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Schedule:
Sunday, January 24, 2027
Continental 1-4 (Hilton San Francisco Union Square)
* noted as presenting author
Background and Purpose: During early resettlement, refugees and other ORR-eligible newcomers rely on clear public information about Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) and Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA) to plan for basic needs, health care, and family stability. In 2025, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) shortened RCA/RMA to a maximum of four months for individuals whose ORR eligibility date is on or after May 5, 2025. This study examines how federal and Kentucky public-facing sources describe who qualifies for RCA/RMA, how long benefits last, and when the new rule applies following the 2025 policy change. The goal is to identify communication gaps that may shape equitable access planning during early resettlement.
Methods: Using qualitative policy mapping and content analysis, this study reviewed six official public-facing sources: three federal ORR documents or webpages and three Kentucky Office for Refugees documents or webpages. Official federal and Kentucky sources published from 2022 forward were included if they stated at least one key RCA/RMA detail, such as eligibility, benefit duration, the effective date/cutoff, or Kentucky implementation information. A structured coding sheet captured who is covered, how long assistance lasts, when the current rule applies, TANF/Medicaid conditions, and implementation notes. When a field was silent, it was coded as “not stated” rather than inferred.
Results: Findings showed clear gaps and inconsistencies across federal and Kentucky public guidance. Duration was explicitly stated in only two of the six sources: the federal notice reflecting the current four-month rule and one Kentucky legacy benefits page still listing an older eight-month duration. Only one of the six sources, the federal notice, clearly stated that the new four-month rule applies to people whose ORR eligibility date is on or after May 5, 2025. Information about who qualifies for RCA/RMA and the condition that applicants must not be eligible for TANF or Medicaid was spread across different federal sources rather than presented in one clear public summary. Kentucky public pages focused more on program delivery and provider information than on current eligibility, duration, and timing details.
Conclusions and Implications: Taken together, the findings suggest that public guidance on RCA/RMA after the 2025 ORR change does not present one clear and consistent message for newcomer families or providers in Kentucky. When key details about eligibility, duration, and timing are hard to find or split across sources, families may plan around outdated expectations and providers may spend added time clarifying the rules. For social work policy and practice, clearer and more consistent public guidance could serve as a practical implementation step to support equitable access, reduce confusion, and improve early family stability during resettlement. Future research could extend this policy mapping approach to other states and examine how public guidance shapes client understanding, service navigation, and application-related errors.
Methods: Using qualitative policy mapping and content analysis, this study reviewed six official public-facing sources: three federal ORR documents or webpages and three Kentucky Office for Refugees documents or webpages. Official federal and Kentucky sources published from 2022 forward were included if they stated at least one key RCA/RMA detail, such as eligibility, benefit duration, the effective date/cutoff, or Kentucky implementation information. A structured coding sheet captured who is covered, how long assistance lasts, when the current rule applies, TANF/Medicaid conditions, and implementation notes. When a field was silent, it was coded as “not stated” rather than inferred.
Results: Findings showed clear gaps and inconsistencies across federal and Kentucky public guidance. Duration was explicitly stated in only two of the six sources: the federal notice reflecting the current four-month rule and one Kentucky legacy benefits page still listing an older eight-month duration. Only one of the six sources, the federal notice, clearly stated that the new four-month rule applies to people whose ORR eligibility date is on or after May 5, 2025. Information about who qualifies for RCA/RMA and the condition that applicants must not be eligible for TANF or Medicaid was spread across different federal sources rather than presented in one clear public summary. Kentucky public pages focused more on program delivery and provider information than on current eligibility, duration, and timing details.
Conclusions and Implications: Taken together, the findings suggest that public guidance on RCA/RMA after the 2025 ORR change does not present one clear and consistent message for newcomer families or providers in Kentucky. When key details about eligibility, duration, and timing are hard to find or split across sources, families may plan around outdated expectations and providers may spend added time clarifying the rules. For social work policy and practice, clearer and more consistent public guidance could serve as a practical implementation step to support equitable access, reduce confusion, and improve early family stability during resettlement. Future research could extend this policy mapping approach to other states and examine how public guidance shapes client understanding, service navigation, and application-related errors.