Topics for this week's Health Announce:
- Protecting Language in Massachusetts webinar: May 14
- Temporary relief for CHNV parolees
- Health Care Working Group Rescheduled: April 30
- MLRI's House Ways and Means Budget Analysis
Incredibly, we're already most of the way through April and halfway through school vacation week! In recognition of the many additional responsibilities folks are juggling this week, this Health Announce is slightly shorter than usual. 
1. Protecting Language in Massachusetts
Curious how to respond to state agencies' inadequate language access, combined with the federal government's hostility to people with limited English proficiency, threats to public benefits, and attacks on immigrant communities?
Register here to join us May 14, 2-3pm at MLRI's Protecting Language in Massachusetts webinar! Come learn about the urgency of advocating for language access in this climate, how to investigate agencies' language access performance, and ways to advocate for improvements, drawing upon lessons from MLRI's recent "Being Heard" report about language access at MassHealth. This webinar is hosted by MLRI's health and language access attorneys, with guest speakers: Leslie Diaz from Health Care for All, and Katrina Lin, a former Tufts Tisch Scholar who did the investigation for MLRI's Being Heard report.
2. Temporary relief for CHNV parolees
On April 14, 2025, a federal judge stayed (temporarily blocked) the premature revocation of parole that would otherwise have occurred on April 24, 2025 for beneficiaries who currently have parole under the Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan (“CHNV”) parole processes and certified a class of all individuals with CHNV parole who are still in the U.S. and subject to that revocation.
The Justice Action Center has set up a webpage with information about the lawsuit including information for class members with CHNV parole and also information for people with other kinds of humanitarian parole.
For purposes of eligibility for MassHealth and the Health Connector, people with any kind of humanitarian parole are Lawfully Present. In addition, people who were initially paroled from Cuba or Haiti are also Qualified under the special rules that apply to Cuban & Haitian Entrants.
3. Next Health Care Working Group Meeting: April 30
The HCWG meeting has been pushed back a week to Wednesday, April 30, 2025 from 3 pm – 4:30 pm. You should have received an updated calendar invite last week, with the zoom link for the meeting. Linda Landry from the Disability Law Center will join us to speak about federal developments and changes affecting the Social Security Administration (SSA). If you have any questions specific to SSA, or any other topics you’d like on the HCWG agenda, please send them to Kate at ksymmonds@mlri.org.
4. MLRI's House Ways and Means Budget Analysis
Last Wednesday the House Ways & Means Committee released its FY 26 budget. MLRI's preliminary analysis of key issues affecting Cash Assistance, SNAP and related items administered by DTA, Health Issues in MassHealth and ConnectorCare, Homeless Services, Housing and Legal Services can be found here.
In Health, HWM continued protections in place for the PCA program and also extended the ConnectorCare pilot program for families at 300-500% FPL for another year.
