While Colorado’s immigration-reform law may purge some undocumented residents from the rosters of social-services agencies, it is more likely to clog the system for those rightfully eligible for aid, state and county officials predict.
Under the bill passed Monday, anyone applying for public aid such as welfare, food stamps or health care must provide proof of legal residence in the United States. Although there are exemptions to the rule – and county officials are puzzling over what those are – the bottom line is clear: Agencies must seek proof of citizenship.
Social-services officials fear that will mean an already slow application process will get longer.
“There are broad implications for a number of our programs and for many of our clients,” said Valerie Brooks, deputy manager of Denver Human Services.
What those are will be the topic of discussion today as several county officials from around the state are expected to meet with the Colorado Department of Human Services to decipher the bill – which Gov. Bill Owens has promised to sign.
Some already see problems in applying and administering the state’s $1.8 billion in aid programs.
About 1 million Coloradans receive some form of public assistance.
“It will certainly take more time to process applications, and if people don’t have the proper documentation, it exacerbates an already difficult situation,” said Brian Field, director of the Arapahoe County Department of Human Services.
Until now, other federally funded programs such as Temporary Aid to Needy Families and food-stamp assistance allowed for nonphoto identification, such as a birth certificate. Now applicants will specifically need a Colorado-based photo ID.
“It’s possible many of our clients do not currently have one of those identification cards,” state human-services spokeswoman Liz McDonough said.
Some programs will remain unaffected by the law, such as child welfare and protective services. It isn’t as clear, though, about programs such as substance-abuse counseling and mental-health treatment.
Another major concern is checking each applicant’s legal status against the morass of paperwork needed to get aid in the first place, said Nan Morehead, legislative liaison at Denver Human Services.
“We’ll have lots of education and training to do, and it’s going to take time for it to work,” she said. “Any time it takes more staff time to process something, or to explain new rules to clients, it lengthens the time it takes to get those services and drives up costs.”
And since legislators limited proof of residency to a Colorado driver’s license or ID card – not other documents allowed by federal law, such as passports or birth certificates – it adds to the problem.
That concerns the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado.
“What happens to a citizen who doesn’t have the proper documentation?” ACLU legal director Mark Silverstein asked. “What do they have to go through, and how difficult is it? For some people, it’s next to impossible.”
Staff writer David Migoya can be reached at dmigoya@denverpost.com or 303-820-1506.
