Increase in State FHEPS Rent Levels to Align with the HUD FMR and CityFHEPS
OTDA and HRA have an approved plan to raise the FHEPS rent levels to 108% of the FMR, aligning to the change the City made last year for CityFHEPS payments. HRA is working with OTDA to implement the plan by February 16th.
SNAP and Cash Assistance Applications by Phone
HRA has received an extension of the signature waiver permitting applications for SNAP and Cash Assistance to be accepted by phone for those clients who are unable to come in to a center or use ACCESS HRA. In order to submit an application by telephone, applicants should reach out to Infoline to be referred for assistance.
New York State Homeowners Assistance Fund
Governor Hochul announced that the New York State Homeowners Assistance Fund (NYHAF) portal is now accepting applications from eligible homeowners at risk of default, foreclosure, or displacement due to COVID-related hardship.
Eligible applicants must have household incomes at or below 100 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI) and must be at least 30 days delinquent on monthly housing payments for their primary residence. Awards will be capped at $50,000 per household. Assistance will be structured as a five-year, non-interest, non-amortizing forgivable loan. If the homeowner remains in the home for a period of five years, the loan will be fully forgiven
Learn more at https://hcr.ny.gov/homeowners. Apply at www.nyhomeownerfund.org or call 1-844-77-NYHAF (a sole-purpose call center with live operators who speak multiple languages) to apply.
Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund (PEAF)
The State OTDA has announced the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund (PEAF) which is an allocation allotted to New York State (NYS) through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021(ARPA) to provide payments to help needy families purchase diapers and to help certain households containing an adult 55 years of age or older purchase additional food. These payments are intended to provide additional financial resources to improve economic security and well-being.
State OTDA will be issuing diaper supplement payments of $140 per eligible child to households in receipt of SNAP and Cash Assistance meeting the following eligibility criteria:
- The child is under age three at any time during the month of January of 2022;
- The child is active on either an open TA or SNAP case during the month of January of 2022; and,
- The TA or SNAP case remains open on the date of issuance.
OTDA will issue a one-time non-assistance payment during April of 2022 to support food assistance for households with children aged 17 and under that contain at least one older adult, and who are in receipt of Cash Assistance and/or SNAP. Recipients of the payment may use it to purchase food.
CA and SNAP households meeting the following eligibility criteria will receive a payment of $730 per eligible older individual:
- The older adult is age 55 or older during the month of March of 2022;
- The older adult is active on either an open TA or open SNAP case which also includes at least one child aged 17 or under at any time during the month of March of 2022: and,
- The TA or SNAP case remains open on the date of issuance.
OTDA will issue these payments directly to the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cash account of the CA or SNAP case. Households eligible for these one-time non-assistance payments will receive a letter from NYS OTDA informing them of the total amount of the payment and Administrative Review rights.
Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) Update:
The State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) is preparing to distribute Summer P-EBT, which will provide eligible students with $375 in food benefits. We will share additional information as it becomes available. As a reminder, P-EBT is distributed by the State OTDA.
For more information:
- Call 833-452-0096
- Visit otda.ny.gov/SNAP-COVID-19
- Submit P-EBT questions https://otda.ny.gov/PEBT-Info.
- To check card balance or select a PIN call 888-328-6399
Extension of Public Health Emergency
On January 14, 2022, the United States Department of Health and Human Services extended the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency for another 90 days. The renewal became effective on January 16, 2022 and will expire on April 16, 2022.
One Shot Deal – Clarification of ERAP Application Requirement
Applicants for One Shot Deal/Emergency Grants for rent arrears are no longer required to apply for ERAP to be eligible for a grant from HRA. This does not change with the re-opening of the ERAP portal. However, individuals who applied before the ERAP portal initially closed on 11/14/2021, and are still pending a State determination, must have that determination rendered before HRA is able to provide assistance for rent arrears.
Child Tax Credit
The CTC helps families get money back to for eligible child care costs. The amount received depends on the number of qualifying children claimed on the tax return and their ages. Those who do not have earned income are still eligible. The deadline to sign up for the Advance Child Tax Credit payment was November 15, 2021. However, the credit can still be claimed —worth up to $3,600 per child—in 2022 by filing taxes. Additional tax credit information can be found here.
For more information and to learn about virtual, drop-off, and in-person tax assistance options, visit nyc.gov/taxprep or call 311 and ask for tax preparation assistance.
Temporary Waiver of SNAP Periodic Reports
New York State has been granted a waiver by FNS to delay the processing of SNAP periodic reports. Households that were due to submit a periodic report in January, February or March 2022 will not have to submit a periodic report, nor will one have to be processed for them before their next recertification, and no negative action may be taken against households that fail to return a completed report. Unless a further waiver is granted, normal periodic report processing will resume for households due to return a report in April 2022. This waiver does not interrupt the periodic mailer production schedule. Any returned mailers will be evaluated for changes that would increase benefits and process these cases so that recipients will receive the increased benefits.
Medicaid Easements and Application Updates
Medicaid easements have been extended through March 2022. This includes the automatic extension for cases with an authorization that ends in March 2022, even if the client does not submit their renewal. These cases will be extended for 12 months. Any case that is closed during the COVID-19 emergency for failure to renew or failure to provide documentation will be re-opened and coverage restored to ensure no gap in coverage.
Childcare Payment Waivers Extended
The Office of Children and Family Services has extended two ACS childcare waivers, allowing HRA to provide payment for an unlimited number of absences and program closures. The waivers, which were first set to end December 31, were then extended through January 2022, and are now further extended through February 2022. The waivers apply to both contract and voucher programs including Day Care Centers, Group Family Day Care, Family Day Care, Legally exempt Group Programs, and School Age Child Care. Legally exempt family child care and in-home child care providers are not eligible to receive payment for program closures but are eligible for payment for absences.
NYS NCP Earned Income Tax Credit
This tax credit is for noncustodial parents with a NYS Child Support order who have paid their child support obligation in full. The amount of the credit received is up to $1,358 and depends on an individual’s income on the tax return. Filers are no longer required to provide their child’s social security number in order to receive a refund and can go back two years and file for the credit that was missed. The refund will be applied towards a noncustodial parent’s child support debt, if they have one. Learn more about the credit here.
ACCESS HRA Updates and Child Support Mobile App
On January 29th, HRA’s Office of Child Support Services launched a new ACCESS HRA Child Support App. Clients will be able to use the same log in information for the ACCESS HRA client portal, ACCESS HRA Mobile app, and the new Child Support Mobile app.
- With the new ACCESS HRA Child Support Mobile App, clients will now be able to complete and submit the following forms (documents can be uploaded using the app):
- LDSS-5143 – Application for Child Support Services
- LDSS-5145 – Referral for Child Support Services
- LDSS-4882 – Application/Referral for Child Support Services
- Clients can download this new mobile app in their Google Play or App Store by searching for “ACCESS HRA”, “Child Support”, or “OCSS”. Learn more at nyc.gov/childsupportmobile.
- Updates to the ACCESS HRA client portal include:
- New security features were introduced to gather a recovery email address for client accounts (optional feature).
- Updates within ACCESS HRA will direct clients to the New York State Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
The ACCESS HRA client portal can be found here: www.nyc.gov/accesshra
IDNYC Updates
IDNYC has reopened a total of 16 public enrollment centers throughout the five boroughs. Capacity is limited and by appointment only. Hours of operation are listed on IDNYC’s website and available by calling 311.