Human Services

General Assistance Grants

Statewide Outcome(s):

General Assistance Grants supports the following statewide outcome(s).

Minnesotans are healthy.

Strong and stable families and communities.

Context:

General Assistance (GA) Grants provide state-funded, monthly cash grants for people without children who have very limited income and are unable to fully support themselves. Without additional income supports these individual would likely fall further into poverty and become homeless. The most common eligibility reason for people at enrollment is illness or incapacity (67 percent). 32 percent of those eligible have applied for other income benefits such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Retirement, Survivors and Disability Income. The GA grant helps meet some of their basic and emergency needs. In SFY 2011, an average of 20,963 people per month received an average monthly payment of $165. People who become eligible for SSI are no longer eligible for GA and become eligible for Minnesota Supplemental Aid (MSA) to supplement their SSI income.

GA helps to address homelessness and poverty in Minnesota and is funded through the state general fund.

Strategies:

General Assistance is the primary safety net for people without children who are unable to work and do not have enough money to meet their basic needs. Many people receive these benefits while they wait for more stable assistance such as Supplemental Security Income, a federal income supplement program that helps aged, blind and disabled people who have little or no income.

·         GA contributes to stabilizing crisis situations, avoiding homelessness, and making connections to other resources, resulting in better outcomes.

·         The department works with the Social Security Administration and the state's Disability Linkage Line® to identify possible ways to streamline the disability determination process, and connects recipients with resources to assist in the SSI application process.

·         The Department of Human Services works with counties, tribes, homeless service providers and other non-profit advocacy agencies to advise on and administer the GA program.

Results:

Recipients of GA who appear to meet SSI eligibility criteria are required to apply for SSI or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). SSI eligibles must sign an Interim Assistance Agreement which allows the state to recoup some of the GA dollars when the person receives other benefits such as SSI. Approval for SSI results in higher and more stable income for aged, blind and disabled adults. When SSI is approved, the state is reimbursed for GA payments made for the retroactive time period that matches the SSI approval.

Performance Measures Notes:

“Percent of GA Recipients Required to Apply for SSI” is the number of people receiving GA who signed an Interim Assistance Agreement. Data compares 2010 (Previous) to 2011 (Current).