April 5, 2021
Dear Community Partner:
Thank you for your ongoing partnership in our shared commitment to serve New Yorkers in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following our standing weekly call, we continue to share important updates as well as an ongoing synopsis of the information shared in prior communications which can be found on our DSS COVID-19 Community Updates page.
COVID-19 Vaccination Updates
Beginning on Tuesday, March 30 all New Yorkers age 30 and older are eligible for the vaccine. The State also announced that eligibility will be expanded to include all adult New Yorkers age 16 years and older beginning on April 6.
As a reminder, all DSS/DHS/HRA staff and all not-for-profit workers who provide public-facing services to New Yorkers in need are now eligible for the vaccine.
Immediate Appointments are available for New Yorkers age 75 and up. To ensure ease of access for our oldest New York City residents who may have challenges using the telephonic or online vaccine scheduler, the City now offers immediate appointments to New Yorkers aged 75 or older. In addition, one individual who is otherwise eligible for the vaccine may escort that 75+ New Yorker and also receive an immediate appointment. As of last week, these walk-in appointments were available for older adults 85+, but the age has been lowered to 75+. Individuals who are concerned about getting to one of the sites can call the NYC scheduling hotline at 1-877-829-4692 and request free transportation services to and from the site.
Sites that are open seven days a week, 24 hours a day:
- Bathgate Contract Postal Station: 4006 3rd Avenue, Bronx, NY 10457 (Moderna)
- Brooklyn Army Terminal: 140 58th St, Brooklyn, NY 11220 (Moderna)
- Citi Field: 36-2 126th St, Flushing, NY 11368 (Pfizer)
Sites that are open Thursdays – Sundays 9:30 am – 6pm:
- Bushwick Educational Campus, 400 Irving Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11237
- Beach Channel Educational Campus, 100-00 Beach Channel Drive , Queens, NY 11694
- South Bronx Educational Campus, 701 St Ann's Ave, Bronx, NY 10455
- Essex Crossing, 224B Broome St, Manhattan, NY 10002
- Bronx High School of Science, 75 West 205 St, NY Bronx, 10468
- Canarsie High School, 1600 Rockaway Parkway , Brooklyn, NY 11236
- Long Island City, 5-17 46th Rd , Queens, NY 11101
- Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex, 625 Father Capodanno Blvd, NY Staten Island, 10305
- City College, 1549 Amsterdam Ave, Manhattan, NY 10031
- West Bronx Gymnasium, 1527 Jesup Ave, Bronx, NY 10452
- City Point, 445 Albee Sq West, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Starting on April 7th, a new vaccine site will open at Fulton Community Center in Chelsea (119 9th Ave.) and will operate Tuesdays through Saturdays. The site is a partnership between Hudson Guild, Google, and Daybreak Health. NYCHA Fulton and Chelsea-Elliott Houses residents, especially seniors, will be prioritized. Starting Monday, April 12th, the site will expand eligibility to all New Yorkers 16+ and can be accessed through VaccineFinder.nyc.gov or 877-VAX-4NYC (877-829-4692).
Bodega associations will receive 1,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson to vaccinate bodega workers this month. Members can email United Bodegas of America (mamayor0307@yahoo.com) or the Yemeni American Merchants Association (info@yamausa.org) to register for an appointment. Once the 1,000 appointments are booked, bodega workers can click here to see how to register for an appointment at a City, State, pharmacy, or private site.
Vaccination Resources
Upcoming Webinar: Engaging Faith Leaders to Improve Vaccine Confidence
The Association of Immunization Managers is hosting an interfaith webinar on building vaccine confidence in faith communities on Wednesday, April 7 at 1 p.m. Through presentations and an interactive question and answer panel with religious leaders from Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities, public health practitioners will learn best practices for building partnerships with faith leaders. Register here.
Assistance for New Yorkers Who Test Positive for COVID
NYC Health & Hospitals' Test & Trace Corps is providing special services for New Yorkers who test positive and their close contacts:
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“Take Care” packages which include enough personal protective equipment for a household of three to quarantine for 10-14 days. Learn more here.
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A free hotel room for up to 14 days if quarantining at home is impossible. Click here to learn more or call (212) 268-4319 to book a room.
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Free dog walking and other pet drop-in services to ensure New Yorkers can remain safely separated in a hotel or at home. Learn more here.
