Who is eligible for cash assistance in NY?

This is information on applying for and keeping cash assistance (also known as welfare or public assistance or “PA” or cash assistance or “CA”), Medicaid, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits (SNAP, formerly food stamps). These benefits are available through HRA to persons who are eligible. This page includes is information about steps you can take on your own, and what to do if you need help from The Legal Aid Society.

*You can once again go to an HRA Job Center in person to apply for benefits. But you can also apply online, via mail, or fax instead. In certain circumstances, you can also apply over the phone or request an in-person visit. Learn more about your options here.

If you need help applying for HRA benefits or with a cash assistance/welfare or SNAP case, including a fair hearing, call The Legal Aid Society’s Access to Benefits helpline 888-663-6880 on Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

There are four ways to apply for cash assistance and/or SNAP/Food Stamps:

By computer or smart phone –You can apply for cash assistance (also known as welfare or public assistance or “PA”) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits (SNAP, formerly food stamps) online at ACCESS HRA. You can then upload documents on the ACCESS HRA app on your smartphone.
By paper application – You can complete a paper application and send it to HRA by mail. You can get a paper application by (a) calling HRA Infoline at 718-557-1399 or 311 (and ask for HRA application) or (b) printing one from the HRA website. After you fill it in, you can send it to HRA.
In person – at an open HRA Center – You can go in person to apply or to pick up a paper application. HRA offices (called “Job Centers”) are open in each borough.
Apply by Phone or Request a Home Visit – If for any reason you cannot apply using the ways described above, you can ask that HRA take an application over the telephone or that HRA make a home visit. Telephone applications and home visits can be requested by telephone or email and also by fax and mail. For an explanation of how to request these and troubleshoot problems, see below.

Help with emergencies: Examples of emergencies include having no cash, needing food or personal hygiene items (soap, diapers, toilet paper, masks); facing an electricity or gas shut-off; facing eviction. If you have one or more of these emergencies you may qualify for help.
Help with cash assistance: Cash Assistance is a twice a month cash grant that recipients can use to meet basic needs. Some of the grant goes to rent and utilities, and there are other special grants for furniture, clothing, storage fees, etc. depending on your situation.
Help for people who are homeless: If you are homeless, you may be able to get carfare to use for apartment search, an allowance for purchasing prepared food from restaurants; help keeping your belongings in storage.
Help to prevent eviction: HRA also helps to prevent evictions. If you are facing eviction and need help, help is available through the COVID Housing Helpline at 212-298-3333.

Requests for help with emergencies are supposed to happen right away. Requests to open a case take longer. HRA must respond to your application in writing within 30 days if you are applying for:

cash assistance and have a child under 18 years old living with you (in most cases)
SNAP
Medicaid

HRA must respond to your application in writing within 45 days for cash assistance if you have no child under age 18 living with you (and in some cases even if a child is living with you).

You can request a “fair hearing” if:

Your benefits are going to be denied, or reduced, or discontinued,
You are asking that a person be added to the case, but they are not added,
You lost your job or your hours are reduced, and HRA is still paying the same amount of benefits,
You are having trouble getting a sanction lifted,
You can request fair hearings on other issues too.

At the hearing, a judge will hear the case and decide if HRA made a mistake.

You can request a fair hearing in 5 ways:

Online “Electronic” Request”
Email .
Phone call: 518-474-8781 or toll free 800-342-3334
Fax: 518-473-6735
By mail – write to: New York State OTDA Office of Administrative Hearings P.O. Box 1930
Albany, New York 12201

Can I go in person to 14 Boerum Place and Request a hearing?
No. Not right now. Because of the COVID-19 crisis, that office is currently closed to the public. You cannot not go in person to 14 Boerum Place, 1st Floor, Brooklyn (corner of Boerum and Livingston Streets).

When you should request the fair hearing?
Request a Fair Hearing right away! You can request a fair hearing as soon as you receive a notice of decision that you disagree with, or if your benefits or services are changed without notice.

