New Jersey § 44:10-48

§ 44:10-48.

a. Only those persons who are United States citizens or eligible aliens shall be eligible

for benefits under the Work First New Jersey program. Single adults or couples without dependent children who are legal aliens who meet

federal requirements and have applied for citizenship, shall not receive benefits

for more than six months unless (1) they attain citizenship, or (2) they have passed

the English language and civics components for citizenship, and are awaiting final

determination of citizenship by the federal Immigration and Naturalization Service. b. The following persons shall not be eligible for assistance and shall not be considered

to be members of an assistance unit: (1) non-needy caretakers, except that the eligibility of a dependent child shall not

be affected by the income or resources of a non-needy caretaker; (2) Supplemental Security Income recipients, except for the purposes of receiving

emergency assistance benefits pursuant to section 8 of P.L.1997, c. 14 ( C.44:10-51 ); (3) illegal aliens; (4) other aliens who are not eligible aliens; (5) a person absent from the home who is incarcerated in a federal, State, county

or local corrective facility or under the custody of correctional authorities, except

as provided by regulation of the commissioner; (6) a person who: is fleeing to avoid prosecution, custody or confinement after conviction,

under the laws of the jurisdiction from which the person has fled, for a crime or

an attempt to commit a crime which is a felony or a high misdemeanor under the laws

of the jurisdiction from which the person has fled; or is violating a condition of

probation or parole imposed under federal or state law; (7) (Deleted by amendment, P.L.2021, c. 312 ) (8) a person found to have fraudulently misrepresented his residence in order to obtain

means-tested, public benefits in two or more states or jurisdictions, who shall be

ineligible for benefits for a period of 10 years from the date of conviction in a

federal or state court; or (9) a person who intentionally makes a false or misleading statement or misrepresents,

conceals or withholds facts for the purpose of receiving benefits, who shall be ineligible

for benefits for a period of six months for the first violation, 12 months for the

second violation, and permanently for the third violation. c. A person who makes a false statement with the intent to qualify for benefits and

by reason thereof receives benefits for which the person is not eligible is guilty

of a crime of the fourth degree. d. Pursuant to the authorization provided to the states under 21 U.S.C. s.862a(d)(1) , this State elects to exempt from the application of 21 U.S.C. s.862a(a) : (1) needy persons and their dependent children domiciled in New Jersey for the purposes

of receiving benefits under the Work First New Jersey program and food assistance

under the federal “Food and Nutrition Act of 2008,” Pub.L.110-234 (7 U.S.C. s.2011 et seq.); and (2) single persons and married couples without dependent children domiciled in New

Jersey for the purposes of receiving food assistance under Pub.L.110-234.