public benefits

Public benefits are forms of assistance from the government, usually directed towards low-income individuals and families. They are also referred to as welfare. For example, a vacated federal public charge regulation, 84 FR 41292, defined the term public benefit “to include cash benefits for income maintenance, SNAP, most forms of Medicaid, Section 8 Housing Assistance under the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program, Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance, and certain other forms of subsidized housing.” Other public benefit programs include Medicare and Social Security

[Last updated in October of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team]