Congress created legislation that permanently excludes any federal tax refund from counting as income in determining eligibility or the amount of benefit for any federally-funded public benefit program. The refund can include benefits from the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Child Tax Credit (CTC), other tax credits, or refund of other withheld income tax.
This page explains why claiming the EITC and CTC does not generally reduce eligibility for government benefits.