Public Program Abbreviations
65 abbreviations · part of Government & Political Abbreviations
Abbreviations for US government benefit and assistance programs and the eligibility terms that go with them: food aid (SNAP, WIC), cash and disability benefits (TANF, SSI, SSDI), health coverage (CHIP, Medicare Advantage), housing, student aid, tax credits, immigration programs and the New Deal agencies of the 1930s. Eligibility rules, benefit amounts and income limits change every year, so figures given here are dated examples; applicants should confirm current rules with the administering agency.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 340B | 340B Drug Pricing Program | Federal program that requires drug manufacturers participating in Medicaid to sell outpatient drugs at steep discounts to safety-net hospitals and clinics, which can… |
| AAA | Agricultural Adjustment Administration | New Deal agency created in 1933 that paid farmers to reduce production of crops and livestock in order to raise depressed farm prices, financed by a tax on food… |
| ACP | Affordable Connectivity Program | FCC program that gave eligible low-income households a discount of up to $30 a month on home internet service, or $75 on tribal lands, plus a one-time device discount. |
| AMI | Area median income | Midpoint of household incomes in a metro area or county, published annually by HUD and adjusted for household size, that determines eligibility for affordable housing… |
| APS | Adult Protective Services | State and local social services programs that investigate reports of abuse, neglect, self-neglect and financial exploitation of older adults and adults with… |
| APTC | Advance premium tax credit | Subsidy for health insurance bought through an ACA marketplace that is paid in advance each month directly to the insurer to lower the enrollee's premium. |
| CCC | Civilian Conservation Corps | New Deal work relief program, active from 1933 to 1942, that employed young unmarried men to plant trees, fight fires, build trails and develop state and national… |
| CDBG | Community Development Block Grant | HUD formula grant that gives cities, counties and states flexible funding for housing rehabilitation, public facilities, infrastructure and economic development, with… |
| CHIP | Children's Health Insurance Program | Joint federal-state program that provides low-cost health coverage to children, and in some states pregnant women, in families that earn too much to qualify for… |
| COLA | Cost-of-living adjustment | Annual increase in Social Security and SSI benefits, as well as federal pensions, to offset inflation. |
| CPS | Child Protective Services | State or county agencies that receive and investigate reports of child abuse and neglect, assess children's safety, provide services to families and, when necessary… |
| CSR | Cost-sharing reductions | ACA subsidies that lower deductibles, copayments and out-of-pocket maximums for marketplace enrollees with incomes between 100 and 250 percent of the poverty level who… |
| CTC | Child Tax Credit | Federal credit for each qualifying child under 17 who has a Social Security number, partly refundable for families with earned income. |
| DACA | Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals | Policy begun in June 2012 that temporarily protects from deportation certain undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children and grants them renewable… |
| DV | Diversity Immigrant Visa | Lottery program, often called the green card lottery, that makes up to 55,000 immigrant visas available each year to people from countries with low rates of immigration… |
| EAD | Employment Authorization Document | Card issued by USCIS proving that a noncitizen is allowed to work in the United States for a specific period. |
| EB-5 | EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program | Green card category for foreign investors who put at least $1,050,000, or $800,000 in a targeted employment area, into a US business that creates at least 10 full-time… |
| EBT | Electronic Benefit Transfer | System that delivers SNAP and many cash assistance benefits on a plastic card used like a debit card at grocery stores and ATMs. |
| EIDL | Economic Injury Disaster Loan | Low-interest SBA loan for small businesses and nonprofits that suffer economic losses from a declared disaster, used for working capital rather than physical repairs. |
| EITC | Earned Income Tax Credit | Refundable federal credit for low- and moderate-income workers, worth most to families with qualifying children, that can produce a refund even when no income tax is… |
| ESTA | Electronic System for Travel Authorization | Online system run by CBP that travelers from Visa Waiver Program countries must use to get approval before flying or sailing to the United States for tourism or business. |
| FAFSA | Free Application for Federal Student Aid | Form from the US Department of Education that students complete each year to apply for federal grants, loans and work-study, and that states and most colleges also use… |
| FMR | Fair Market Rent | Rent estimates HUD publishes each year for metropolitan areas and counties, usually set at the 40th percentile of gross rents for standard units, used to set voucher… |
| FPL | Federal poverty level | Income measure, based on annual HHS poverty guidelines, used to determine eligibility for programs such as Medicaid, CHIP, ACA subsidies, SNAP and school meals. |
| FRA | Full retirement age | Age at which a US worker can claim the full, unreduced Social Security retirement benefit: 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later. |
| FWS | Federal Work-Study | Federal program that funds part-time jobs for undergraduate and graduate students with financial need, either on campus or with nonprofit and public agencies, helping… |
| H-1B | H-1B specialty occupation visa | Temporary work visa for foreign professionals in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree, such as software engineering, medicine and finance. |
| HCBS | Home and community-based services | Medicaid-funded long-term services and supports, such as personal care aides, adult day programs and supported employment, provided at home or in the community instead… |
| HCV | Housing Choice Voucher | HUD rental assistance program, commonly called Section 8, that helps low-income families, older adults and people with disabilities rent private housing. |
| IDR | Income-driven repayment | Family of US federal student loan repayment plans that set monthly payments as a share of discretionary income, with any balance left after 20 to 25 years forgiven. |
| LIHEAP | Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program | Federal block grant program that helps low-income households pay heating and cooling bills, avoid utility shutoffs and make energy-related home repairs. |
