Other Cash Assistance Programs

Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) 

Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) provides financial assistance to people admitted to the United States as refugees. Adult
refugees without minor children and refugee families who do not qualify for CalWORKs may be eligible to receive RCA
benefits during the first 8 months of residency in the United States.

Refugee families with minor children who do not meet the RCA requirements, but who meet the income and property limits
of CalWORKs may be eligible to receive
CalWORKs cash assistance. Both CalWORKs and RCA eligible refugees may also meet the requirements for Medi-Cal, CalFresh,
and other benefits.

To be eligible for RCA benefits in California, refugee families and adult refugees without children must fit into at
least one of the following categories:

• Individuals and couples with no minor children
• Families who are not CalWORKs eligible (i.e., unemployed less than 30 days and have resided in
  the U.S. less than 8 months)
• Pregnant women in the first two trimesters of their pregnancy (i.e., six months or less)
• Trafficking victims
• Persons granted asylum

– The income limits for the RCA Program are the same as those for the CalWORKs Program.
– Eligible refugees may only receive RCA for 8 months
starting from the refugee’s date of entry into the United States.   Applicants for RCA must provide
documentation of refugee status.

Once approved, RCA clients must participate in employment and training activities, which may include:

• English language training
• Vocational training
• Job placement services

Applications for RCA must be received in person at a Community Service Center near you.

Learn about other Resources for Non-Citizen Households here.