. An article in the Denver Post has more:
For years, Colorado was known as a place with a unique legal loophole that allowed people to import their elderly immigrant relatives — family members they’d already promised to provide for — and immediately make taxpayers support them…
…The Old Age Pension program provides more than 23,000 low-income Colorado residents who are at least 60 years old with cash benefits of up to $699 per month…
…Voters added the Old Age Pension program to the state constitution in 1936. Originally, recipients had to have lived in Colorado for 35 years before getting the pension, but courts struck down the requirement as well as another requiring recipients to be U.S. citizens, meaning lawful permanent residents are eligible.
However, a remaining provision of the constitutional amendment says that the income of the family of the recipient can’t be considered in determining eligibility for the program. That’s despite the fact that under federal law, a person who sponsors an immigrant must sign a form pledging to be responsible for the immigrant…
…State officials and caseworkers say the frequent result was that people living in Colorado sponsored their elderly parents as immigrants, telling the federal government they take care of their relatives but then signing up their family members for the Old Age Pension.
With the five-year residency requirement, the program became aligned with federal law, which imposes the same waiting period to receive federal benefits…
…The new law does allow some exceptions for hardship cases, such as those elderly immigrants who are refugees or who are abandoned by their sponsors… Read more here
Posted in Colorado, elderly refugees, reform | Tagged: Colorado, elderly, immigrants, Old Age Pension, reform, refugees, resettlement | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Christopher Coen on October 4, 2011
Freshman Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican and co-founder of the Senate Tea Party Caucus, is blocking the bill that would extend funding for one year for about 5,600 elderly and disabled refugees. The bill seeks to extend social security benefits for these refugees, many of whom have been unable to pass the US citizenship test due to language barriers associated with frailties. These refugees lost these meager benefits — used to pay basic living expenses — as of September 30th. An article in POLITICO tells more:
Freshman Sen. Rand Paul is blocking a bill that Senate leaders tried to pass by a voice vote Monday, delaying $36 million in benefits for elderly and disabled refugees, POLITICO has learned.
The funding ran out at the end of the fiscal year on Friday.
Paul, a Kentucky Republican and co-founder of the Senate Tea Party Caucus, placed a hold on the bill after Democratic leaders reached an agreement with other Republicans to offset the funding with fee increases for immigrants seeking visas.
In a statement to POLITICO on Tuesday, Paul confirmed he was blocking the bill over concerns the money could be used to aid domestic terrorists. Two alleged terrorists, who came to the U.S. through a refugee program and were receiving welfare benefits, were arrested this year in Paul’s hometown of Bowling Green, Ky.
“This incident alone raises serious questions about the system through which they came to the United States, and I am insisting on a full investigation on our practice of providing welfare to refugees,” Paul said. “Legislation of this importance should not be passed without sufficient debate and a presentation of the information found from this investigation.”…
…Schumer and other Democratic sponsors worked out a deal Friday with Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), who had blocked the legislation over concerns about costs. Coburn agreed to lift his hold after Democrats proposed a new $30 fee for individuals applying to enter the country through a visa lottery program. That fee would more than pay for the refugee benefits, cutting the deficit by $24 million.
But Paul’s hold was a surprise to even Schumer, who announced on the floor Monday that the Senate would pass the bill that night by a voice vote… Read more here
When I read this article I was expecting to discover that the reason Paul Rand was opposing the bill was a principled stand against fee increases, as just another type of tax. Naive me. Instead he risks putting vulnerable people out onto the streets as some form of protest in response to the US Department of Homeland Security letting two alleged terrorists resettle to Tennessee, even though the agency had information that should have prevented it. So, punish Homeland Security by abandoning elderly and disabled people?
Posted in disabled refugees, elderly refugees, funding, Kentucky, right-wing, SSI | Tagged: disabled, elderly, Rand Paul, refugees, resettlement, social security disability, SSI, Tea Party, welfare | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Christopher Coen on August 27, 2011
Many elderly and disabled refugees could lose Supplemental Security Income benefits without congressional action. Congress extended the deadline for refugees pursuing citizenship once in 2008, so that refugees could receive assistance for up to nine years before becoming citizens, but that extension expires Sept. 30. Many of the refugees who could lose their benefits next month are apparently unable to successfully take and pass citizenship tests in English because of their age or disabilities. It seems as if U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell is sitting on his hands as the deadline approaches. An article in the Lexington Herald Leader explains the situation:
…up to 605 elderly and disabled refugees in [Kentucky] stand to lose their Supplemental Security Income benefits if Congress doesn’t act by Sept. 30, according to local advocates.
“It’s a pretty profound consequence,” said Rich Seckel, director of the Kentucky Equal Justice Center in Lexington.
SSI is a federal benefit program that provides a $674 base monthly income to people who can’t work because of their advanced age or disability or blindness, and because they don’t have other resources.
Though many people who aren’t citizens are not eligible for SSI, the federal government makes an exception for refugees. But to keep SSI, the refugees must seek citizenship within seven years of their arrival in the United States.
Many of the refugees who could lose their benefits next month are unable to successfully take and pass citizenship tests in English because of their disabilities, according to Rev. Patrick Delahanty, Executive Director of the Frankfort-based Catholic Conference of Kentucky.
