Financial Assistance For Babies With HIE
One of the hard realities which can present itself when a baby has an HIE diagnosis is dealing with the future challenges of not only the baby, but the impact that the diagnosis may have on families trying to help with the diagnosis. From food, to medical treatments and supplies, to housing, these issues can become even more complex when a baby has a HIE diagnosis. Below are some programs that are run by the government which may be able to assist from a financial standpoint.
Women, Infants, & Children (WIC)
WIC is a federal program that, “provides federal grants to states for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk.” One of the main goals of WIC is to safeguard the health of low-income women, infants, and children up to the age of 5 years old who are at risk regarding nutrition.
WIC Serves the following:
Pregnant Women
Non-breastfeeding postpartum women
Breastfeeding women
Infants
Toddlers and children up to age 5
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a federal grant program. Each year, “Each year, Congress provides FNS with a specific amount of funds for state agencies to operate the program. The program operates through:
90 WIC state agencies, which include 50 state health departments, 34 Indian Tribal Organizations, the District of Columbia, and five territories (Northern Mariana, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands)
1,900 local agencies in 10,000 clinic sites
47,000 authorized retailers
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
SNAP provides nutrition benefits to supplement the food budget of needy families so they can purchase healthy food and move towards self-sufficiency. To get SNAP benefits, you must apply in the State in which you currently live and you must meet certain requirements, including resource and income limits, which are described on this page. SNAP income and resource limits are updated annually.
To find out the contact information regarding SNAP resources in your state, visit the link HERE.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
Temporary assistance for needy families, or TANF, is a federal program provided through the US Department of Health and Human Services. According to their website, “The TANF program, which is time limited, assists families with children when the parents or other responsible relatives cannot provide for the family’s basic needs. The Federal government provides grants to States to run the TANF program. These State TANF programs are designed to accomplish four goals:
to provide assistance to needy families so that children may be cared for in their own homes or in the homes of relatives;
to end the dependency of needy parents on government benefits by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage;
to prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies and establish annual numerical goals for preventing and reducing the incidence of these pregnancies; and
to encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families.
Also, please note that each state has “broad flexibility” when deciding how to carry out this program. You can find more information regarding TANF HERE.
Why We Care
The HIE Resource Place is a website owned and operated by Boston Law Group, LLC. We are birth trauma legal professionals who help families gain an understanding into the world of HIE. This website is a continuation of our mission (more than 200k views on our YouTube educational video channel) to provide families with an avenue to learn more about their baby’s HIE condition from a medical legal standpoint.
It has been our experience that for many families, when a baby is diagnosed with HIE, there are many questions. From how did the HIE diagnosis occur, to what do we do now, families can experience fear and isolation due to “not knowing what’s next.”
Please use this website to expand your understanding of HIE from a medical legal standpoint and do not hesitate to contact us regarding your questions. If you are wondering, you only pay our legal fees if we win for you and your family. We can be reached for a free discussion and talk about your baby’s story at 1-833-4HIEHELP or 1-833-444-3435.