| LIHTC | Low-Income Housing Tax Credit | Federal tax credit that states award to developers who build or rehabilitate rental housing with rents restricted for low-income households, typically those earning up… |
| LPR | Lawful permanent resident | Noncitizen authorized to live and work in the United States permanently, holding a permanent resident card, commonly called a green card. |
| MA | Medicare Advantage | Private health plans approved by Medicare that provide Part A and Part B benefits, usually with prescription drug coverage and extras such as dental and vision. |
| MAGI | Modified adjusted gross income | Income measure used to determine eligibility for ACA premium tax credits, Medicaid for most adults and children, and various tax benefits. |
| MSP | Medicare Savings Program | State-run Medicaid programs that help people with limited income and assets pay Medicare costs. |
| NFIP | National Flood Insurance Program | FEMA-run program that sells flood insurance to homeowners, renters and businesses in participating communities, since standard homeowners policies exclude flood damage. |
| NRA | National Recovery Administration | New Deal agency created in 1933 under the National Industrial Recovery Act that set industry-wide "codes of fair competition" regulating prices, wages and hours. |
| NSLP | National School Lunch Program | Federally assisted meal program that provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children in public and nonprofit private schools. |
| OASDI | Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance | Official name of the Social Security program, which pays retirement, survivor and disability benefits funded by a 12.4 percent payroll tax split between employers and… |
| OEP | Open enrollment period | Annual window during which people can enroll in, change or drop health coverage without a qualifying life event, used by ACA marketplaces and employer plans. |
| OPT | Optional Practical Training | US work authorization for F-1 students that allows up to 12 months of employment related to their field of study, usually after graduation. |
| PHA | Public housing agency | Local or state government body, often called a housing authority, that owns and manages public housing developments and administers Housing Choice Vouchers with HUD… |
| PPP | Paycheck Protection Program | Pandemic relief program created by the CARES Act in 2020 that gave small businesses SBA-guaranteed loans, made through banks, which were forgiven if most of the money… |
| PSLF | Public Service Loan Forgiveness | Program that forgives remaining federal Direct Loan balances, tax-free, after 120 qualifying monthly payments made while working full time for a government agency or… |
| PUA | Pandemic Unemployment Assistance | Temporary federal unemployment program created by the CARES Act in March 2020 that covered self-employed people, gig workers, independent contractors and others not… |
| PWA | Public Works Administration | New Deal agency, active from 1933 to the early 1940s, that funded large public construction projects such as dams, bridges, tunnels, schools and hospitals through… |
| REA | Rural Electrification Administration | New Deal agency created in 1935 that made low-interest loans to farmer-owned cooperatives and utilities to build power lines in rural areas, where private companies had… |
| SAI | Student Aid Index | Number calculated from FAFSA information that colleges use to determine eligibility for need-based federal aid, replacing the Expected Family Contribution starting with… |
| SAVE | Saving on a Valuable Education plan | Income-driven student loan repayment plan introduced in 2023 that lowered payments, in some cases to 5 percent of discretionary income for undergraduate loans, and… |
| SEP | Special enrollment period | Window outside the annual open enrollment period during which a person can sign up for or change health coverage after a qualifying life event, such as losing other… |
| SGA | Substantial gainful activity | Earnings threshold the Social Security Administration uses to decide whether a person is able to work for disability purposes: in 2025, monthly earnings above $1,620… |
| SNAP | Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program | Largest US food assistance program, giving low-income households monthly benefits on an EBT card to buy groceries. |
| SSDI | Social Security Disability Insurance | Social Security benefit for workers under full retirement age who cannot work because of a medical condition expected to last at least a year or result in death, and… |
| SSI | Supplemental Security Income | Monthly cash benefit from the Social Security Administration for people with very limited income and resources who are 65 or older, blind or disabled, including children. |
| SSN | Social Security number | Nine-digit number issued by the Social Security Administration to track a person's earnings and benefits, now used widely as an identifier for taxes, credit, employment… |
| TANF | Temporary Assistance for Needy Families | Federal block grant that funds state programs of cash assistance and services for low-income families with children. |
| TARP | Troubled Asset Relief Program | Financial-crisis program created by the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of October 2008 that authorized up to $700 billion to buy bank assets and inject capital… |
| TEFAP | The Emergency Food Assistance Program | USDA program that buys domestic farm products, such as canned goods, cheese, fruit and meat, and distributes them free through states to food banks, pantries and soup… |
| TPS | Temporary Protected Status | Immigration status that lets nationals of designated countries stay and work in the United States temporarily because of armed conflict, natural disasters or other… |
| UI | Unemployment insurance | Joint federal-state program that pays temporary weekly benefits to workers who lose their jobs through no fault of their own. |
| VFC | Vaccines for Children | Federal program that provides recommended childhood vaccines at no cost to children who are Medicaid-eligible, uninsured, underinsured or American Indian or Alaska… |
| VWP | Visa Waiver Program | Program that lets citizens of about 40 participating countries, including most of Europe, Japan, South Korea and Australia, visit the United States for up to 90 days… |
| WIC | Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children | Provides healthy foods, nutrition counseling, breastfeeding support and referrals to low-income pregnant and postpartum women, infants and children under 5 who are at… |
| WPA | Works Progress Administration | New Deal agency that employed millions of jobless Americans from 1935 to 1943 to build roads, bridges, schools, parks and airports, and that funded writers, artists… |