AfghanEvac Explainer · Policy
The safety net is shrinking. Permanence protects you most.
The 2025 reconciliation law, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, narrowed who can get federal food and health assistance, and cut off humanitarian statuses that had qualified for decades. A few states have built their own safety nets, but most cannot replace the lost federal money, so where you live now matters almost as much as your status. Permanent status, a green card, is the strongest protection available. Here is what the programs are, what changed, and what to do.
Last updated October 13, 2026This page explains what the One Big Beautiful Bill Act means for Afghan allies, and how to access what you are entitled to under the law. It is not the only pressure Afghans face right now, the travel ban and visa holds are separate, so see our barriers overview for the full picture.
Start here
First, what these programs are.
Before the cuts make sense, it helps to know what each program does and who runs it. Some are federal. Some are federal money that your state hands out. That difference decides what a state can protect and what it cannot.
SNAP (food)
Federal money, state-runMonthly help to buy groceries. Called CalFresh in California and other names in other states.
Where to go Your state or county benefits office.
Medicaid (health)
Federal + stateHealth coverage for people with low income, paid for jointly by the federal government and your state. Called Medi-Cal in California. Federal funding ended for the affected groups on October 1, 2026.
Where to go Your state Medicaid or benefits office. NILC's Medicaid explainer walks through the notices and your rights.
CHIP (children’s health)
Federal + stateLow-cost health coverage for children in families that earn too much for Medicaid.
Where to go Your state benefits office.
Medicare (health, 65+)
Fully federalFederal health insurance for people 65 and older, and some younger people with disabilities.
Where to go The Social Security Administration.
ACA marketplace tax credits
Fully federalFederal subsidies that lower the monthly cost of private insurance bought on the marketplace. They end for the affected groups with 2027 coverage, and open enrollment runs November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027.
Where to go HealthCare.gov or your state marketplace. NILC's ACA explainer covers who loses the credit and what to do.
Emergency Medicaid and clinics
Local backstopEmergency Medicaid covers emergencies for anyone who qualifies by income. Community health centers and free clinics serve patients regardless of ability to pay.
Where to go Your local benefits office or health center.
Why where you live matters. When Congress cut the federal share for these groups, states were left to either backfill with their own money or let coverage end. A few states built their own safety nets. Washington, for example, moved humanitarian immigrants cut from federal food aid onto its own state food program. Most states cannot, because replacing federal funding is beyond their budgets. That is why, under this law, where you live now matters almost as much as your status.
Public Law 119-21, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, was signed July 4, 2025. It limits SNAP, Medicaid, CHIP, Affordable Care Act marketplace tax credits, and Medicare for noncitizens to green card holders, Cuban and Haitian entrants, and COFA citizens. It kept the existing rules that exempt refugees, asylees, and SIV holders from the five-year wait once they have green cards. The same law also appropriated more than $170 billion for border and immigration enforcement and added new fees on the immigration process.Public Law 119-21 (H.R. 1), enacted July 4, 2025; CMS guidance issued April 8, 2026; USDA SNAP guidance issued December 9, 2025.
Who lost eligibility
Humanitarian status no longer counts.
These groups qualified for federal food and health assistance for decades. Under this law, without a green card, they no longer do.
- Afghans paroled into the U.S., including through Operation Allies Welcome
- Asylees and people granted withholding of removal
- Refugees who have not yet adjusted to a green card
- Survivors of trafficking and domestic violence without green cards
Why this reaches Afghan parolees. Congress gave Afghan parolees benefits on the same terms as refugees. When this law cut off refugees, it cut off Afghan parolees too.
The cliffs, in order
It hits in waves.
The cuts are staggered. Some are already in effect. The gaps between them are where families get caught off guard.
October 1, 2026
Federal Medicaid has ended for Afghan parolees.
Named in the guidance
CMS guidance issued April 8, 2026 names “certain Afghan parolees” among those who lost federally funded Medicaid and CHIP on October 1, 2026.
You get notice and a hearing
States must recheck your status and send written notice before coverage ends. You have the right to a fair hearing if you believe the decision is wrong.
Emergency Medicaid remains
Emergency Medicaid still covers treatment for emergency medical conditions, regardless of the change to full coverage.
Kids and pregnant women may keep coverage, depending on your state
39 states and D.C. have adopted an option called CHIPRA 214 to cover lawfully residing children or pregnant women, and CMS confirmed it still applies. Coverage varies by state, though. Texas, for example, covers lawfully residing children but not pregnant women, and some states cover neither. Check what your state is doing.
Who is protected, and who is cut
A green card changes everything.
The dividing line is not the program. It is whether you hold a green card. That is what determines eligibility under this law.
- Who
- Green card holders, including Afghan SIV holders, who arrive with green cards and remain eligible. Cuban and Haitian entrants and COFA citizens are also still covered.
- No five-year wait
- Afghans with green cards who came as refugees, asylees, or SIV holders face no five-year wait. USDA confirmed this for SNAP on December 9, 2025, and it also treats Afghans paroled between July 2021 and September 2023 as exempt from the wait once they adjust, whatever their route.
