Q: Does the Public Charge test affect those seeking COVID-19 screening, testing, and treatment? If so, how?
Hello, my name is Citlaly Santos and I work for CenCal Health, which is a California local health plan that administers benefits to Medicaid recipients living in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties. We are receiving questions from people who are worried about seeking COVID-19 related services, if it will affect them due to Public Charge. I am asking for guidance and clarification on this issue.
Please feel free to reach me at csantos@cencalhealth.org or 1 (805) 364-9274.
A:
Take a look here: https://www.uscis.gov/greencard/public-charge
At the top in the gray box is about Covid-19. It says "Such treatment or preventive services will not negatively affect any alien as part of a future Public Charge analysis" and further "The Public Charge rule does not restrict access to testing, screening, or treatment of communicable diseases, including COVID-19".
So you can tell your patients that this comes directly from USCIS.
Stephen Arnold Black agrees with this answer
A:
Recently USCIS issued an alert regarding COVID-19 and Public Charge Inadmissibilty which states is part as follows:
USCIS encourages all those, including aliens, with symptoms that resemble Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) (fever, cough, shortness of breath) to seek necessary medical treatment or preventive services. Such treatment or preventive services will NOT negatively affect any alien as part of a future Public Charge analysis.
The Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds final rule does not restrict access to testing, screening, or treatment of communicable diseases, including COVID-19. In addition, the rule does not restrict access to vaccines for children or adults to prevent vaccine-preventable diseases.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