Free COVID-19 Testing Sites
Free testing continues to be available throughout the five boroughs. As a reminder, getting tested is safe, confidential, and free. All New Yorkers should get tested, even those who do not have symptoms or are unsure if they were exposed to COVID-19. Getting frequent tests should be every New Yorker's goal. Don't stop at just one test. A schedule of mobile testing locations throughout the City as well as detailed information on locations and types of testing offered at regular testing sites (including rapid testing and antibody tests) can be found here. Locations of testing sites can also be accessed by texting “COVID TEST” to 855-48. These are no cost testing sites open to all New Yorkers.
The Test-and-Trace corps offers the COVID 19 Wait Times Dashboard, which displays estimated wait times for NYC Health + Hospitals COVID-19 testing locations. This wait time information is updated by site staff every two hours.
Employee Leave for Vaccines
As we reported last week, effective March 15, New York law grants public and private employees time off to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Under the new law, employees are granted up to four hours of excused leave per injection.
NY State of Health: Health Insurance Open Enrollment Period Extended
As we reported last week, the NY State of Health 2021 Open Enrollment Period for New Yorkers to enroll in private health insurance has been extended through December 31, 2021. New Yorkers can apply for coverage with the help of a health insurance assister or through NY State of Health, New York's official health plan marketplace. If a consumer applies directly through an insurer, they will not obtain tax credits to help pay for monthly premiums, and, if eligible, out of pocket expenses such as copayments, deductibles or coinsurance. Applicants for NY State of Health can apply online at nystateofhealth.ny.gov or by phone at 1-855-355-5777.
New Yorkers can enroll in Medicaid, Child Health Plus and the Essential Plan all year round.
For New Yorkers currently enrolled in Medicaid, Child Health Plus or the Essential Plan and have a coverage end date of March 31, 2021, their coverage will be extended for an additional 12-month period. Visit the NY State of Health website for further information.
Through the American Rescue Plan recently signed by President Biden, enhanced tax credits will become available to many New Yorkers through the NY State of Health. Beginning in April, enhanced tax credits will be available for low- and moderate-income consumers (income up to $51,040 for individuals and $104,800 for a family of four — 400% of 2020 FPL) to lower the cost of qualified health plans. In addition, in June, the NY State of Health will update its system so that higher income consumers (income above $51,040 for individuals and $104,800 for a family of four) can access the federal tax credits. Consumers at these income levels were not previously eligible for tax credits.
The New York State of Health has a list of updates and fact sheets in various languages accessible here.
American Rescue Plan Payments Impact on Eligibility
As we reported last week, payments received through the following Rescue Plan provisions are excluded from consideration for HEAP, SNAP, Cash Assistance benefits and now Medicaid (including receipt of payments retroactively as a lump sum):
- Federal Pandemic Unemployment Benefits (FPUC) and the mixed earner benefit.
- Regular unemployment (UIB), including the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) which are for those who are ineligible for regular UIB, are subject to consideration for benefits eligibility.
- Recovery Rebates for Individuals (the $1,400 stimulus payment).
- Child Tax Credit payments.
In accordance with the most recent enacted stimulus legislation, the most recent round of federal stimulus payments will not be intercepted by the child support program, unlike the initial federal stimulus payment, which was intercepted.
Claiming Recovery Rebates
We have created a flyer with this information which can be found here.
Federal Emergency Rental Assistance (ERAP) Outreach, Education and Application Assistance Request for Proposals (RFP)
As we announced last week, the City is seeking qualified vendors to organize, manage and oversee a broad consortium of community-based organizations to effectively and efficiently carry out the City’s federal ERAP Outreach, Education & Application Assistance plan. If you are interested in obtaining a copy of the Request for Proposals (RFP) for this solicitation, please visit to the Human Resources Administration’s website at: http://www.nyc.gov/hra/contracts. In order to download and submit a proposal, all interested vendors need to create a PASSPORT account, which is the City’s online procurement platform. To get started, please go here. We have confirmed reports of difficulty downloading the RFP using Google Chrome. For those encountering this problem, please use a different web browser.
The deadline to submit proposals has been extended to April 12, 2021 (originally April 2, 2021) Completed proposals should be emailed to ACCOContractPlanning@dss.nyc.gov. Proposals received after the proposal due date and time are late and may not be accepted by the Agency except as provided under the New York City Procurement Policy Board Rules.
Receipt of proposals will be acknowledged. However, acceptance of a proposal by the City does not imply that a contract will be awarded. The City of New York accepts no responsibility for any cost incurred in the preparation or submission of proposals.
