Support > Benefits and Entitlements

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

On August 22, 1996, President Clinton signed into law "The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996," a welfare reform plan that changed the nation's welfare system into one that requires work in exchange for time-limited assistance. The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program replaces the former Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS) programs, ending the federal entitlement to assistance.

In late 2001, the New York State government and a large diverse group of human service organizations developed joint recommendations on the reauthorization of the TANF and related programs. If your computer has an Acrobat reader, you may view these recommendations at http://www.statepolicy.org/media/documents/tanf_reauthorization.pdf.

Is It For Me?

Under federal TANF guidelines, you can receive Family Assistance (FA) which is temporary cash assistance to eligible needy families. In order to be eligible for Family Assistance in Westchester County, you need to be part of a household that contains one or more of the following persons:

• A minor child living with a parent or parents
• A pregnant woman
• A relative who is not a parent but is taking care of a minor child

Additionally you must meet all of the following criteria. You:

• Are a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen with an approved status. (To determine whether you or a family member is an eligible non-citizen, please call your local Department of Social Service (DSS) office whose phone number and address are listed below.) For general questions regarding alien eligibility, go to http://www.westchestergov.com/social/OTFS/alien.htm.
• Are a resident of New York State.
• Meet income and assets poverty guidelines. Income limits change on a yearly basis and are very complex.

To determine whether you fall under those income guidelines, please contact your local DSS service center whose address and phone number are shown below.

Mount Vernon Center
100 East First Street
Mount Vernon, NY 10550-3442
914-813-6000

Peekskill Center
750 Washington Street
Peekskill, NY 10566-5499
914-862-5000

White Plains Center
85 Court Street
White Plains, NY 10601-4201
914-995-5840

Yonkers Center
137 Alexander Street
Yonkers, NY 10701-2539
914-231-2000

If you or a household member has a psychiatric condition and feel that this may interfere with your ability to work, you may want to apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability (SSD). Please click here for additional information about SSI or here for additional information about SSD.

If you do not fit the criteria for Family Assistance, there are other benefits that you may be able to receive under the New York State Welfare Reform Act of 1997.

Safety Net Assistance (SN)
The Safety Net (SN) assistance program replaces the former Home Relief program. Safety Net provides help to you or to you and your family if you are not eligible for Family Assistance but still meet poverty guidelines. Safety Net Assistance is for:

• Single adults
• Childless couples
• Children living apart from any adult relative
• Families of persons abusing drugs or alcohol
• Families of persons refusing drug/alcohol screening, assessment or treatment
• Persons who have exceeded the 60-month limit on assistance
• Aliens who are eligible for public assistance but who are not eligible for federal reimbursement

Individuals can receive Safety Net assistance in cash for a maximum of two years in a lifetime. After that, if eligibility continues, it will be provided in non-cash form. Income qualifications and limits are complex, so please consult your local DSS service center whose address and phone number are shown above. For general questions regarding Safety Net Assistance, please visit http://www.westchestergov.com/social/otfs/safety.htm.

Emergency Assistance to Families (EAF)
This benefit helps you or a family member deal with a crisis and emergency situation that is beyond you or your family member’s control. Such needs could include cash assistance with evictions, homelessness, fuel for heating, utility disconnects, or a family violence situation.

To be eligible for EAF, either as part of your ongoing public assistance or for one-time assistance, your household has to meet one of these criteria:

• Your family must have a child under age 18, or a child under age 19 who attends secondary school regularly.
• Your child for whom EAF is provided must be living with an eligible relative currently or within the past 12 months.
• If you or a family member has been medically verified as pregnant, but you have no other children, you may receive EAF if your family is otherwise eligible for public assistance.

Please call your local DSS office at the phone numbers above to find out more about EAF.

Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP)
HEAP is a federally-funded program administered by the Westchester County Department of Social Services that assists eligible, low-income, elderly and disabled persons with their home heating costs. The program can provide you with cash grants to help pay your heating bills or to provide funds for residential weatherization and other energy-related home repairs.

