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| Department overview | |
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| Jurisdiction | New York |
| Key documents | |
The New York State Department of Family Assistance (DFA), also known as the Department of Family Services, is a department of the New York state government. [1] Its regulations are compiled in title 18 of the New York Codes, Rules and Regulations .
It is composed of two autonomous offices: [2] [3]
The New York (state) Welfare Management System receives, maintains and processes information relating to persons who apply for benefits, or who are determined to be eligible for benefits under any program administered by the department.
Administrative reviews ("Fair Hearings") of decisions by a local social services agency are handled by the OTDA Office of Administrative Hearings. [4]
A Rivera request, also known as an evidence packet request, is the document (labeled W-186A) used for requesting evidence relating to a NYC Human Resources Administration fair hearing pursuant to the stipulation and settlement in Rivera v. Bane .
On August 20, 1997, Governor Pataki signed the Welfare Reform Act of 1997 that, in relevant part, renamed the Department of Social Services (DSS) as the Department of Family Assistance, and also divided the department into Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) and the State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). [3] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] These two offices assumed many of DSS' functions. Other functions of the former DSS were transferred to the Department of Labor and the Department of Health. In addition, as part of the reorganization of State government, OCFS assumed all of the functions of the Division for Youth (DFY). [10] It was also formerly the Department of Social Welfare. [1]
Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance programs which provide support only to those who have previously contributed, as opposed to social assistance programs which provide support on the basis of need alone. The International Labour Organization defines social security as covering support for those in old age, support for the maintenance of children, medical treatment, parental and sick leave, unemployment and disability benefits, and support for sufferers of occupational injury.
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a United States federal law, codified at 29 U.S.C. § 701 et seq. The principal sponsor of the bill was Rep. John Brademas (D-IN-3). The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 replaces preexisting laws to extend and revise the authorization of grants to States for vocational rehabilitation services, with special emphasis on services to those with the most severe disabilities, to expand special Federal responsibilities and research and training programs with respect to individuals with disabilities, to establish special responsibilities in the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare for coordination of all programs with respect to individuals with disabilities within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, and for other purposes. It created the Rehabilitation Services Administration.
The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) is a California state agency for many of the programs defined as part of the social safety net in the United States, and is within the auspices of the California Health and Human Services Agency. Federal and State funds for adoptions, the largest SNAP program in the country, CalWORKs program, foster care, aid for people with disabilities, family crisis counseling, subsistence payments to poor families with children, child welfare services and many other efforts are distributed through this department.
The New York State Department of Labor is the department of the New York state government that enforces labor law and administers unemployment benefits.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, is American legislation that guarantees certain rights to people with disabilities. It was one of the first U.S. federal civil rights laws offering protection for people with disabilities. It set precedents for subsequent legislation for people with disabilities, including the Virginians with Disabilities Act in 1985 and the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990.
Gladys Carrión is an Adjunct Research Scholar with Columbia University's Justice Lab. She was the Commissioner of the New York City Administration for Children's Services (ACS) until 2017 and a nationally recognized advocate for improving child well-being.
The United States spends approximately $2.3 trillion on federal and state social programs include cash assistance, health insurance, food assistance, housing subsidies, energy and utilities subsidies, and education and childcare assistance. Similar benefits are sometimes provided by the private sector either through policy mandates or on a voluntary basis. Employer-sponsored health insurance is an example of this.
The Center for Development of Human Services (CDHS) was a sponsored nonprofit program of the Research Foundation of the State University of New York located at Buffalo State College. CDHS/ Research Foundation began in 1976 when a small group of Buffalo State College faculty was successful in obtaining a $100,000 social services training grant to provide instruction to those employed in the field of social work. The Social Services Training Project, as it was then called, evolved into CDHS/Research Foundation, now a nationally recognized provider of human services training. CDHS/Research Foundation used to manage over 30 human services training projects representing $50 million in grant-funded activities that serve the residents of New York State and was the largest such provider in the state. From 1999 to 2010, under the leadership of Robert Spaner, Project Director and Principal Investigator, CDHS expanded from a $16 million operation with under 100 staff to a $60 million Center with 400 staff and 40 separate projects. In April, 2010 Mr. Spaner retired. CDHS used to be headquartered in Buffalo, with satellite offices in Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, and New York City. A large number of CDHS staff worked with state and local government agencies statewide.
