Medicaid Policy                                                                 

394 Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA)

Effective Date: August 1, 2026

Previous Policy

 

The Refugee Resettlement Program (RRP) provides Federal funding for medical assistance. Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA), is available to refugees for up to 8 months beginning with the month of the date of entry. See section 394-3 to determine the date of entry.

1. Adults are not eligible for RMA if they qualify for other programs without a premium or a spenddown, such as:
   • Parent and Caretaker Relative,
   • Pregnant Woman,
   • Targeted Adult Medicaid,
   • Medicaid Cancer Program,
   • Adult Expansion Program.
2. If an individual is eligible for RMA, do not put them on Medically Needy programs.
3. RMA is available for refugees who:
   • Meet immigration status (394-2).
   • Provide the name of the resettlement agency.
   • Are not full-time students in institutions of higher education unless approved by the state as part of an employment plan.
4. RMA is also available to Iraqi and Afghan Special Immigrants.
   • Treat Iraqi and Afghan Special Immigrants like refugees; they are not subject to the 5–year bar.
   • RMA eligibility for Iraqi and Afghan Special Immigrants begins with the month of their date of entry or adjusted status (See 205-2).
5. RMA is available for children born in the US to mothers on RMA coverage, follow these rules when approving RMA for these children.
   • When a woman on RMA coverage becomes pregnant, check to see if she is eligible for Medicaid. A child born to a mother on Utah Medicaid is automatically eligible for a full year of coverage. RMA is NOT a Medicaid program, so a child born to a mother who is only eligible for RMA is not eligible for that full year of coverage.
   • Once the child is born to a mother on RMA, consider Medicaid coverage for the child. If the child is not eligible for a Medicaid program, CHIP, or UPP the child may be given RMA coverage along with the mother (See section 394-2).