Relates to the standards of monthly need for persons in receipt of public assistance; provides for an increased monthly allowance for persons and families residing in shelters.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A8061
SPONSOR: Rosenthal L TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the social services law, in relation to the standards of
monthly need for persons in receipt of public assistance
PURPOSE GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This legislation will increase the outdated personal and special needs
allowances for certain individuals on public assistance.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one of this bill amends section 131-a of the social services
law.
Section two provides the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
Certain individuals and families who are unhoused are eligible for
monthly personal and special needs allowances, providing them a limited
amount of money to cover their necessities. However, individuals and
families who live in shelters that provide meals receive a lesser amount
to cover the cost of "clothing and incidentals."
The personal and special needs allowances for these individuals have not
been raised in more than two decades. Currently, individuals may be
eligible to receive $45 per month and families are eligible to receive
$63 per month per household member. For a mother and child living in a
shelter that provides meals, this means they must live on just $4.20 a
day. This allowance is simply not enough to cover the necessities that
individuals and families require, including medications, clothing and
transportation, to name just a few.
By keeping these allowances low, families are forced to make decisions
daily such as whether to pay for bus fare for a job interview or
purchase medication for their child. This legislation will increase the
personal and special needs allowances for individuals and families in
shelters that provide meals, bringing it in line with the amounts
provided to individuals and families in temporary shelters, and allowing
them a greater ability to climb out of poverty.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Undetermined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the first of April next succeeding the
date on which it shall have become a law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8061
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
June 11, 2021
___________
Introduced by M. of A. L. ROSENTHAL -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Social Services
AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to the standards of
monthly need for persons in receipt of public assistance
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 131-a of the social services law is amended by
2 adding a new subdivision 6 to read as follows:
3 6. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a social services offi-
4 cial shall, in accordance with the provisions of this section, provide
5 public assistance to persons and families who receive temporary housing
6 assistance and three meals per day, or who reside in a shelter for
7 adults that provides three meals per day, or who reside in a shelter for
8 families that provides three meals per day, or who reside in a public
9 home that provides three meals per day, and are determined to be eligi-
10 ble by the application of the standard of need prescribed by the
11 provisions of subdivision two of this section, less any available income
12 or resources which are not required to be disregarded by other
13 provisions of this chapter, in accordance with the following schedule:
14 Number of Persons in Household
15 OneTwoThreeFourFiveSix
16 $183.10$291.50$389.00$501.70$618.70$714.20
17 For each additional eligible needy person in the household there shall
18 be an additional allowance of $97.50 monthly.
19 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of April next succeeding
20 the date on which it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11722-01-1
