The Diversity of Older Immigrants and Precarious Aging: Eligibility and Access to Public Benefits

Federal legislation in 1996 imposed severe restrictions on immigrant eligibility for public benefits, which created a chilling effect that discouraged even eligible immigrants and their families from accessing needed income, healthcare, and food. States recognized the harm to the community as a whole when some members are excluded from public benefits and have filled in some of these gaps. But the better solution is to reverse the 1996 federal restrictions and reform our public benefit programs for a future society that is increasingly older, and an older adult population that is increasingly immigrant.