According to the Social Security Administration, there are as many as 605 refugees in Kentucky who are at risk of losing benefits, said Ellen Sittenfeld Battistelli, a policy analyst for the National Immigration Law Center.
Advocates have asked for help from U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell and U.S. Rep. Geoff Davis — Republican members of Kentucky’s federal delegation and key players in any response by Congress to the problem…
…Seckel said people with disabilities can request waivers of the language requirements and civics test from the federal government but the process is complicated.
In Lexington, many people are turning to the Maxwell Street Legal Clinic for help, Seckel said, but Congress should act to fix the problem because “we should not turn every refugee with a disability into a new legal case.”
The advocates are asking Congress for legislation that would ease the citizenship requirement for the severely disabled and elderly or in the short term, allow an extension of the deadline for pursuing citizenship.
Congress extended the deadline once in 2008 so that refugees could receive assistance for up to nine years before becoming citizens. But that extension expires Sept. 30.
U.S. Reps. Jim McDermott, D-Washington, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., have introduced legislation that continues the nine-year policy.
Because McConnell is the Minority Leader of the Senate — the highest ranking Republican in the Senate — “his support can ensure that this population continues to be protected,” Battistelli said... Read more here
Posted in Congress, disabled refugees, elderly refugees, health, Kentucky, legislation, Social Security Administration, SSI | Tagged: Catholic Conference of Kentucky, citizenship test, disabled, elderly, Ellen Sittenfeld Battistelli, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Jim McDermott, Kentucky Equal Justice Center, Maxwell Street Legal Clinic, Mitch McConnell, National Immigration Law Center, Patrick Delahanty, refugees, resettlement, Rich Seckel, SSI, Supplemental Security Income | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Christopher Coen on September 30, 2010
The New York Times has an editorial on the issue of elderly and disabled refugees facing a cut-off of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) due to the 7 year time limit for non-citizens. Some of these elderly and disabled refugees have absolutely no chance of ever passing a citizenship test due to the need for English language skills. We have refugees who arrive here illiterate in their own language and far too old to learn a new language. Some of these elderly people have dementia and other issues. SSI is a Federal income supplement program funded by general tax revenues (not Social Security taxes). It is designed to help aged, blind, and disabled people, who have little or no income. It provides cash to meet basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York is seeking a one-year extension to help 5,500 refugees who are about to lose benefits.
Thousands of elderly and disabled refugees who receive cash assistance from the Social Security Administration are in danger of losing that lifeline. Their eligibility for benefits expires on Friday. Congress has granted temporary extensions before. It needs to do so again.
The welfare overhaul adopted in 1996 set limits on the time that refugees can receive Supplemental Security Income. Noncitizens normally do not qualify for payments, but refugees, who fled torture and war and could not work because of old age and infirmity, were among those granted an exception on the condition that they become citizens within seven years. That deadline came too quickly for some who were unable to pass the citizenship test in time. Many were homebound and had trouble negotiating paperwork or affording the fees. Others were stuck in limbo because of administrative backlogs…
…Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York is seeking a one-year extension to help 5,500 refugees who are about to be cut off. The bill is expected to cost about $22 million, and it would be more than offset by a fee collected for unemployment fraud. It would apply only to those who received benefits through the 2008 extension; new refugees must still meet the seven-year deadline. Read more here
A Bhutanese refugee suggested to me that the U.S. government should enact a rule for refugees with disabilities from the neck up versus those from the head down. In other words, to allow elderly refugees with dementia and other refugees with mental illness or developmental disabilities to avoid the time limit for benefits imposed on non-citizens. A medical specialist would decide who qualified for the exception. I don’t know if there is a diagnostic tool that is useful for determining which elderly and disabled people are cognitively capable of learning English. Of course there is also the financial barrier of affording the $595 naturalization fees, although waivers are available for people unable to afford the fees. Then there is the issue of refugees with physical disabilities that interfere with travel to and attendence at English classes.
**CORRECTION** – The 7-year limit for refugees listed above was actually a 9-year limit, due to the US Congress passing a rule in 2008 (set to expire Sept. 30, 2011) giving qualifying refugees 9-years of SSI if they were noncitizens. See Herald-Leader article:
…Congress extended the deadline once in 2008 so that refugees could receive assistance for up to nine years before becoming citizens. But that extension expires Sept. 30 [2011]… Read more here
**UPDATE** – Effort to extend eligibility fails
An article in the Washington Independent says that the Senate rejected the effort to pass the measure yesterday.
…Yesterday, the Senate considered a measure to extend eligibility for Supplemental Security …Income for some of the neediest refugees. It came up for unanimous consent, but failed to pass in the final hours of the session…
…Groups say they plan to continue to lobby in the lame duck session and next year for Congress to eliminate limits on SSI eligibility for refugees.
Although efforts to extend SSI payments have not encountered serious opposition — the extension in 2008 earned bipartisan support — rights groups have had trouble getting it added to the legislative calendar. “We don’t really hear opposition, we just have difficulty getting support,” Wiley says. Read more here
Posted in Congress, disabled refugees, elderly refugees, SSI | Tagged: citizenship requirements, disabled refugees, Elderly refugees, refugee resettlement, refugee resettlement agencies, refugee resettlement program, refugees, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, SSI Social Security Income | Leave a Comment »
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