Temporary and Disability Assistance, Office of

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 2023 Executive Budget recommends $6.3 billion for the agency. This is a decrease of approximately $3.5 billion from the FY 2022 budget. The decrease primarily reflects the one-time nature of federal funding for various COVID-19-related assistance programs that are reappropriated in FY 2023.

The FY 2023 Executive Budget recommends a workforce of 1,922 FTEs, an increase of 58 FTEs from FY 2022 workforce levels.

Major budget actions include:

• Make Changes to the Public Assistance (PA) Program to Address Poverty. The Executive Budget proposes changes to PA to help alleviate the “benefits cliff” by encouraging increased earnings and allowing more savings while remaining eligible for the program. In addition, the Budget proposes to eliminate the 45-day waiting period for prospective Safety Net Assistance recipients before they can receive program benefits.

• Continue the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative (ESSHI). As part of the new 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 provides $110 million within OTDA for ESSHI to provide ongoing service and operating support for the program. ESSHI is a multi-agency initiative for supportive housing service and operating funding to support units that house individuals or families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and also suffer from one or more disabling conditions including serious mental illness, substance use disorder, HIV/AIDS, and domestic violence, among other factors.

• 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. 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.

• Increase Summer Youth Employment Program. The Budget increases funding for the Summer Youth Employment Program by $1.1 million, to $46.1 million, to ensure that the State can continue to serve approximately 16,700 youths that were employed through the 2021 program.

• Extend Temporary Operator Authority for Emergency Shelters. The FY 2023 budget proposes to extend the authority of the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) and the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) to appoint a temporary shelter operator for emergency shelters. This authority ensures that the State has the authority to take necessary action to address any concerns regarding the health and safety of emergency shelters supported with state funding.

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 2023 caseload is estimated at approximately 472,440 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 2023 caseload is estimated at 660,000 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. OTDA has received supplemental Federal funding for HEAP to help more households pay heating costs and utility arrears incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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 05/11/2020