Government Benefits & Assistance

Are you a low-income New Yorker who needs help obtaining public assistance, including SNAP or food stamps, cash assistance, Medicaid & Medicare, housing subsidies (Section 8, FHEPs, CityFHEPs, SCRIE, DRIE, and HASA), unemployment insurance (UI), supplemental security income (SSI),or social security disability (SSD)? 

Legal Services NYC provides FREE legal help to people whose financial instability stems from job loss or disability. We also appeal cases to state and federal courts and work with community partners throughout NYC to advocate for fairness in the administration of the government benefits system. 

For free legal help, call Legal Services NYC at 917-661-4500 Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Learn more about our intake process here.

* The information does not constitute legal advice. You should always consult an attorney regarding your matter. Legal help subject to capacity and location.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Am I eligible for cash assistance?

Cash Assistance, sometimes known as “Public Assistance,” is a benefit program that provides a cash benefit to eligible individuals, couples, and families. In New York City, Cash Assistance is administered by the Human Resources Administration (HRA), which is part of the NYC Department of Social Services. Cash Assistance benefits are delivered twice monthly on a debit-like card called an EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) that can be used at ATMs or any store where EBT cards are accepted. Cash Assistance is for people with limited income and resources. Eligibility is determined on a case-by-case basis and depends upon income, resources, immigration status (note: many immigrants are eligible for benefits in NYC), and family size, among other factors. Every person has a right to apply for Cash Assistance and to receive a written decision on their eligibility.

Learn more here.

How do I apply for cash assistance?

You can apply for cash assistance through the NYC Human Resources Administration (HRA). You can apply online or in-person. For people with disabilities who cannot apply online or in person due to medical reasons, you can apply by phone or by having HRA come to you. You apply online through a Website called “Access HRA.” You can also download the free Access HRA application. You can apply in-person at one of the Benefits Access Centers located throughout NYC. In most circumstances, you are supposed to apply at the center that is designated for your address. Call 311 to find out your center.

Learn more here.

I am applying for/receiving cash assistance. Why am I receiving notices that say I am required to work?

If you apply for or get cash assistance, the government requires you to prove “work activity.” Work activity might mean getting a job, proving that you’ve tried to get a job, going to school or training, and/or showing that you’re exempt from the work rules.

Beginning April 28, 2025, HRA has re-started the “conciliation/re-engagement” and sanction process for cash assistance (CA) or public assistance (PA) recipients and applicants. As a result, almost everyone receiving cash welfare or applying for cash welfare has to do work activities. Sanctions had stopped in 2015 due to changes in the law and COVID-19. Being sanctioned may result in the government stopping or reducing your benefits.

Learn more here.

I have cash assistance and I received a notice that I missed an appointment for a work activity. What should I do?

Beginning April 28, 2025, HRA has re-started the “conciliation/re-engagement” process for cash assistance (CA) or public assistance (PA) recipients and applicants. You should get different notices from HRA/DSS asking you to “engage” or participate in their work program. If HRA claims that you have not done the employability process and/or that your assigned work activity, HRA should send you a notice called a “Re-engagement and Conciliation Notice” (Form LDSS-5087). This notice is a warning that your benefits will stop unless you do something. You must either prove that you should be exempt from the work rules and/or explain why you had good cause to miss your work activity or appointment.

Learn more here.

I have a medical barrier or disability, and I cannot do the work activities that HRA is requiring of me to receive cash assistance. What do I do?

You must prove to HRA that you have a disability or other health issue that prevents you from working unless:

• you get SSI
• you get HASA
• you are age 60 or over, and/or
• you are “homebound” according to HRA.

Whether you are called into a vendor (e.g., “Career Compass”) or HRA, you should tell your worker that you have a medical barrier to employment. The worker should then refer you for a process that’s often called “WeCARE.”

Learn more here.

I do not have a disability or medical barrier to employment, but I cannot complete the required 35 hours per week of work activities. What are other qualifying exemptions?