- If a state applies the wait anyway
- Caseworkers should cite 8 U.S.C. 1613(b) and the USDA guidance, which exempt these categories from the wait.
- Who
- Afghan parolees, asylees and people granted withholding of removal, refugees not yet adjusted, and trafficking and domestic violence survivors, in each case without a green card.
- What ends
- Federal SNAP, Medicaid, CHIP, Medicare, and ACA marketplace tax credits, on the staggered timeline above.
- What remains
- Emergency Medicaid, state-funded programs where they exist, and community health centers, which serve patients regardless of ability to pay.
The path back
Permanent status opens the most doors.
A green card will not undo every cut, but it opens the door to the most coverage you can get. For Afghans with an SIV, refugee status, or an asylum grant, the green card is the next processing step, and it restores federal eligibility, usually without a five-year wait. That is why anyone eligible should get to permanent status as fast as they can, and why V-PRIC, our Visa Pathways and Relocation Information Center, exists to map every route open to you.
USCIS froze Afghan cases after the November 2025 shooting in Washington. A federal court struck down that hold on June 5 in Dorcas v. USCIS, and green cards are moving again. The government appealed, and in August the First Circuit paused only the re-review piece, so the freeze on green cards and asylum decisions stays lifted. But moving is not the same as fast. The same period brought staffing cuts at USCIS, and processing for green cards, asylum, and work permits is still painfully slow. Parolees without an asylum grant or SIV cannot apply for a green card yet; for them, the asylum case comes first.
The gap is the real danger.
The benefit cuts land on fixed dates. Approvals do not. Because processing is slow, many people will lose their coverage before their green card or grant comes through, and fall into a gap with the old assistance gone and permanent status not yet in hand. That gap is where families get hurt, and the steps below are how to cover it while you wait.
You have already applied. That is not the missing piece.
Almost everyone in this situation has already filed for adjustment of status or asylum. That filing matters, and it can protect other things, like your place in line and, in some cases, your parole. But a pending application does not by itself make you eligible again for the federal benefits this law restricts. Eligibility turns on your status. It comes back when the case is approved and you hold the green card or the grant, not while the application sits pending. Applying was the step in the right direction. Approval is the hurdle that changes your eligibility, and until it clears, the moves that help are protecting the coverage you can still get and making sure you were not cut off by mistake.
The cost of the paperwork
The legal path got more expensive too.
These are not fees for the benefit programs above. They are new government fees on the immigration process itself, the filings people make to seek asylum, a work permit, and eventually the green card that restores eligibility.
These are USCIS filing fees only, and they are 2026 amounts, adjusted each year for inflation. A lawyer or an accredited representative usually costs more on top, though many nonprofits offer help at low or no cost. A court has paused penalties for unpaid annual asylum fees, but USCIS can still charge them.
What to do now
Protect what you can still get.
If your green card application is already in, and for most people it is, these are the moves that help while you wait. If you have not applied yet, or you are not eligible to apply yet, step three is where to start.
Call your local benefits office about free and low-cost care
Ask your state or county benefits office where the community health centers and free or sliding-scale clinics are near you. They serve patients regardless of ability to pay, and many regardless of immigration status. Your benefits office can also tell you which programs you still qualify for.
Make sure you were not cut off illegally
States must send written notice before coverage ends, and you have the right to a fair hearing. If your status still qualifies, or the notice looks wrong, do not accept it. Challenge it and respond by every deadline. Keep copies of every notice and every response. For Medicaid, if the state says you are ineligible and you believe you still qualify, you can attest to your eligibility and keep coverage for 90 days while you gather immigration documents. Agencies must offer help in your language. NILC explains the process.
Ask what coverage survives
Emergency Medicaid still covers emergency conditions. Where your state adopted the CHIPRA 214 option, children and pregnant women may keep coverage, but it varies by state. Texas, for example, covers lawfully residing children but not pregnant women. Ask your state about that and about any state-funded food or health programs.
Check your marketplace plan before it renews
If you buy insurance through HealthCare.gov or a state marketplace and you do not hold a green card, your premium tax credit ends with 2027 coverage. Open enrollment runs November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027. Update your application with your current immigration documents, look at the new premium before you let the plan renew automatically, and compare it with community health centers, hospital charity care, and any state program. The marketplace call center offers interpreters. NILC's ACA explainer has the full list of who is affected.
Get to permanent status if you can
If you have an SIV, refugee status, or an asylum grant, the green card is what restores your federal eligibility. Use V-PRIC to see every pathway open to you, and talk to an attorney or accredited representative about adjusting.
Keep proof of every pending application
Carry documentation of your filings, case numbers, and notices. It matters for benefits, for your legal status, and at any encounter with immigration enforcement.
Find your state
What survives depends heavily on where you live, so we built guides for the biggest Afghan communities: California, Texas, Virginia, Maryland, and DC, the Pacific Northwest, New York, Georgia, Arizona, the Carolinas, the Mountain West, and New England. Find yours in the at-a-glance table below, and open its guide from there.
Frequently asked questions
The questions people are asking.
I just applied for my green card. Am I eligible for benefits again?