You must request a fair hearing within 60 days of the date of the notice for public assistance and Medicaid issues, and 90 days for SNAP (Food Stamp) issues. Even if you think you missed the deadline, you can still make the request.
If you request the hearing within 10 days of the date of the notice, you can get “aid continuing.” “Aid continuing” means your benefits should continue unchanged until the hearing decision is made.

Because of COVID-19, most hearings are only being held by telephone, not in person. You have the right to decline a telephone hearing and ask that it be rescheduled in person at a future date.

The information in this document has been prepared by The Legal Aid Society for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. This information is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. You should not act upon any information without retaining professional legal counsel.

Last Updated: 11 May

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New York State’s Cash Assistance programs provide financial help to families with minor children, as well as unmarried people and childless couples who are in financial need. The Family Assistance program (FA) helps families with dependent children and the Safety Net Assistance program (SNA) helps people who are not eligible for FA benefits. The Human Resources Administration (HRA) administers the Cash Assistance program in New York City, and local social services districts administer the program in the rest of the state. The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) oversees the administration of the program state-wide.

Cash Assistance Eligibility

To qualify for Cash Assistance (CA), you must meet all the eligibility criteria, which include: income and resource, immigration status, and residency requirements. Also, your particular immigration status may determine whether you are eligible for Family Assistance, Safety Net Assistance, or neither program. Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for CA, however, they may apply for CA for their minor children who have a different immigration status than their undocumented parents. CA is only available to residents of New York State. New York City residents must apply for the CA Program at an HRA Job Center in New York City. Call 311 to get information on the location of the Job Center nearest to your home.

To be eligible for Family Assistance (FA), the household must contain a minor child living with a parent or relative who is either under the age of 18 or under the age of 19 and regularly attending college or vocational training. The household must not have received FA for more than 60 months.

Safety Net Assistance (SNA) also provides cash assistance, but helps those people who are not covered by the FA program, such as:

Single adults;
Couples who have no minor children;
Children living apart from their parents or relatives;
Persons who have exceeded their 60-month limit on FA; and
Some non-citizens who are not eligible for FA.

Cash Assistance Benefits

FA and SNA provide a cash benefit twice per month that can be used for food, utilities and housing expenses. If you are eligible for FA, you can only receive benefits for a lifetime total of five years (60 months). When you reach the 60-month limit, you should receive a notice stating that your case will be transferred from the FA program to the SNA program. Your benefits should stay the same.

The amount of the benefits issued depends on whether other income is available and is based on the “standard of need.” The standard of need factors in household size. The standard of need includes:

Basic allowance – also called the “food and other” or “F&O” benefit, because it pays for food, clothing, transportation and other daily expenses by issuing you cash through the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) system.
Home energy allowance – pays electric and heating bills by giving you cash or paying the utility provider directly.
Shelter allowance – pays a set amount for rent, mortgage or property taxes, usually by issuing a two-party check to the landlord, lender or other payee, or by paying them directly.
Other special needs – such as a pregnancy allowance or restaurant allowance.

If you reside in New York City, receive FA, your housing expenses are greater than the CA shelter allowance maximum, and you are in a court proceeding for non-payment of rent, you may be eligible for the Family Eviction Prevention Supplement (FEPS) to help pay your rent.

If you reside in shelter in New York City, you may be eligible for the Living in Communities Rental Assistance Program (LINC) to help move you out of shelter.

If you have an emergency situation, you may be entitled to a Pre-Investigation Grant, which provides cash assistance if you have a need resulting from an emergency that must be met that same day to ensure your health and safety. There are also additional grants that may be available in certain circumstances, such as:

shelter arrears grants;
relocation expenses;
storage fees;
replacement of furniture and clothing;
pregnancy allowance (included in the Standard of Need);
restaurant allowance;
burial expense payment; and
camp fees.

You may also be eligible for an Enhanced Shelter Allowance if you have AIDS or an HIV-related illness.

Legal Editor: Lisa Pearlstein, City Bar Justice Center

Changes may occur in this area of law. The information provided is brought to you as a public service with the help and assistance of volunteer legal editors, and is intended to help you better understand the law in general. It is not intended to be legal advice regarding your particular problem or to substitute for the advice of a lawyer.