You may be temporarily exempt from work activity for other reasons, which you will need to prove to HRA. HRA will ask you for documentation, which you must give them as long as it’s reasonable. Exemptions include having a domestic violence waiver, undergoing HRA approved treatment for substance abuse, having a child under 1 in your household or children under 13 without childcare, you are caring for a family member, you are injured or sick and cannot work for 3 or more months, you are under 19 and are in high school, you are pregnant and due in 30 or fewer days.

Learn more here.

I am applying for/receiving cash assistance. HRA is requiring me to pursue child support and/or work activity, but I fear that this may be unsafe due to domestic violence. What do I do?

Survivors of domestic violence may be able to get a waiver of public assistance rules – including work activity rules and child support cooperation rules. Waivers are given for six months at a time. Every six months, HRA will reassess for the waiver.

Learn more here.

What is Medicare Health Insurance? 

Medicare is a federal health insurance program available to qualified individuals and certain dependents (spouses and/or adult disabled children). It includes:

• Older adults aged 65 or older;
• People with disabilities who receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) for 24 months;
• Individuals with End Stage Renal Disease and ALS/Lou Gehrig’s disease. 

To qualify for Medicare, you must have worked and paid Medicare taxes for a certain period of time and also have a qualifying immigration status. Many people will have to apply and enroll in Medicare on their own through the Social Security Administration, which is the government agency that handles Medicare enrollments.

Learn more here.

What is Medicaid Health Insurance?

Medicaid is a joint federal and state program for low-income adults, children, pregnant individuals, older adults, and people with disabilities. Each state runs its Medicaid program differently. Each state’s Medicaid program requires that you and/or your family live in the state.  Medicaid health insurance does not transfer from state to state. If you were to relocate from New York to another state or vice versa, you should close your Medicaid case in the state you currently reside in before relocating and reapplying in your new state of residence.  

Medicaid is comprehensive health insurance. It covers primary and specialist care, medications and medical equipment, hospitalizations, transportation to medical appointments, medical tests like x-rays and labs, and much more.  In order to have Medicaid health insurance, you must apply for the insurance by filing an application.

Learn more here.

I received a notice that my Medicaid is ending. What can I do?

During COVID-19, you did not need to renew your Medicaid coverage every year. Now, that rule has changed, and you must fill out and send in your Medicaid renewal forms on time to avoid losing Medicaid coverage and services. If you do not return your Medicaid renewal, you will receive a letter telling you that your Medicaid coverage will end or “discontinue.” Any home care services you are getting will also end.For more information and tips on what to do if you receive a notice that your Medicaid is ending because you didn’t complete & return your Medicaid renewal, click the link below.

Learn more here.

How can I obtain supplemental security income (SSI), social security disability (SSD) benefits?

SSI stands for “Supplemental Security Income.” You can get SSI if you are disabled,

blind, or age 65 and older. You must be low-income and have limited resources. Blind and children with disabilities can receive SSI, too. 

SSD stands for “Social Security Disability.” It’s also referred to as SSDI, or “Social Security Disability Insurance.” SSD pays benefits to people with disabilities who have worked long enough and recently enough, and who have paid Social Security taxes. 

In order to receive SSI and SSD benefits, you must have a medical condition that keeps you from working and you must either be a United States citizen, a Legal Permanent Resident, commonly known as a green card holder, or have Qualified Alien status. You must also fall within the programs resource limits.

Learn more here.

How do I file for unemployment insurance benefits?

People can file for unemployment insurance either online or by telephone through the NYS Department of Labor.  Visit https://www.labor.ny.gov/ to file online and click on the step-by-step process to file a claim. To file by phone, call 1-888-209-8124. Telephone hours are Monday – Friday from 8 am to 7:30 pm. 

To qualify for unemployment insurance benefits, you must have worked and earned enough wages in covered employment. In New York State, employers pay contributions that fund Unemployment Insurance. By law, the unemployment insurance program provides benefits to people who have enough employment to establish a claim, have lost employment through no fault of their own, are ready, willing, and able to work and are actively seeking work.