Federal CDC Eviction Moratorium Extended Through June 30, 2021
The Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued an order that extends a moratorium on certain evictions through June 30, 2021. The CDC Order does not apply where state or local laws provide same or greater protections against eviction, as they do in New York State until at least May 1, 2021 for tenants who submit a Hardship Declaration. Tenants and occupants who have suffered financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic and were unable to pay some or all of their rent, or for whom moving from their home during the pandemic would pose a hardship can submit a Hardship Declaration and be protected from eviction until at least May 1, 2021.
Tenants and occupants who submit a completed Hardship Declaration to their landlord and/or the Housing Court cannot be evicted from a primary residence pursuant to a pending eviction case, and the landlord may not file a new case to evict until at least May 1, 2021, unless the tenant or occupant is causing a nuisance condition for other tenants or danger to the safety of others. Tenants and occupants can proactively complete a Hardship Declaration and return it to the landlord whether or not there is an eviction case pending against them.
Hardship Declaration forms are available to download in 20 languages on the New York State Courts website at http://nycourts.gov/EEFPA.
Tenants with questions about the CDC order, New York State eviction protections or the Hardship Declaration have access to free legal advice and other assistance during this time through HRA’s Office of Civil Justice. For more information on how to access free legal services for tenants in NYC, you may contact the Tenant Helpline by calling 311 and asking for the Tenant Helpline, or visit HRA’s Office of Civil Justice at www.nyc.gov/civiljustice.
The provision of this information about these efforts is for informational purposes only and does not represent an endorsement by the City of New York.
New York City Rent Subsidies for Landlords
Connecting DHS clients to permanent housing is a key priority for the agency, and we have maintained a strong focus on rehousing throughout the pandemic. We want to encourage landlords who may not have worked with the City in the past to rent units to families and individuals leaving the DHS shelter system. The majority of DHS clients exit with a rental subsidy such as CityFHEPS – in addition to rent, these subsidies come with a variety of other benefits to landlords and brokers, including an upfront landlord incentive payment and brokers’ fees. In this challenging economic climate, the City rent subsidies provide a tangible financial upside to landlords. Renting to DHS clients is a win for both those households who can exit shelter and the owners who receive upfront incentives and ongoing subsidized rent. We encourage you to share this flyer with landlords and brokers in your community to help us both connect households to permanent housing and support local property owners.
Recertification Extension Waiver – April – June 2021
As we previously reported, we have received approval for April, May, and June 2021 extensions for Cash Assistance and SNAP recertifications for clients who have not previously received an extension and have pushed forward those cases. There will be no negative actions taken for failing to return the SNAP periodic reports due between January 1 and June 30, 2021.
The State has now also granted our request allowing the same exception for the Cash Assistance six-month mailer, and there will be no negative actions taken for failing to return the Cash Assistance six-month mailer due between January 1 and June 30, 2021.
As a reminder, any client who receives a notification that they are required to recertify must do so. Beginning with December 2020 extensions, clients are receiving notices that their recertification was extended. These notices are also available in ACCESS HRA and in the Provider Portal.
SNAP Temporary Maximum Allotment Increase Extended
The federal government has approved an extension of the temporary 15% increase in the maximum SNAP allotment for their household size through September 2021. This was initially scheduled to expire in June 2021.
Waiver Extensions
We have now received confirmation from the State for the following waiver extensions for Cash Assistance and SNAP, through June 30, 2021:
- Telephone interview for CA (application and recertification)
- Telephonic screening for DV and substance use
- Domestic violence waivers
- Telephonic signature waiver
- Interview adjustments (SNAP only)
Utility Arrears Emergency Assistance
The NYS Legislature has extended the moratorium on the termination of utility services for nonpayment until December 31, 2021, or for a period of 180 days after the COVID-19 state of emergency is lifted, whichever is later, for New Yorkers who have experienced financial hardship due to COVID-19. The previous moratorium had been set to expire on March 31, 2021. The new legislation further extends these protections to certain small businesses with less than 25 employees, and additionally prevents the termination of cable television and broadband internet services. As a reminder, New Yorkers can apply for an emergency assistance grant (one shot deal) to help pay utility expenses owed.
Medicaid Renewals / Easements
Medicaid easements have been extended through June 2021. This includes the automatic 12-month extension for all Medicaid cases with an authorization that ends in May 2021, even if the client does not submit their renewal. Excess resources cases will be extended for 6 months.
State DOH is not sending notices to inform clients that their coverage has been extended.
One Shot Deal Repayment Appeals
In response to questions received on the most recent community call, although we had requested a waiver, to date, there have been no State easements regarding the repayment of One Shot Deals (OSD). The repayment of OSD's is mandated at 12 months for payments related to shelter, and 24 months for payments related to utilities.
