Coronavirus Financial Assistance

Food Assistance * Housing Assistance * Cash Assistance * Help to Pay Bills * Health Programs 

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Financial Assistance, Relief, and Economic Help Programs for American Families, Children, Individuals, and Seniors

• Free Coronavirus Testing – The Families First Coronavirus Response Act guarantees Americans free testing for COVID-19 by providing funds for covering the costs and reimbursements for testing of uninsured individuals and requiring private health plans to provide coverage for COVID-19 testing and services. Medicare Part B currently covers the COVID-19 diagnostic test with no beneficiary cost-sharing.  The Act also requires coverage at no cost-sharing of COVID-19 testing under Medicaid and CHIP programs.

Related: Coronavirus Symptoms (COVID-19) – WHO and CDC Helping Information on Prevention

• The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) – Provides $400 million to assist local food banks to meet the increased demand for low-income Americans during the emergency.

• The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC) – There is $500 million appropriated to provide access to nutritious foods to low-income pregnant women or mothers with young children who lose their jobs or are laid off due to the COVID-19 emergency.

• Senior Nutrition Program – There is $250 million for the Senior Nutrition Program in the Administration for Community Living (ACL) to provide approximately 25 million additional home-delivered and pre-packaged meals to low-income seniors who depend on the Senior Nutrition programs in their communities. This funding will provide meals to low-income seniors:
  

  • who are home-bound;
  • who have disabilities;
  • who have multiple chronic illnesses;
  • as well as caregivers for seniors who are home-bound.

• SNAP (free or reduced-price meals) assistance to households with children who would otherwise receive free or reduced-price meals if not for their schools being closed due to the COVID-19 emergency. In order to be eligible, the child’s school must be closed for no less than 5 consecutive days.

• SNAP (Food Stamps Benefits) Flexibility for Low-Income Jobless Workers – The Families First Coronavirus Response Act suspends the work and work training requirements for SNAP (Food Stamps Benefits) during this crisis are suspended.

• Emergency Paid Sick Days Program – An employee has the right to take up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act to be used for any of the following reasons:
  • To adhere to a requirement or recommendation to quarantine due to exposure to or symptoms of coronavirus;
  • To care for an at-risk family member who is adhering to a requirement or recommendation to quarantine due to exposure to or symptoms of coronavirus; and
  • To care for a child of an employee if the child’s school or place of care has been closed, or the child-care provider is unavailable, due to a coronavirus.

After the two weeks of paid leave, employees will receive a benefit from their employers that will be no less than two-thirds of the employee’s usual pay.

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CARES Emergency Financial Assistance and Help for American Workers, Individuals, and Families Affected by the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic

Listed are the most significant CARES provisions that can financially help low-income individuals, families, and households.

• $1,200 DIRECT CASH PAYMENTS to Americans making $75,000 or less ($150,000 in the case of joint returns and $112,500 for the head of household) and $500 for each child under 17, to be paid “as rapidly as possible.” – The direct cash payment will be sent to you using the information provided in your last tax return. Checks will be mailed to you if there is no bank account listed in your last tax return. Americans that earn more than listed threshold amounts will get reduced direct payments on a sliding scale up to $99,000 for individuals and $198,000 for joint tax filers.

• $600 ADDITIONAL UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE payment per week on top of the unemployment amount determined by each state – Expands the unemployment insurance and increase payments made from the date the CARES Act was enacted (03/27/2020) through July 31, 2020. This provision of the law provides an extra $600 per week to all out-of-work Americans who qualify and receive unemployment insurance for that period – which is about four months.

• FORECLOSURE MORATORIUM FOR HOMEOWNERS with federally backed mortgage loans – The CARES bans foreclosures for 60 days starting 03/18/2020 and provides up to 180 days of forbearance to borrowers who have experienced a financial hardship related to the coronavirus emergency.

• EVICTION FILINGS MORATORIUM – A temporary ban on eviction filings for 120 days beginning of 03/27/2020 the CARES enactment date. In short, landlords assisted in any way by HUD, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or the housing voucher programs are prohibited from filing for eviction during that period.

The Purpose of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act – the CARES Act

The U.S. economy is currently suffering, and a lot of low-income Americans need immediate financial help. Coronavirus pandemic forced governments and employers to take extraordinary measures. Some parts of the country are closed down except for emergency and essential activities. As the positive COVID-19 cases are increasing by the day, more Americans are out of work, laid off, or just temporarily sent home.

Some Americans can work remotely from home. They are still able to get a paycheck. But how about millions of others that work jobs requiring their physical presence at the workplace. Most of those workplaces are currently closed as they are considered non-essential. Nobody knows how long various coronavirus measures affecting the economy will last. And how devastating on the U.S. economy and wellbeing of the population all this will be.

The current coronavirus situation is an emergency that requires massive financial assistance and aid that only the U.S. Government can provide. That is the purpose of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The most important part of this federal financial aid package for American individuals and families is the provision that quickly and directly provides one-time coronavirus financial assistance to millions of individuals and families in the U.S.A. The CARES Act makes this financial assistance as 2020 recovery rebates for individuals in the IRS tax code.

In other words, the CARES provides legislature and funding for one-time coronavirus financial assistance to all eligible Americans in the amount of $1,200 per individual making $75,000 or less ($150,000 in the case of joint tax returns and $112,500 for the head of household). Also, each qualifying child in the household will receive $500 as a part of the financial help the CARES Act grants. That means a family of four can get up to $3,400 in cash as financial help that will provide some economic security in current difficult times.

Find Local Financial Assistance in Your State

Source: JHU data 03.22.2020 – deeper red denotes more confirmed COVID-19 cases