US REPATRIATION PROGRAM

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US REPATRIATION PROGRAM
Emergencies
Evacuations
Reception
Assistance

• DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
• HUMAN SERVICES
• 5/15/08

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ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (Secretary Michael Leavitt)
Administration for Children and Families (Acting
Assistant Secretary Daniel Schneider)
Office of Refugee Resettlement (David Siegel,
Acting Director)
US Repatriation Program (Elizabeth Russell,
Coordinator)
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US REPATRIATION PROGRAMORIGINS

• The U.S. Repatriation Program was established in
  1935 under Section 1113 of the Social Security
  Act. to provide temporary assistance to U.S.
  citizens and their dependents who have been
  identified by the Department of State (DOS) as
  having returned, or been brought from a foreign
  country to the U.S. because of destitution,
  illness, war, threat of war, or a similar crisis.
  All temporary assistance provided under the
  Program and allocable to individual recipients is
  repayable to the Federal Government. 

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TODAYS REPATRIATES

• The repatriates of today who require
• transitional/temporary assistance
• from HHS are not merely waiting for
• a transfer of funds to access their
• financial resources instead, they
• are often totally rebuilding their
• lives.

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TODAYS REPATRIATES

• Cases include but are not limited to
  unaccompanied minors, mentally ill cases,
  deported criminals, chronic physical illness,
  deceased individuals, among others

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REASON FOR REPATRIATION

• Medical Issues
• Psychiatric issues
• Financial issues
• Family Crisis
• Victim of crime
• Arrest
• War, civil unrest, natural disaster
• Other

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US REPATRIATION PROGRAM FOUR MAJOR ACTIVITIES

• Individual Activity, 45 CFR 212
• Mentally Ill Activity, 45 CFR 211
• Group Activity, 42 USC Sec.1313 and EO 12656
• Emergency Activity 42 USC Sec. 1313 and EO 12656

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WHO IS ELIGIBILITY

• A) Individuals identified by the Department of
  State as having returned, or been brought, from a
  foreign country to the United States because of
  the destitution of the citizen of the United
  States or the illness of such citizen or any of
  his dependents or because of war, threat of war,
  invasion, or similar crisis, and
• (B) are without available resources.

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US REPATRIATION PROGRAM AND PROCESSING OF CASES

• DOS REFERS CASES TO HHS
• HHS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COORDINATION AND
  PROVISION OF SERVICES WITHIN THE US
• HHS GRANTEE, INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SERVIES-USA
  BRANCH, ASSISTS IN THE COORDINATION OF SERVICES
• STATE COORDINATORS PROVIDE SERVICES TO
  REPATRIATES. THESE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED IN
  ACCORDANCE TO ESTABLISHED HHS PROCEDURES

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US REPATRIATION PROGRAM AND PROCESSING OF CASES

• ONCE A CASE IS CLOSED, STATES SHALL ADVISE ISS IN
  WRITING.
• ONCE A CASE IS CLOSED, ISS WILL PROVIDE THE
  INFORMATION TO HHS PROGRAM SUPPORT CENTER TO
  BEGIN COLLECTION OF THE DEBT. STATES ARE NOT
  INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS.

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FINACE

• ORR REIMBURSES STATES FOR ALL ADMINISTRATIVE AND
  SERVICE COSTS ASSOCIATED TO THE PROVISION OF
  TEMPORARY SERVICES TO ELEGIBLE REPATRIATE.
• SERVICES SHALL BE REASONABLE AND ALLOWABLE.

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REQUEST FOR WAIVERS

• Request for waivers are in writing and should be
  sent to ISS for processing. ORR makes the final
  determination regarding waivers.

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COLABORATIVE EFFORTS AMONG DIFFERENT AGENCIES