Program definitions

Emergency Assistance provides special financial support for a case facing unexpected emergency expenses (such as eviction or losses from a fire), not more often than once every 12 months. Emergency Assistance is funded in part by federal grants.

A state-funded program that provides a cash grant for living expenses for adults who are not aged, blind, disabled or members of households with minor children. GA also provides help to individuals who have applied for a federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) grant and are waiting to be certified as disabled or blind as a condition of qualifying.

Minnesota's basic Medicaid program. It is also called "Title XIX" (from Title XIX of the federal Social Security Act, which authorizes it). About half the cost of this program is paid by the federal government, which makes many of the rules controlling the program.

A program that provides access to health coverage for lower income individuals. MinnesotaCare, which charges enrollment premiums based on household income, is operationally distinct from Minnesota's Medicaid program. Most MinnesotaCare enrollees, however, are eligible for Medicaid or for federal SCHIP under federal waivers. Costs of health care for this MinnesotaCare Waiver population are paid in part by the federal Medicaid program.

A federally subsidized program to support needy children and their families. MFIP includes Minnesota's version of the federal program called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). It aims to help the adults in needy families work their way out of poverty. As with most public assistance programs in Minnesota, county human services agencies administer eligibility for MFIP and coordinate services to help families become self-supporting.

In the Medical Assistance (MA) statistics, the MFIP columns give counts of individuals who are concurrently eligible for MFIP and Medical Assistance or who are eligible for transitional Medical Assistance following MFIP eligibility, or concurrently eligible for Foster Care (FC) payments and Medical Assistance.

Programs of limited Medicaid (MA) coverage for some individuals not eligible for regular MA.

A program for individuals who would be eligible for the regular MA program except that they are ineligible for federal Medical Assistance funding because of their date of entry into the United States. The state of Minnesota pays for this program without federal participation in the costs.

A federally funded program that provides coupons or Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card benefits to help low income people buy food. SNAP benefits are provided automatically to enrollees in the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) without a separate application. A small number of low income legal residents who are not U.S. citizens receive EBT benefits for food, which are paid for entirely by the state of Minnesota.