Title SOS, Social Services

§ 12. Deputy commissioners. The Commissioner shall appoint and\nremove at pleasure a first deputy commissioner, and such other deputy\ncommissioners as he shall deem necessary for the proper organization and\ngeneral classification of the work of the department, each of whom sha…

§ 121. Removal of persons to another state or country. 1. When any\nperson who is cared for at the expense of the state or of any public\nwelfare district has settlement or residence or otherwise belongs to or\nhas legally responsible relatives able or friends willing to underta…

§ 122. Noncitizens. 1. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, no\nperson except a citizen or a noncitizen who has been duly naturalized as\na citizen shall be eligible for additional state payments for aged,\nblind and disabled persons, family assistance, safety net assistance…

§ 13. Organization of the department. The commissioner shall\ndetermine the structure of departmental organization.\n

§ 131. Assistance, care and services to be given. 1. It shall be the\nduty of social services officials, insofar as funds are available for\nthat purpose, to provide adequately for those unable to maintain\nthemselves, in accordance with the requirements of this article and\noth…

§ 131-a. Monthly grants and allowances of public assistance. 1. Any\ninconsistent provision of this chapter or other law notwithstanding,\nsocial services officials shall, in accordance with the provisions of\nthis section and regulations of the department, provide public\nassis…

§ 131-aa. Monthly statistical reports. 1. Reporting requirements. The\ncommissioner of the office of temporary and disability assistance shall\nissue, within sixty days of the end of each month, a monthly statistical\nreport containing each of the tables in the March two thousan…

§ 131-aaa. Availability of adverse childhood experiences services.\nEach local social services district shall be required to make available\nto applicants and recipients of public assistance who are a parent,\nguardian, custodian or otherwise responsible for a child's care,\nedu…

§ 131-b. Fees for services. If and only to the extent the\nimposition of a fee is required by federal law and regulation to insure\ncontinued full federal financial participation in the state's plan for\nservices under applicable federal law and regulations, the department\nshal…

§ 131-bb. Family homelessness and eviction prevention supplement\nprogram. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, for\na local social services district with a population of five million or\nmore, the commissioner shall designate such local social services\nd…

§ 131-c. Inclusion of parents and siblings of a minor in the public\nassistance household. 1. For the purposes of determining eligibility for\nand the amount of assistance payable, the social services district\nshall, when a minor is named as an applicant for public assistance,\…

§ 131-d. Substance abuse rehabilitative and preventive services.\n 1. Any inconsistent provision of this chapter or other law\nnotwithstanding, social services officials shall provide substance abuse\nservices, to eligible needy substance abusers and persons who are\nsubstance d…

§ 131-e. Family planning services. Each social services commissioner\nshall require that appropriate members of his staff personally advise\neligible needy persons periodically of the availability at public\nexpense of family planning services for the prevention of pregnancy and…

§ 131-f. Retroactive social security benefit increases. Any\ninconsistent provisions of this title, other provisions of this chapter\nor of any other law notwithstanding, in determining the need for family\nassistance, a social services official shall disregard, in addition to\n…

§ 131-g. Authority to accept public and private gifts. The\ndepartment or a social services district shall have the power to apply\nfor, accept, receive and expend public and private gifts or grants of\nmoney, property or services for any purpose provided for by this\nchapter.\n…

§ 131-h. Authority to operate family homes for adults. A social\nservices official may be authorized to operate family homes for adults,\nin compliance with the regulations of the department, if such official\napplies for such authority and demonstrates the need therefor and tha…

* § 131-i. Social services districts; agreements. Subject to the\nprovisions of section one hundred nineteen-o of the general municipal\nlaw, social services districts may enter into agreements for the\nperformance among themselves or of one for another of any of their\nrespecti…

* § 131-i. Family loan program. 1. From amounts appropriated for such\npurpose, the department of labor in consultation with the department is\nhereby authorized and directed to solicit proposals to establish\nprograms to be known as family loan programs. Such programs shall\npr…

§ 131-j. Certain utility deposits. Any inconsistent provision of\nthis chapter or other law notwithstanding, a public assistance recipient\nshall not be required by any corporation subject to the provisions of\narticle four of the public service law to pay a security deposit as …

§ 131-k. Undocumented noncitizens. An otherwise eligible applicant or\nrecipient who has been determined to be ineligible for aid to dependent\nchildren, home relief or medical assistance because such individual is a\nnoncitizen unlawfully residing in the United States or becaus…

§ 131-l. Exclusion of agent orange benefits. A social services\nofficial shall disregard as income and resources in any program of\npublic assistance such sums as are required to be disregarded under\nsection two hundred thirty-five-a of the military law with respect to\nexposur…

§ 131-m. Information on resource referral services. 1. Each social\nservices district shall furnish social services information and resource\nreferral services, in accordance with the provisions of this section and\nthe regulations of the department.\n 2. Such services shall be …

* § 131-n. Exemption of income and resources. 1. The following\nresources shall be exempt and disregarded in calculating the amount of\nbenefits of any household under any public assistance program: (a) cash\nand liquid or nonliquid resources up to two thousand five hundred\ndol…

§ 131-o. Personal allowances accounts. 1. Each individual receiving\nfamily care, residential care or care in a school for individuals with\ndevelopmental disabilities, or enhanced residential care as those terms\nare defined in section two hundred nine of this chapter, and who …

§ 131-p. Group health insurance benefits; condition of eligibility.\nNotwithstanding any other inconsistent provision of law and to the\nextent permissible under federal law, any applicant for or recipient of\nsafety net assistance or family assistance who is or becomes employed…

§ 131-q. Electronic payment file transfer system pilot project. * 1.\nThe commissioner is empowered to authorize the city social services\ndistrict of the city of New York to continue the pilot project for the\ndesign, development, implementation and operation of an electronic\n…

