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Iowa bill would require verification of immigration status for WIC benefits
Legislation also would change Medicaid income limit for disabled Iowans
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DES MOINES — Undocumented women, children and infants in the state would not be eligible for a federal nutrition assistance program under legislation advanced by Iowa House lawmakers Wednesday.
House Study Bill 696, which a House subcommittee advanced 2-1 on Wednesday, also would change the Medicaid income limit for disabled Iowans who are employed, require the state to apply for specific U.S. Department of Agriculture waivers and require individuals on the Women, Infants and Children program to live in Iowa for a year before becoming eligible for the benefits.
Currently, WIC — a nutrition program for low-income pregnant and post-partum women, infants and children up to age 5 — is one of the only federal assistance programs that does not require proof of citizenship.
Luke Elzinga, who works for the Iowa Hunger Coalition, said if the legislation were signed into law, Iowa would be the only state in the country to impose immigration status requirements for individuals on the program.
Republican Rep. Austin Harris, of Moulton, who chairs the subcommittee and the Iowa House Health and Human Services Committee, said the legislation would align WIC with other federal assistance programs that already require immigration status for eligibility, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Medicaid and Section 8 housing.
“This bill aims to protect the integrity and stability of these programs, to make sure that they're focused on supporting Iowans that need these programs,” Harris said. “Iowa is not going to be a sanctuary state for waste, fraud, and, for your security, this bill will move forward today.”
Des Moines Area Religious Council CEO Kathy Underhill said the WIC immigration status requirement would lead to increased malnutrition among children and infants in Iowa whose families are reliant on the assistance.
“I know that policy can seem from 30,000 feet here under the dome ... very simple, but as you get closer to the ground where it's actually implemented, it becomes very nuanced and can have very dire unintended consequences,” Underhill said. “A baby's nutrition shouldn't be used as a pawn in much-needed immigration reform.”
Bill includes increased Medicaid income cap for disabled working Iowans
After advocating for the issue at the Iowa Capitol for numerous years, Zach Mecham, who leads disability rights group Allies in Advocacy, said he was initially “thrilled” to learn that lawmakers were considering legislation that would increase the Medicaid income cap for disabled working Iowans.
But after seeing that the bill would amend the current Medicaid income cap from 250 percent of the federal poverty line to 300 percent of the federal poverty line, he called the legislation a “watered-down” version of what Iowans with disabilities have been seeking.
Mecham said current income and asset limits on Medicaid prohibit Iowans with disabilities from working or advancing in their careers because they will no longer be eligible for the program if they earn too much money. He said this would cut them off from care because insurance through many employers does not cover certain essential services for disabled Iowans that are covered by Medicaid.
“That is a step in the right direction. But Iowans with disabilities deserve to be doctors and lawyers and engineers, if they work hard enough, and their pay to be commensurate with their skill set,” Mecham said. “If we're going to have an income limit at all, it's my recommendation that it's at least 400 percent.”
The bill would no longer consider money in pension funds as an asset under the program’s asset limit.
Catherine Johnson, executive director of Disability Rights Iowa, said that based on a survey her office conducted among 140 disabled Iowans on Medicaid, roughly 50 percent said the income and asset limitations affected their ability to work and accept promotions.
She added that the bill is a “good start” but recommended increasing the income limit and eliminating the asset limit.
Requiring 12 months of Iowa residency for WIC
The legislation would allow the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services to require WIC applicants to provide proof of 12 months of continued residency in the state to become eligible for the program.
Laura Hessburg, representing the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence, expressed concern about the residency requirement, noting that it would make it more difficult for women who leave violent relationships to access the benefits.
The bill also would consider WIC and state child care assistance as “public assistance programs” alongside SNAP. Individuals receiving benefits from public assistance programs are required to have their immigration status confirmed using the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE.
It also proposes a slate of requests for federal waivers to implement the following:
- Exclude the income of individuals under the age of 22 from household incomes used to determine SNAP eligibility.
- Allow the state to expunge Electronic Benefit Transfer benefits after three months of inactivity on the card or if there are leftover benefits after that time period. The current inactivity time limit is nine months.
- Require households with mixed citizenship statuses on SNAP to provide the citizenship status of all members, including those who are not eligible to participate in the program.
Harris and Republican state Rep. Chag Ingels, of Randalia, agreed to advance the legislation. Rep. Ross Willburn, a Democrat from Ames, declined to do so.
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