Not yet. Eligibility under this law turns on your status, not on a pending application. You become eligible again when the case is approved and you hold the green card, not when you file. Applying is the right step, but it is not the one that restores your benefits.
I am an Afghan SIV holder. Did I lose anything?
If you arrived on your SIV, you came with a green card and you remain eligible. You do not face a five-year wait. If a state applies one anyway, point the caseworker to 8 U.S.C. 1613(b) and the December 9, 2025 USDA guidance.
My children were on Medicaid. Do they lose it in October?
It depends on your state. 39 states and D.C. cover lawfully residing children and pregnant women under an option called CHIPRA 214, which CMS confirmed still applies. Coverage varies, though. Texas, for example, covers lawfully residing children but not pregnant women, and some states cover neither. Check what your state is doing, and ask your benefits office about state-funded programs and free clinics.
I have a marketplace plan. What happens in January?
If you are not a green card holder, Cuban or Haitian entrant, or COFA citizen, your premium tax credit ends with 2027 coverage. You can keep or buy a plan, but you pay the full premium. If your plan is set to renew automatically, it will renew at the higher price, so check the amount during open enrollment, November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027, and update your application with your current documents. NILC's ACA explainer has more.
Are the new fees a charge for the benefits I lost?
No. The fees are for the immigration process, filing for asylum, a work permit, and the steps toward a green card. They are separate from the benefit programs, and they are the government’s filing fees. A lawyer usually costs extra, though many nonprofits help at low or no cost.
Is this the same thing as the travel ban or the visa pause?
No. Those come from separate presidential actions, not from this law. This law is about federal benefits, fees, and enforcement funding. The other barriers are covered in our travel ban and SIV explainers.
Your state, benefit by benefit
See what your state backfills.
SNAP is federal, and the law cut it for these groups. Only a handful of states fund food help of their own, and most of it is narrow.
Applying is not the same as qualifying. Coverage turns on your immigration category and changes often, and several states froze or capped programs in 2026. Confirm your own case with your state benefits office, and remember a green card is what restores federal eligibility.
Your state at a glance
What your state chose.
Three state decisions shape what survives after the federal cuts: whether the state covers lawfully residing immigrant children and pregnant women in Medicaid or CHIP, and whether it expanded Medicaid for low-income adults. Find your state below. States with a full AfghanEvac guide are linked.
| State | Immigrant kids covered | Pregnant women covered | Expanded Medicaid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No | No | No |
| Alaska | No | No | Yes |
| Arizona | No | No | Yes |
| Arkansas | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| California | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Colorado | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Connecticut | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Delaware | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| District of Columbia | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Florida | Yes | No | No |
| Georgia | Yes | Yes | No |
| Hawaii | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Idaho | No | No | Yes |
| Illinois | Yes | No | Yes |
| Indiana | No | No | Yes |
| Iowa | Yes | No | Yes |
| Kansas | No | No | No |
| Kentucky | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Louisiana | Yes | No | Yes |
| Maine | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Maryland | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Massachusetts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Michigan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Minnesota | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mississippi | No | No | No |
| Missouri | No | No | Yes |
| Montana | Yes | No | Yes |
| Nebraska | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Nevada | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| New Hampshire | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| New Jersey | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| New Mexico | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| New York | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| North Carolina | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| North Dakota | No | Yes | Yes |
| Ohio | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Oklahoma | No | No | Yes |
| Oregon | Yes | No | Yes |
| Pennsylvania | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rhode Island | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| South Carolina | Yes | Yes | No |
| South Dakota | No | No | Yes |
| Tennessee | No | No | No |
| Texas | Yes | No | No |
| Utah | Yes | No | Yes |
| Vermont | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Virginia | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Washington | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| West Virginia | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Wisconsin | Yes | Yes | No |
| Wyoming | No | Yes | No |
No state matches that search. Check your spelling, or clear the box to see all states.
Applying is not the same as qualifying. This table is a starting point, not the whole picture, and it turns on your specific immigration category. Food is a separate story, mapped just below. Confirm your own case with your state benefits office.
Go deeper
Know your status. Protect the coverage you can still get.
Your green card or grant is what restores federal eligibility, and almost everyone has already applied. While you wait, call your benefits office about free and low-cost clinics, make sure you were not cut off by mistake, and use V-PRIC to see every pathway to permanent status open to you.
More resources
AfghanEvac’s position Congress cut federal food and health assistance from people the United States invited here, and then charged them new fees to stay legal. These are Afghan allies who served alongside U.S. forces and families who fled the Taliban. The law leaves a path, permanent status, and our job is to make sure every eligible ally reaches it and no one is frightened out of a benefit they still qualify for.
This explainer summarizes federal law and agency guidance for informational purposes and is not legal advice. It reflects Public Law 119-21 (the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, enacted July 4, 2025), CMS guidance issued April 8, 2026, USDA Food and Nutrition Service guidance issued October 31 and December 9, 2025, National Immigration Law Center explainers published October 1 and 9, 2026, and USCIS fee amounts for 2026, which are adjusted annually for inflation. Dates, eligibility rules, and state options change quickly and vary by state. For guidance on your own case, consult a qualified immigration attorney or a Department of Justice accredited representative. AfghanEvac is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.
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