Low-income families might be eligible for 1-time cash payment

Low-income Pennsylvania families who have lost wages related to the COVID19 pandemic could be eligible for a one-time payment from the state, human service officials announced Friday.

Eligible households must have at least one child under the age of 18 or a pregnant woman; have had an hour or wage reduction of at least 50% for two weeks or greater; and meet certain income guidelines to qualify for what the state is calling the Emergency Assistance Program.

“The economic disruption caused by this pandemic is affecting families and communities across Pennsylvania in different ways. For many low-income Pennsylvanians, especially those awaiting unemployment compensation, this disruption could be completely destabilizing,” said Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller.

A family of three who qualifies for the program would get a one-time payment of $806.

Despite record high pandemic-related unemployment and frequent lines of hundreds of people waiting in their cars for food distributions, state officials have not seen a large spike in people applying for public assistance, such as Medicaid or food assistance, though in past recessions, such a spike typically comes later, Ms. Miller said Friday.

That might be for several reasons — a “knowledge gap” in terms of people knowing what assistance is available, as well as a reluctance to ask for help, she said. People also might be turning to unemployment compensation first.

“We live in a society that puts a lot of value in stories of people pulling themselves up by their bootstraps, but I think we all know that life is not always that easy, and there are circumstances and challenges that are very difficult to overcome alone. In a very short period of time, our economic reality has changed drastically,” Ms. Miller said on a call with reporters.

Programs such as Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program can ensure health care coverage, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly called food stamps, can help households afford food, Ms. Miller said.

In March 2019, the state received 113,121 total applications for such assistance programs, versus 121,061 applications in March 2020.

“I urge all Pennsylvanians to keep these programs in the back of their minds . ... There should be no guilt or shame in asking for — or accepting — that help,” she said.

Lisa Watson, the agency’s deputy secretary for the Office of Income Maintenance, said the emergency one-time payments have been done in other states and the Pennsylvania program is modeled after one in Tennessee.

The funds will come from the state’s federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant, which is used for cash welfare payments and other assistance, such as child-care subsidies.

Families can apply online at www.compass.state.pa.us or drop off a paper application outside their local county assistance office. They can call the DHS hotline at 1-877-395-8930 to have a paper application mailed to them.