HEAP assistance is available if you rent or own your own home. If you live in any subsidized housing, in order to be eligible for HEAP, you must pay for your own heat. The level of assistance depends on your household income, the rent you pay and your source of heat. If you pay a utility bill, the HEAP payment is sent directly to the utility company.

You can also receive one-time emergency HEAP benefits. They are provided for eligible applicants when these criteria are met:

• An emergency must be heat-related, and utility service must be disconnected currently or scheduled for disconnection, or the household is without heating fuel, or the household has a heating fuel supply that will last less than seven days of requesting assistance and/or heating equipment needs repair.
• If an applicant heats by oil and the oil is due to be disconnected and the electricity is needed to run the heating equipment, this is called "heat related" and the applicant would be entitled to an emergency benefit.
• Benefits are targeted to households containing members who are elderly, disabled or children under eight years of age.

If you are on TANF Assistance and Food Stamps, you can apply for HEAP at your local Westchester County DSS Service Center whose address and phone number are shown above. For general questions regarding HEAP, you can call 914-995-5619.

If you are over the age of 60, permanently disabled or receiving SSI, you can apply for HEAP Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM at the Westchester County Department of Senior Programs and Services http://www.co.westchester.ny.us/aging/ located at:

9 South First Avenue, 10th floor
Mount Vernon, NY 10550-3414
914-813-6300

If you don’t fit in to any of the above categories, you can apply for HEAP at one of the local Westchester Community Opportunity Program (WestCop) offices, or contact them for information at 914-592-5600.

Food Stamps You may also be eligible for food stamps. For further information on food stamps, click here.

What Is the Benefit?

You may receive temporary cash or non-cash assistance or have payments made directly to your utility company.

When Do The Benefits Apply?

Under Family Assistance, you can only receive benefits for a total of sixty months in your lifetime, including TANF assistance from other states where you have lived. Each month you receive TANF benefits is included in the lifetime count of sixty. Once that limit is reached, your household is no longer eligible to receive Family Assistance benefits.

Periodically during the time you are receiving Family Assistance benefits you will be required to prove you are still eligible.

How Do I Apply For the Benefit?

You can apply for any of the benefits described above at your local DSS service center. You will be given an appointment date for an interview, and you will be asked to provide documentation to verify the information in the application. Here are some of the items you may need to bring with you to the interview:

• Identification that shows you and/or your family’s names and address
• Proof of earnings such as pay stubs or other income, such as Social Security or SSI benefits, or a pension, for each member of your household
• Proof of how much you spend for childcare
• Rent receipts or proof of your mortgage payments
• Records of your utility costs
• Proof of citizenship or approved immigration status
• Social Security numbers of everyone in your household
• Bank statements

A decision on your application must be made within 30 days unless you are in an emergency and have no place to live or food to eat. When you have been declared by DSS to be in an emergency, you can have an immediate appointment to have your needs evaluated and addressed.

You will receive a letter letting you know if your application has been accepted or denied and what your benefit amount will be. If you are denied benefits, you have a right to appeal the decision through a Fair Hearing. A Fair Hearing is an administrative law procedure in which you exercise the right to challenge a determination made by the Westchester County Department of Social Services (DSS). Based upon New York State (and Federal regulations), the Fair Hearing provides you with the opportunity to respond to DSS evidence and arguments, and to present your own evidence and arguments before an impartial Administrative Law Judge.

You may request a Fair Hearing by writing or speaking to the New York State Department of Social Services:

Fair Hearings Unit
PO Box 1930
Albany, NY 12201
Phone: 800-342-3334
Fax: 518-473-6735
http://www.otda.state.ny.us

Is There Any Cost To Me?

There is no cost to you, though you will be mandated to work or to be involved in a work-training program.

Who Provides The Benefit?

These benefits and programs are administered by Westchester County Department of Social Services.

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