Mono County Health and Human Services provides services to meet our residents’ most basic needs and to help you stay healthy.

Here are some of the Public Health services we offer to all residents regardless of immigration status:

• WIC nutrition program
• Immunizations
• Dental health supplies
• Pregnancy testing and prenatal vitamins
• STI testing and information
• Support for children with certain diseases or health problems to get the health care and services they need
• And many more vital services

Again, we don’t ask about immigration status because it is NOT needed to receive these services.

Here are some of the Social Services we help with

• Low or no cost health insurance through MediCal and other programs.
  • For example, all income-eligible Californians may qualify for full-scope MediCal regardless of immigration status. People on MediCal may also qualify for In Home Supportive Services.
• CalFresh (food assistance)
• CalWORKs (cash aid)
• Disaster Services (sheltering and emergency preparedness)

While some of these programs require us to ask about citizenship status, there are currently very strict laws in California that protect immigrants from having their personal information shared with immigration officials.

People ask if applying for public benefits will trigger the Federal PUBLIC CHARGE RULE, which may impact some people planning to adjust their immigration status.

Under the federal government’s current definition of public charge, many of the programs mentioned above will not trigger the public charge rule. For example, using Medi-Cal (except for long term care), CalFresh, housing programs, school lunch programs, emergency and disaster relief, and many other vital services do not count as a Public Charge and will not impact your immigration case.

Rules about public benefit programs and immigrants are confusing. But benefits can help your family meet their basic needs and stay healthy, and this is important for everyone in our community, not just some. A good online guide in Spanish can be found at keepyourbenefits.org [1]. This guide lets you see if public benefits could affect different immigration options and helps you decide what is best for you and your family.

If you have questions about how Public Charge might impact your specific immigration situation, contact a trusted legal services provider.

We are closely monitoring any policy changes and will provide updates on our Facebook page, through our monthly newsletter, and through meetings like this.

If you have questions, please give us a call at 760-924-1770 or check our Social Services webpage [2] for resources.

We encourage everyone, regardless of immigration status, to get the services you need to help you, and your family stay healthy and thrive.

Public Charge Guide (English Version) [3]
Public Charge Guide (Spanish Version) [4]

Other Public Charge Resources:

Chapter 10 - Public Benefits [5]

Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds Final Rule  [6]

Public Charge Provider List [7]

Keep Your Benefits Public Charge Guide [1]