Learn more here.

Can I force my employer to pay my pension benefits?

LSNYC’s Mid-Atlantic Pension Counseling Project (MAPCP) provides information, advice, and representation to workers and their family members about their pension benefits. We help workers and retirees:

• obtain information about their pension plan;
• determine whether you are entitled to benefits;
• ensure that you receive the correct amount;
• assist callers with questions and problems concerning all types of retirement income plans offered by private and government employers;
• advocate for workers and their families whose benefits have been miscalculated or unfairly denied.

MAPCP is generously funded by the U.S. Administration on Aging, and has different eligibility guidelines from other LSNYC projects: we can assist callers regardless of income if the caller, their spouse, employer, or pension plan is located in New York or New Jersey.

When plan advocacy is not successful, funding from other sources enables us to represent low-income New Yorkers whose benefit problems can only be redressed by enforcing their pension rights in court. MAPCP is part of Brooklyn Legal Services’ Workers’ Rights and Benefits Unit.

Am I eligible for SNAP?

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as “food stamps”) provides food assistance to New Yorkers. The program helps families and individuals help cover the cost of their diet with nutritious foods. Payments are made one time a month and issued on an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card that can be used to purchase groceries. SNAP amounts and eligibility depend upon resources, family size, income and immigration status. You can apply for SNAP via the Human Resources Administration (HRA), the department that is in charge of SNAP in NYC.

Learn more here.

I’m struggling to pay my rent, are there any benefits that can help?

If you recently lost your income or are facing financial difficulties, you may find it challenging to keep up with your rent payments. Falling behind can make it even harder to catch up. However, you are not alone, as there are various assistance programs available in New York that can help you get back on track, including Public Assistance and Shelter Payments, FHEPS, CityFHEPS, One Shot Deals, and various charities.

Learn more here.

How do I apply for a one-shot deal?

If you are at risk of eviction for nonpayment of rental arrears, you may be eligible for a One-Shot Deal: a one-time payment that can help a tenant pay rental arrears. A One-Shot Deal is a one-time payment issued by the Human Resources Administration (HRA), and sent directly to your landlord. In some cases, a part or all of the One-Shot Deal has to be repaid to HRA.

Learn more about how to apply here.

I am not a U.S. citizen. Can I get public assistance benefits or help?

Many immigrants or noncitizens are eligible for public benefits like cash assistance, SNAP, and Medicaid. Many people are eligible for cash assistance benefits and Medicaid if you only have an application that is pending before USCIS and have a receipt notice. For example, people who have filed an asylum application (USCIS Form I-589), a VAWA Self-Petition (USCIS Form I-360), or temporary protected status application (USCIS Form I-821) and have a receipt notice from USCIS would be immigration-eligible for cash assistance and Medicaid in New York.

Learn more here.

Will I be deported if I receive public assistance benefits?

It’s very unlikely that receipt of benefits will cause you to be deported. You should call LSNYC’s Access Line at 917-661-4500 to speak with an advocate about your specific circumstances. Briefly, any benefits that your U.S. citizen household members receive – even if they pass through you because they’re minor children and you’re the parent – would not cause you to be deported. Also, the only benefits that could even possibly trigger the deportation rules are ongoing cash public assistance, SSI, and institutionalization at government expense. Any other benefits (e.g., SNAP, WIC, Section 8, one-shot deals, regular Medicaid for doctor’s appointments) should not be part of any consideration in determining whether someone faces removal from the U.S.

Learn more here.

I am living with a disability, how do I get help applying for benefits? 

If you are living with a disability that affects how, when, or whether to apply for benefits, then you should request something called a “reasonable accommodation” from HRA (HRA Form 102-c). A reasonable accommodation in this context is requiring HRA to change how to help you so that you have the same access to benefits as everyone. You will need to provide medical documentation that supports the accommodations you’re requesting. Examples of accommodations include that you need HRA to come to your house (“home visit needed”) to complete the application or that you need large print notices.

Learn more here.