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How to Apply for Services

How do I find out if I'm eligible for benefits?

Visit www.myBenefits.ny.gov to find out about a number of work support programs that you may be eligible for by quickly entering some basic information about you and your family.

How do I apply for SSI/Social Security Disability?

The NYS OTDA Division of Disability Determinations (DDD) makes medical determinations on disability claims filed with the Social Security Administration’s Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income Disability programs.

To apply for Disability please contact your local Social Security Office: SSA Office Locator or phone 1-800-772-1213

You can also apply for disability benefits online using SSA Online Services.

How do I ask for a Fair Hearing?

You may apply electronically on the Fair Hearings website.

Telephone numbers for requesting a Fair Hearing are:
General Fair Hearings Information and to request a Fair Hearing: 1-800-342-3334 (Fax: 518-473-6735)
For New York City emergency Fair Hearings ONLY: 1-800-205-0110
For hearings regarding the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP): 1-800-342-3334
For the Hearing Impaired, TTY Phone number: 1-877-502-6155

Clients may also walk in and request a hearing at the following locations:

You can write to:
New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance
Office of Administrative Hearings
P.O. Box 1930
Albany, NY 12201

Or for Fair Hearing requests concerning clinical managed care you can write to:
New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance
Office of Administrative Hearings
P.O. Box 22023
Albany, NY 12201

How Do I Apply for Child Support Services?

Any custodial or noncustodial parent may apply for child support services by contacting their county child support office and completing the Application for Child Support Services.

Temporary assistance, safety net, and Title IV-E foster care applicants or recipients are provided child support services automatically and do not have to apply. Medicaid applicants who are applying for themselves and their children are also automatically provided services to establish paternity and obtain medical support. Medicaid applicants can also receive services to establish and/or enforce child support upon request.

There is no application fee, however the custodial parent may be charged a $25.00 service fee once a year. The fee applies only to parents who have never received TANF benefits and who have a case with more than $500 in support collected during the federal fiscal year (October 1–September 30 of the next year). The fee will continue to apply in each federal fiscal year. For more information, visit the service fee questions and answers page.

How Do I Apply for Food Stamps?

The process begins with getting an application, filling it out, and filing the form with your local Department of Social Services. You may pick up an application at your local food stamp office, request that an application be mailed to you, apply using the internet if you reside in one of several participating counties, or download the application.

Get Help Applying - In many locations throughout New York State, community organizations can help you get and complete an application for the Food Stamp Program. Most of these organizations can also screen you to see if you might be eligible. For a list of these organizations, visit the Nutritional Outreach Educational Providers website.

Get Help Applying Online - In some New York counties there are community based organizations who will help you apply online for food stamps. After your application is submitted electronically, the local district will review the e-application, conduct an interview, and determine your household’s eligibility for Food Stamps. View a list of locations where you'll find help applying electronically for food stamps.

Apply Online on Your Own - You may apply for food stamps using the internet if you live in a county participating in the Public Online Application Program. In certain counties, if you have access to the internet, you may electronically fill out and submit a food stamp application by going to myBenefits.ny.gov. After your application is submitted, the local district will review your information, conduct an interview, and determine your household’s eligibility for Food Stamps. See a list of counties that support online applications.

For further information about Food stamps, you may call the Office of Temporary and Disability Services toll-free hotline at 1-800-342-3009 and press “1” for Food stamps, visit the Food Stamps website, or contact your local department of social services.

How Do I Apply for Temporary Assistance?

To find out if you are eligible to receive Temporary Assistance, including help with an emergency, you need to file an application with your county Department of Social Services or, if you live in one of the five boroughs of New York City, with your local Job Center.

You can find the location of your local Department of Social Services online, or by calling the toll-free New York State Temporary Assistance Hotline at 1-800-342-3009.

You must fill out the application form and file it at your local department of Social Services. You should identify any emergency needs you may have at this time. If you have an emergency, you will be interviewed and told in writing about the decision on your emergency the same day you apply.

For Temporary Assistance, your interview should be within seven working days of your filing an application. You should be told within 30 days of the date you filed your application if your application for Family Assistance is approved or denied; be told within 45 days of the date you filed your application for Safety Net Assistance if your application is approved or denied.

You DO NOT have to be eligible for ongoing Temporary Assistance to receive Emergency Assistance.

How do I apply for the Home Energy Assistance Program?

Low-income New Yorkers may apply for the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), by mail, in person at your local social services office, over the phone, or over the internet.

By Mail

You may apply for HEAP by mail if you received a HEAP benefit during the 2008-09 HEAP season and reside in the same county that your application was filed last year or if you are age 60 or older. Applications may be downloaded from the HEAP application page.

In Person

You may apply for HEAP in person at the local social services office in the county in which you reside on or after November 2, 2009. View contact information and address of the local social services office in your county.

If you are 60 years of age or older you may also be able to apply at your local office for the aging.

By Telephone

Applicants that have applied and been found eligible for a Regular benefit for in the 2009-10 HEAP season may apply for a heat or heat related Emergency benefit over the telephone. Temporary Assistance and Food Stamp recipients may apply for a heat or heat related Emergency benefit over the telephone by contacting their case worker or the local social services office in the county of residence on or after November 2, 2009.

Online

You may apply for HEAP online if your household resides in Allegany, Broome, Chenango, Clinton, Greene, Herkimer, Jefferson, Livingston, Madison, Montgomery, Steuben, Warren, Washington or Westchester received a HEAP benefit during the 2008–2009 season, and continues to reside in the same county. You may apply for HEAP online on or after November 2, 2009.

What do I have to bring?

You may also need to bring one of the following for each person in your household

Targeted Households

New York's benefit program is structured in such a way that higher benefits are provided to those households contain a vulnerable individual and have the lowest income.

Vulnerable individuals are defined as children under the age of 6, adults aged 60 or older, or disabled individuals.

For further information about the Home Energy Assistance Program, you may call the Office of the Temporary and Disability Assistance toll-free hotline at 1-800-342-3009.

To view these forms you will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. If the format interferes with your ability to access any of the information, please e-mail the OTDA Public Information Office.