The New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) is an agency of the New York state government within the Department of Family Assistance. The office has its headquarters in the Capital View Office Park in Rensselaer.
The New York City Department of Homeless Services (DHS) is an agency within the government of New York City that provides services to the homeless, though its ultimate aim is to eliminate homelessness. The guiding principles of the department were outlined by the New York City Commission on the Homeless in 1992: to operate an emergency shelter system for people without housing alternatives, provide services and resources to assist shelter residents in gaining independent housing, and partner with local agencies and non-profits to provide these services. Its two rules are compiled in title 31 of the New York City Rules; state regulations are primarily compiled in title 18 of the New York Codes, Rules and Regulations.
The Family Eviction Prevention Supplement was created by the New York City Human Resources Administration in May 2005 as a program to help prevent evictions of families on welfare shelter. It provides additional housing assistance to Cash Assistance (CA) eligible families with children, above and beyond the CA shelter amount.
Section 21 of the New York State Social Services Law requires the New York State Department of Social Services to design and implement a Welfare Management System (WMS) capable of receiving, maintaining and processing information relating to persons who apply for benefits, or who are determined to be eligible for benefits under any program administered by the Department." Among its purposes are "promoting efficiency in local district determinations of eligibility for public assistance and care", "to expedite such determinations", and "to reduce unauthorized or excessive payments".
The New York State Executive Department of the New York state government serves as the administrative department of the Governor of New York. This department has no central operating structure; it consists of a number of divisions, offices, boards, commissions, councils, and other independent agencies that provide policy advice and assistance to the governor and conduct activities according to statute or executive order. Its regulations are compiled in title 9 of the New York Codes, Rules and Regulations.
The Human Resources Administration or Department of Social Services (HRA/DSS) is the department of the government of New York City in charge of the majority of the city's social services programs. HRA helps New Yorkers in need through a variety of services that promote employment and personal responsibility while providing temporary assistance and work supports. Its regulations are compiled in title 68 of the New York City Rules. The current Commissioner of HRA is Molly Wasow Park, who was appointed to the position by Mayor Eric Adams. HRA is the largest city social services agency in the United States. It has a budget of $9.7 billion, employs over 14,000 people, and serves over 3 million New Yorkers.
The right to social security is recognized as a human right and establishes the right to social security assistance for those unable to work due to sickness, disability, maternity, employment injury, unemployment or old age. Social security systems provided for by states consist of social insurance programs, which provide earned benefits for workers and their families by employment contributions, and/or social assistance programs which provide non-contributory benefits designed to provide minimum levels of social security to persons unable to access social insurance.
The Department of Social Security was a government department in Australia, which administered the Social Security system between 1972 and 1998. The department was one of several new departments established by the Whitlam government and was managed by the Minister for Social Security.
The Department of Mental Hygiene (DMH) is a component of the New York state government composed of three autonomous offices:
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (WisDHS) is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Wisconsin responsible for maintaining public health. It administers a wide range of services in the state and at state institutions, regulates hospitals and care providers, and supervises and consults with local public health agencies. Its responsibilities include public health; mental health and substance abuse; long-term support and care; services to people with disabilities, medical assistance, and children’s services; aging programs; physical and developmental disability services; blindness disability programs; operation of care and treatment facilities; quality assurance programs; nutrition supplementation programs; medical assistance; and health care for low-income families, elderly, and the disabled.
David A. Hansell is an American advocate and expert on public policy and programs that provide assistance to vulnerable populations. He started his career in public service in the late 1980s as an advocate for New York City's HIV-positive population. He then joined the City government, where he was quickly recognized for his talent for modernizing government programs, and developing innovative methods for creating economic opportunities and sustainable supports for poor and working-class families.
This article is intended to give an overview of the welfare system in the U.S. State of New York.
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