Temporary and Disability Assistance, Office of

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Agency Web Site: https://otda.ny.gov/

Mission

The Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), working in close collaboration with the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) and other agencies, helps low-income households achieve economic self-sufficiency through work, job training and the provision of supportive services that help avert dependency on public assistance. OTDA also provides economic assistance to aged and disabled persons who are unable to work.

Organization and Staffing

OTDA’s central office is in Albany and has several field offices statewide. These offices provide direct operational support, supervision, and guidance to the State’s 58 local social services districts, which include each county and New York City. Social services districts are responsible for directly administering most public assistance programs, including those that serve the homeless and refugees. Agency staff also provide legal and audit support.

Budget Highlights

The FY 2022 Executive Budget recommends $7.25 billion for the agency. This is an increase of approximately $1.4 billion from the FY 2021 budget. The increase primarily reflects additional funding for public assistance for projected caseload increases due to ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and federal funding for the Emergency Rental Assistance program.

The FY 2022 Executive Budget recommends a workforce of 1,864 FTEs, a decrease of 123 FTEs from FY 2021 workforce levels.

Major budget actions include:

• Continue the Affordable Housing and Homelessness Initiative. The FY 2022 Executive Budget continues funding to support full implementation of the five year investment for the Affordable and Homeless Housing Plan, which is continuing to create new housing opportunities for individuals in need of supportive services and provide resources to support vulnerable populations in securing stable housing.

• Create More Homeless Housing. The Budget continues funding in FY 2022 at $128 million for HHAP. This investment will create more housing for individuals and families who are homeless and unable to secure adequate housing without special assistance. HHAP is a critical resource in achieving the State’s supportive housing development goals, as it funds the capital construction of housing solely targeted to homeless individuals and families that require wrap-around services to remain stably housed.

• Align Gifts to Food Banks with Related Programs. A fund for a tax check off box for New Yorkers to voluntarily contribute to food banks through their tax return is currently assigned to OTDA. Legislation included in the budget will transfer ownership of this fund to the Department of Health (DOH), which administers similar food bank programs. DOH is best positioned to determine the most impactful distribution of the revenues received from tax returns, and consolidation of these efforts will lead to more efficient, more effective, and more equitable distribution of the revenues. The corresponding appropriation will move from OTDA to DOH.
• Streamline Unclaimed Child Support Collections Process. To make it easier for parents to claim otherwise unidentifiable Child Support payments due, legislation included with the budget will streamline the current process by utilizing the established public claims process on the Office of the State Comptroller’s website.

• Protect Renters. The Budget advances the emergency rental assistance program supported by Federal funds. The program will support households in rental arrears that have experienced financial hardship, are at risk of homelessness or housing instability, and that earn less than eighty percent of area median income. The program would prioritize the unemployed and those with the lowest incomes. As part of this, there will be a hardship fund for the undocumented. In addition to using the $800 million provided directly to the State, it would be structured to enable coordinated efforts between the State and the local governments that opted to receive funds directly – leveraging resources, gaining efficiencies, and preventing fraud.

For more information on this agency's budget recommendations located in the Executive Budget Briefing Book, click on the following link:

Briefing Book – Human Services (PDF)

Program Highlights

Public Assistance

New York provides cash assistance to income-eligible individuals and families through the Family Assistance (FA) and Safety Net Assistance (SNA) programs. For income-eligible families with a minor child, ongoing cash assistance provided through the FA program is financed entirely with Federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds for up to 60 months, pursuant to federal statute. Families who have exhausted their 60-month time limit on FA, as well as income-eligible single adults and childless couples, can receive such assistance through the SNA program which is financed with State and local dollars. The FY 2022 caseload is estimated at approximately 558,000 recipients.

SSI State Supplement Program

New York's Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program supplements Federal SSI benefits to low-income elderly, blind, and disabled persons. The FY 2022 caseload is estimated at 680,000 recipients.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

SNAP is a federally mandated program that seeks to improve the nutritional level of low-income families and individuals by providing supplemental assistance to purchase food items. In New York, SNAP is directly administered by local social services districts, which are also responsible for administering programs to assist SNAP recipients in gaining the skills necessary to obtain and retain employment through training, education, and supportive services.

Homeless Housing and Assistance Program (HHAP)

HHAP provides grants to not-for-profit corporations and municipalities to expand and improve the supply of permanent, transitional, and emergency housing for homeless persons. HHAP also links its projects to other State and Federal funding sources to deliver appropriate support services to help tenants move towards greater self-sufficiency and economic stability.

Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP)

HEAP helps low-income households pay the cost of heating their homes. Eligibility is based on a number of factors, and eligible households may receive one regular benefit per year and emergency benefits, as available. The HEAP program also operates a heating equipment repair and replacement program, a heating equipment clean and tune program, and a cooling program during the summer months.

Child Support Services

The Child Support Services Program provides assistance with paternity and child support establishment, as well as the collection of child support. In addition, the Center operates an Access and Visitation program, which aids parents in development of successful parenting plans and visitation supervision and enforcement.

Note: Most recent estimates as of 01/19/2021