Grants for Single Mothers in Louisiana
Louisiana’s principal agricultural products include seafood (it is the biggest producer of crawfish in the world, supplying approximately 90%), cotton, soybeans, cattle, sugarcane, poultry and eggs, dairy products, and rice. Industry generates chemical products, petroleum and coal products, processed foods, transportation equipment, and paper products. Tourism is also an important element in the economy, especially in the New Orleans area.
Louisiana taxpayers receive more federal funding per dollar of federal taxes paid compared to the average state; part of this is due to Hurricane Katrina, which devastated part of the state in 2005. Based on these circumstances, authorities in Louisiana have created programs especially designed for single mothers and that also help the low-income population. Following, you will find several of them in details:
Healthcare Programs
Medicaid provides medical benefits to low-income individuals and families. Although the federal government establishes the general rules for Medicaid, specific requirements are established by each state. In Louisiana, over a million residents receive health care coverage through Medicaid, most of whom are children under 19. The Louisiana Medicaid Program operates within the Louisiana Department of Health.
In Louisiana, you qualify to receive Medicaid if you:
- Receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) from the Social Security Administration (SSA)
- Get financial help from the Office of Family Support (OFS) through the Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program (FITAP)
You may also qualify for Medicaid coverage if you:
- Are disabled according to the Social Security Administration’s definition
- Have corrected vision no better than 20/200
- Are a low-income parent of children under age 19
- Are a child under age 19
- Are pregnant
- Have no insurance and need treatment for breast and/or cervical cancer
- Receive Medicare coverage and are low-income
In Louisiana there are several health programs but, we will focus on those aimed at single mothers and their kids.
Louisiana Children’s Health Insurance Program (LaCHIP)
LaCHIP provides health coverage to uninsured children up to age 19. It is a no-cost health program that pays for hospital care, doctor visits, prescription drugs, shots and more.
To qualify for LaCHIP, your child must meet the following criteria:
- The child must be under the age of 19.
- The child may not currently have health insurance.
- Household income must be below the income limits.
LaMOMS Program
LaMOMS will pay for pregnancy-related services, including doctor appointments , lab work, prescription medicines, delivery, and hospital care. It may provide coverage for up to 60 days following the end of your pregnancy.
For a listing of medical providers who are enrolled in LaMOMS and Medicaid, call 1-877-455-9955 or find a doctor online
You can apply for LaMOMS through the Louisiana Medicaid Online Application Center. If you prefer, you may apply for LaMOMS by filling out a paper application form.
Child Care Assistance Program
To support all families in accessing high quality child care, The Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) provides financial assistance to low-income families while they are working or attending school.
To complete your application for child care assistance (CCAP), you may need to provide proof for some things you told using your application. This checklist will help you know what items you need to gather. Have you gathered and submitted the following?
– Age/Relationship: a birth certificate, baptismal certificate, or hospital birth records of the person to be included or if not your own child, birth records to prove how the child is related to you.
– Alien Status: if not a U.S. citizen, forms or cards from USCIS that prove the person is a legal alien
– Wages: last four (4) pay-check stubs or employer’s statement for each person who works within 45 days of application date.
– Self-Employment: income tax returns, sales records, quarterly tax records, and/or personal wage record
– Other income such as contributions, child support, alimony, Social Security, SSI, VA, retirement checks, Unemployment Compensation (UCB), award letters, court orders, and/or statements from contributors.
– Income that stopped within the last 3 months: “pink slip,” termination notice or statement from former employer, termination notice or statement from source of any income that ended.
– Immunization: shot record or doctor’s records
– School Attendance or Job Training: A statement from the school or job training program indicating the number of hours of the attendance each week and anticipated date of completion for any person who needs child care in order to attend school or job training. Or, a letter from an accredited entity or training program deeming full-time status.
Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program (FITAP)
The Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program (FITAP) provides cash assistance to families with children when the financial resources of the family are insufficient to meet the needs for subsistence.
The goal of FITAP is to decrease the long-term dependency on welfare assistance by promoting job preparation and work. Public assistance is no longer a lifetime benefit, but an opportunity to become independent after a financial crisis.
Some of the conditions you must meet to apply for FITAP are:
- Residence - the client must be living in the state, must intend to make a home here and the stay cannot be temporary.
- Citizenship - the client must be a U.S. citizen, a non-citizen national, or a qualified alien.
- Need - a family must be considered financially needy to be eligible. This means that income available to care for the child does not meet his needs. DCFS has standard amounts based on the number of persons included in the grant. Income is subtracted from these amounts to determine need.
- Age - children must be under the age of 18 to be eligible or 18 years of age and enrolled full-time in a secondary school or in the equivalent level of vocational or technical training.
- Relationship - in order to receive FITAP assistance for a child, an individual must be a qualified relative by meeting certain relationship requirements, i.e., must be related by blood, marriage or adoption.