§ 131-r. Liability for reimbursement of public assistance benefits. 1.\nAny person who is receiving or has received, within the previous ten\nyears, public assistance pursuant to the provisions of this article, and\nwho wins a lottery prize of six hundred dollars or more shall r…

§ 131-s. Payments made for utility service for recipients of public\nassistance benefits, supplemental security income benefits or additional\nstate payments. 1. In the case of a person applying for public\nassistance, supplemental security income benefits or additional state\np…

§ 131-ss. Automated identification of OTDA assistance program\nparticipants. 1. Definitions. For the purposes of this section, the\nfollowing terms shall have the following meanings:\n (a) "Commissioner" shall mean the commissioner of the office of\ntemporary and disability assi…

§ 131-t. Periodic reporting. A social services official shall require\neach public assistance or food stamp household which currently is\nreceiving or received earned income to submit periodic reports relating\nto factors affecting eligibility, to the extent and in the manner\nr…

§ 131-u. Domestic violence services. 1. Notwithstanding any\ninconsistent provision of law, a social services district shall, in\naccordance with the provisions of this section and regulations of the\ndepartment, offer and provide emergency shelter and services at a\nresidential…

§ 131-v. Temporary emergency shelter. 1. Notwithstanding any\ninconsistent provision of law, and to the extent consistent with federal\nlaw, a social services official may contract with a non-profit\ncorporation or charitable organization to provide temporary emergency\nshelter …

§ 131-w. Limitations in the payment of rent arrears. Districts shall\nnot provide assistance to pay rent arrears, property taxes or mortgage\narrears for persons not eligible for home relief, aid to dependent\nchildren, emergency assistance to needy families with children or\nem…

§ 131-x. Reverse mortgage loans. Notwithstanding any other\ninconsistent provisions of law and to the extent permissible under\nfederal law, regulation or waiver, the proceeds of a reverse mortgage\nloan made in conformity with the requirements of section two hundred\neighty or …

§ 131-z. Child assistance program. 1. Notwithstanding any other\nprovision of law to the contrary, any district may operate a child\nassistance program as part of the family assistance program with the\napproval of the department. Approved expenditures for such child\nassistance…

* § 131-zz. Child poverty reduction. 1. Legislative findings. The\nlegislature hereby declares that New York should take any steps\nnecessary to reduce the overall child poverty rate by fifty percent in\nthe next ten years. Nearly three million New Yorkers are living in\npoverty…

§ 132. Investigation of applications. 1. When an application for\nassistance or care is received, or a social services official is\ninformed that a person is in need of public assistance and care, an\ninvestigation and record shall be made of the circumstances of such\nperson. T…

§ 132-a. Children born out of wedlock; special provisions. 1. When an\ninvestigation is required by section one hundred thirty-two and other\nprovisions of this chapter for the purpose of determining the\neligibility for public assistance and care of an applicant pregnant with\n…

§ 133. Temporary preinvestigation emergency needs assistance or care.\nUpon application for public assistance or care under this chapter, the\nlocal social services district shall notify the applicant in writing of\nthe availability of a monetary grant adequate to meet emergency…

§ 133-a. Contracts for distribution of public assistance grants. As\npermitted or required by regulations of the department, each social\nservices district may contract with an appropriate department or agency\nof the state or banking institutions to distribute grants and allowa…

§ 134. Supervision. The social service officials responsible under\nsection one hundred thirty-two for investigating any application for\npublic assistance and care, shall maintain close contact with persons\ngranted public assistance and care. Such persons shall be visited as\n…

§ 134-a. Conduct of investigation. 1. In accordance with regulations\nof the department of family assistance, any investigation or\nreinvestigation of eligibility for public assistance and care, other\nthan medical assistance, shall be limited to those factors reasonably\nnecess…

§ 134-b. Front end detection system. In accordance with regulations\npromulgated by the department, each social services district shall\nestablish procedures to identify, investigate and resolve potential\ncases of fraud, misrepresentation or inadequate documentation prior to\nd…

§ 134-c. Requirement to publicly post information. 1. Each local\nsocial services district shall be required to post information in\naccordance with this section, in a form and manner to be determined by\nthe commissioner. Such poster shall be conspicuous and visible to all\napp…

§ 135. Cooperation of public welfare officials. 1. It shall be the\nduty of every public welfare official to render assistance and cooperate\nwithin his jurisdictional powers with every other public welfare\nofficial and with the family court and all other governmental agencies\…

§ 136. Protection of public welfare records. 1. The names or\naddresses of persons applying for or receiving public assistance and\ncare shall not be included in any published report or printed in any\nnewspaper or reported at any public meeting except meetings of the\ncounty bo…

§ 136-a. Information from state tax commission and the comptroller. 1.\nSection six hundred ninety-seven or any other provision of the tax law\nshall in no way be construed to restrict the department from obtaining,\non behalf of itself or a local social services district, the n…

§ 137. Exemption from levy and execution. All moneys or orders\ngranted to persons as public assistance or care pursuant to this chapter\nshall be inalienable by any assignment or transfer and shall be exempt\nfrom levy and execution under the laws of this state.\n

§ 137-a. Exemption of earnings of recipients from assignment, income\nexecution and installment payment order. 1. All wages, salary,\ncommissions or other compensation paid or payable by an employer to a\nperson while he is in receipt of public assistance or care supplementary\n…

§ 138-a. Responsibility of the department for recipients in family\ncare. 1. Any inconsistent provision of this chapter or other law\nnotwithstanding, the department shall be responsible for furnishing\npublic assistance and care to mentally disabled persons residing in\nfamily …