Cash assistance in Pennsylvania - what exists now and who qualifies
This is a plain-English guide to the multiple benefit programs in Pennsylvania that may provide cash to qualified residents. The state may be able to help with a monthly cash payment or a one-time payment. Which program fits depends on your situation - a parent raising kids, a relative caring for a child, someone who is blind, a refugee who just arrived, or a family covering a short gap between jobs.
This page covers each cash assistance program that Pennsylvania currently runs, who it may help, and how to apply. The monthly and one-time programs come from the Department of Human Services, known as DHS, and use one application. Near the bottom of the page are two yearly cash payments that come from the state Department of Revenue instead.
Monthly cash for families with children - TANF
TANF, short for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, is Pennsylvania's monthly cash program for families. It may help pregnant women, parents raising their children, and relatives who have taken in a child. In general, the family needs help because a parent has died, is out of the home, is too sick or disabled to work, or has little or no income from a job.
The money comes with expectations. Most adults on TANF are required to look for work or take part in a training or education program, and each person works with a caseworker on a written plan called an Agreement of Mutual Responsibility. Some people are excused from the work rules, such as a person with a disability or a parent caring for a baby under one year old. While you follow the plan, the state may pay for things you need to work or train, such as child care through the Child Care Works program, bus fare or other transportation costs, books, and work clothes.
You will usually be asked to cooperate with the state on child support if the other parent is not in the home. If pursuing support would put you or your children in danger, tell your caseworker and ask about good cause - the requirement may be waived. Savings and other resources have to stay under a very low limit set by the state, and all income must be reported.
TANF is temporary. In most cases an adult can receive it for a total of five years over their lifetime, though Pennsylvania may extend benefits past that point in some situations, such as a disability, a family crisis, domestic violence, or being unable to find work despite trying. Families that leave TANF for a job usually keep Medical Assistance for a period of time afterward, and children often stay covered longer. Full rules are on the Pennsylvania DHS TANF page at https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dhs/resources/cash-assistance/tanf.
Cash for grandparents and other relatives raising a child
TANF in Pennsylvania is not just for parents. A grandparent, aunt, uncle, sibling, or other relative who lives with a child and cares for that child may apply for a monthly grant on the child's behalf. If you have taken in a relative's child during a family crisis, ask the county assistance office about a grant for the child - your own situation may not block the child from qualifying, and the caseworker can explain how your income is counted.
There is also a rule worth knowing for these caregivers. In some kinship situations, months of assistance may not count against the caregiver's own five-year lifetime limit. Ask the caseworker about what the state calls TANF Time-Out.
One-time cash instead of a monthly grant - the Diversion program
Some families hit one bad stretch but do not need help month after month. The Diversion program pays a single lump sum to families who would qualify for TANF but expect their income to come back soon - for example, someone whose hours were cut but who has a new job starting.
To qualify, you generally must be eligible for ongoing TANF, have worked or had earnings within the past few months, and expect income that will support your family within about three months. The one-time payment has to be enough to cover your whole short-term need, and it is available once in a twelve-month period. Before approving it, the caseworker will also check whether other help - such as SNAP, LIHEAP, or an Emergency Shelter Allowance for a housing crisis - can cover part of the gap. Details are on the DHS Diversion program page at https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dhs/resources/cash-assistance/diversion-program.
Cash for single adults without children - what changed
Pennsylvania no longer has a general cash program for adults without children. The old program, called General Assistance, was eliminated by the state legislature, and nothing replaced it.
If you are a single adult with no income, here is what is still open to you. If a health condition keeps you from working long term, apply for SSI through Social Security and stick with it through the appeals - it is slow, but it is the main cash program left for disabled adults. You can still get SNAP food benefits and Medical Assistance from DHS even with no cash grant. And for immediate needs like food, shelter, or a utility shutoff, county assistance offices, community action agencies in Pennsylvania, churches, and charities may help, though the aid is usually one-time and limited.
The State Blind Pension
Pennsylvania runs a small monthly cash payment for adults who are legally blind, called the State Blind Pension. To qualify, you must be at least 21, live in Pennsylvania, meet a vision standard certified through a doctor's exam, and fall under strict income and property limits set by the state.
The payment is modest, and many people who are blind will get more money through SSI, so it is worth asking the county assistance office how the two programs work together in your situation. Rules and the application are on the State Blind Pension page at https://www.pa.gov/services/dhs/apply-for-the-state-blind-pension-program.
Cash for refugees and other new arrivals
Refugee Cash Assistance helps refugees during their first months in the United States when they do not qualify for TANF - usually adults and couples without minor children. The payments only last a limited number of months from the date of arrival, and that time limit has changed over the years, so apply as soon as possible and confirm the current rule.
Applications go through the same DHS process as the other cash programs. Resettlement agencies also help new arrivals with job placement, English classes, and housing, so ask your caseworker or resettlement worker about everything at once. Details are on the DHS Refugee Cash Assistance page at https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dhs/resources/refugees-in-pa/refugee-cash-assistance-program.
SSI and Pennsylvania's extra payment for seniors, the blind, and the disabled
For adults who are 65 or older, blind, or too disabled to work, the main monthly cash program is SSI, which comes from the federal Social Security Administration rather than the state. Pennsylvania adds a small state payment on top of SSI each month, called the State Supplementary Payment. For most people it arrives automatically once SSI is approved - there is no separate application. Larger state supplements exist for people who live in licensed personal care or domiciliary care homes.
If you are denied SSI, appeal, and appeal again if needed. Many people are turned down at first and approved later. See the guide to free legal aid offices in Pennsylvania that may help with SSI appeals at no cost.
Yearly cash payments - the Property Tax/Rent Rebate and a new credit for workers
Separate from the monthly DHS programs, Pennsylvania mails out a yearly rebate to older adults and people with disabilities through the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program. Both homeowners and renters can qualify. It is for people 65 and older, widows and widowers 50 and older, and adults with disabilities 18 and older, with income under a limit that changes from year to year. The rebate can amount to hundreds of dollars or more, people with the lowest incomes get the most, and residents of a few high-tax cities may get an extra supplement.
You have to apply every year, and applying is free. Free in-person help is available at senior centers and other sites across the state, or you can apply online, and the state's own warning applies here: the Department of Revenue will never call and ask for your bank account information over the phone. Current amounts, income limits, and the application are on the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program page page at https://www.pa.gov/agencies/revenue/ptrr.
Applying for cash assistance in Pennsylvania
Every DHS cash program on this page uses the same application. You can apply online at COMPASS, the state's benefits website at https://www.compass.dhs.pa.gov/, or in person at your local county assistance office at https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dhs/contact/cao-information. You can also mail a paper application to the county office. For questions, the statewide DHS HelpLine is 1-800-692-7462.
One application can cover several benefits at once - cash, SNAP food benefits, Medical Assistance, and heating help - so ask for everything you may need at the same time. If you are not sure whether you qualify, apply anyway and let the county office decide. Applying is free, and no legitimate organization will charge you to fill out these forms. After you apply, you can follow your application's status online at https://trackmybenefits.pa.gov/.
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