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 2025 Executive Budget recommends over $10.1 billion for the agency. This is an increase of over $1.1 billion from the FY 2024 budget. The increase primarily reflects an additional $2.4 billion State investment to provide time-limited support for the projected costs of providing services and assistance to the eligible migrant population in New York City. Other increases include higher projected costs for the Safety Net Assistance (SNA) program and an additional $600 million in one-time Federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) investments from lower than expected utilization in prior years to support child care subsidies (spread over two years), funding to local districts for case management (spread over two years), a one-time increase in the funding for the Flexible Fund for Family Services (FFFS), and one-time funding to address anti-poverty efforts in Rochester, Buffalo and Syracuse. In addition, new authority is included to authorize Federal benefits to flow through the State for the implementation of the Summer EBT program for school-aged children.

The FY 2025 Executive Budget recommends a workforce of 1,937 FTEs, an increase of 15 FTEs from FY 2024 workforce levels due to the agency's implementation and administration of the Summer EBT program that is only partially covered by Federal funding.

Major budget actions include:

• Provide Continued Support for Migrant Services and Assistance. Building off of the FY 2024 Budget's extraordinary support for the migrants crisis in New York City, the FY 2025 Executive Budget includes a new $2.4 billion appropriation. Funding will support humanitarian aid, including short term shelter services for migrant individuals and families; costs associated with operating humanitarian emergency response and relief centers (HERRCs) at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center, Randall’s Island, and Floyd Bennett Field; legal and case management services to help asylum seekers file paperwork to receive work authorization; programs to provide communicable disease testing, immunizations, and other health services; programs to assist in relocation of migrant individuals and families; and expenses related to the deployment of the National Guard and other facets of the State's response.

• Provide More Intensive Support to Families in Need. The Executive Budget invests $17.2 million to provide funding to local departments of social services to support the hiring of staff to provide wrap-around services and case management.

• Support Anti-Poverty Efforts in Upstate Cities. To support locally-driven efforts to address the immediate needs of children and families in the areas with the highest child poverty rates, the Executive Budget invests $50 million in one-time Federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding to support anti-poverty initiatives in Rochester ($25 million), Buffalo ($12.25 million), and Syracuse ($12.25 million).

• Continue the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative (ESSHI). As part of the Governor’s five-year, $25 billion comprehensive Housing Plan to create and preserve 100,000 affordable homes, including 10,000 homes with support services for vulnerable populations, the Executive Budget conitnues a funding level of $210 million within OTDA for ESSHI to maintain ongoing service and operating support for the program.

• Create More Homeless Housing. The Budget continues funding 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.

• Provide Summer Food Benefits to Students. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress provided 100 percent Federal funding for States to operate a summer food benefit program called Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) for low-income students who had been unable to receive free school meals while schools had been closed. The Federal government has since extended this program to operate during the summer months which requires a 50 percent State match to administer. The FY 2025 Executive Budget invests approximately $13 million in State resources to support the administration of the program that is estimated to provide over $200 million in benefits to over 2 million children.

• Continue Investments in Youth Employment Programs. Continuing the efforts included in the FY 2024 Enacted Budget, the FY 2025 Executive Budget invests an additional $4.7 million in Federal TANF resources to provide year-round employment opportunities for at-risk youth through the Summer Youth Employment Program (totaling $50 million) and the Youth Opportunities Program (totaling $38.8 million). This additional funding will ensure that State-supported youth employment opportunities are maintained at existing levels.

• Implement Mandatory Federal Child Support Changes. The Executive Budget advances legislation to ensure that New York State maintains compliance with Federal rules and regulations regarding child support as changes take effect.

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 largely 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 2025 caseload is estimated at approximately 607,000 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 2025 caseload is estimated at approximately 640,000 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 01/16/2024