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Rosa

Photo by Abby Whisenant, volunteer photographer

Rosa, of Nashville, has four children.  She has lived in the U.S. for 12 years.  Rosa and her two older children are legal permanent residents of the United States.  Her two younger children were born in the U.S. 

Over the course of two years, Rosa and two of her children were denied benefits at the Department of Human Services (DHS).  Contrary to DHS policy, Rosa was told repeatedly that she and her two older children were not eligible to receive benefits.

The Tennessee Justice Center (TJC) determined that Rosa and her two older children did meet eligibility requirements for Families First and TennCare, and the children could receive food stamps.  TJC discovered that neither DHS nor the Social Security Administration (SSA) were implementing policy correctly for immigrants like Rosa and her children. TJC notified both DHS and SSA of the correct policy, resulting in changes to policy and procedure in DHS and SSA offices across the state.

Thanks to the assistance she received from Families First, Rosa was able to afford child care and she is employed full-time.  She no longer needs Families First, but as a working single mother, the help she receives with child care, TennCare, food stamps, and collection of child support is making the difference in her ability to provide and care for her family.  Her children are healthy and doing well in school.  The community benefits from all of this.  Helping a hard-working mother make it is a win-win situation for all involved.

Click here to read more stories of TJC clients and Families First.