Right Column
Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI)
CAPI is a 100 percent state-funded program designed to provide monthly cash benefits to aged, blind, and disabled non-citizens who are ineligible for SSI/SSP solely due to their immigrant status. The welfare reform act of 1996 (P.L. 104-193) eliminated Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP) eligibility for most non-citizens. As a result, most immigrants who were not receiving SSI/SSP in August 1996 are no longer eligible for SSI/SSP. State regulations governing CAPI can be found in Manual of Policies and Procedures, Division 49 (pdf).
CAPI recipients may be eligible for Food Stamps, Medi-Cal, and IHSS, but they must file for each benefit separately. There is no automatic eligibility link between CAPI and these other programs.
Basic Eligibility Rules for CAPI
- Successfully complete the application process, which is begun by filing an application in county welfare department offices.
- Meet all other SSI/SSP eligibility criteria except for immigration status
- Be aged, blind, or disabled,
- Be a resident of California,
- Have resources below the allowable limits of $2,000 for an individual or $3,000 for a couple, and
- Have income less than the CAPI standards
- Be a non-citizen and meet the immigration status criteria in effect for SSI/SSP as of 8/21/96.
- Be ineligible for SSI/SSP solely due to immigration status. This means a CAPI applicant must apply for SSI/SSP, or submit other proof of ineligibility from the Social Security Administration.
Amount of Benefits
CAPI payment amounts vary depending on a person's marital status, living arrangements and other income. CAPI payment standards are $10 less than SSI/SSP payment standards ($20 for a couple). Current information regarding SSI/SSP payment standards in California and SSI/SSP eligibility information can be obtained by calling the Social Security Administration (SSA) at 1 (800) 772-1213 or by contacting your local SSA office .