Clients who believe they fall into a category in which they should not be required to repay their OSD — even if the determination is that they are required to pay - can request a fair hearing. Clients who received a OSD for an amount that differed from their requested amount are also entitled to a fair hearing. However, repayment schedules and amounts for OSD's are set by statute and cannot be addressed by a fair hearing.
HRA Open Centers
In response to questions received on this week’s call, while some HRA Job and SNAP Centers remain closed in order to ensure the health and safety of our clients and staff during the public health emergency, the Centers that are open are available to serve anyone who is not opting to be served through ACCESS HRA. Clients do not need to visit their home center. For an updated list of open centers, please refer to our website here. For public health reasons, we are continuing to encourage clients to use ACCESS HRA and avoid having to go to a Center.
FEMA COVID-19 Funeral Reimbursement
Under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, FEMA will provide financial assistance to individuals with COVID-related funeral expenses. Beginning on April 12, 2021, applications will be accepted through a dedicated COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Line at 844-684-6333 (TTY: 800-462-7585).
In order to be eligible for funeral assistance, the following conditions must be met:
- The death must have occurred in the United States, including U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.
- The death certificate must indicate the death was attributed to COVID-19.
- The applicant must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or meet the federal definition for “qualified alien.”
- The citizenship status of the deceased person is not taken into consideration.
Certain eligibility documents will be required, including an official death certification and documents related to funeral expenses.
IMPORTANT: FEMA has reported reports of scammers reaching out to people offering to register them for funeral assistance. FEMA will not contact anyone until they have called FEMA or have applied for assistance. If you receive an unsolicited telephone call or email, do not disclose information such as name, birth date, or social security number of any deceased family member or other individual. If you doubt that a person claiming to be a FEMA representative is legitimate, hang up and call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 or the National Center for Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 to report suspected fraud.
IRS and New York State Tax Deadline
The IRS and New York State have extended the deadline for filing of federal and state tax returns until May 17, 2021.
When and How to Opt-In to Blended Learning
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Beginning on Wednesday, March 24, parents can visit the Learning Preference Survey at nycenet.edu/surveys/learningpreference to select blended learning for their child.
- Families can also call 311.
- The deadline to change to blended learning is Wednesday, April 7.
The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission – Resources
TLC's Resource Center offers a range of free financial counseling and legal assistance for TLC Licensees and can connect them with government benefits and health and wellness resources.
TLC Drivers also have access to the Taxi Medallion Owner-Driver Relief Fund, the City’s first-ever relief fund for financially troubled taxi medallion owner-drivers, which offers debt relief to taxi medallion owner-drivers whose industry has been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $65 million Taxi Medallion Owner-Driver Relief Fund includes:
- 0% interest loans of up to $20,000 to use as a down payment to assist in restructuring medallion debt.
- Up to $9,000 in no-interest loans to make as many as six monthly loan payments of $1,500.
TLC Licensees in need of these services can call 311 or visit nyc.gov/taxi to make an appointment.
Application Period for 3-K and Pre-K
Applications for 3-K and Pre-K spots for the 2021-22 school year opened on Wednesday, February 24. All families with children born in 2017 can apply for pre-K until April 7. Families in every school district meeting the income requirements can apply for free or low-cost Pre-K and 3-K programs.
Applications for 3-K for All have been extended to May 28th. Programs in new school districts will be added to the applications as options for families in April and May. Families can visit nyc.gov/3k to sign up to receive email updates when new programs are added, and to learn how to create a MySchools account to explore and apply to programs.
Families can apply online — in ten languages — at MySchools.nyc or over the phone — in 200 languages — at 718-935-2009. Families seeking an open 3-K or pre-K seat for this current school year can call 718-935-2009 or email ES_Enrollment@schools.nyc.gov to learn about any available options in their community.
Summer Youth Employment
The Summer Youth Employment Program has re-opened for 2021 and is accepting applications for young people, ages 14 -19. The deadline to apply is April 23, 2021.
- Participants will be paid weekly at the New York State minimum wage of $15.00 an hour and may work up to 25 hours per week for six weeks in July and August.
- Jobs may be in-person, remote or a hybrid of both.
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To apply to the program, applicants can visit www.nyc.gov/dycd and follow the links to fill out the application online or download a paper copy. Paper applications can also be obtained from one of the community-based organizations or providers operating the program. A complete list of authorized SYEP providers can be found on the DYCD website (www.nyc.gov./dycd).
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Organizations interested in being a worksite and employing youth should fill out this form to sign up.
Community-wide Conference Call
We appreciate your continued participation in our weekly briefing calls and your ongoing work to help make sure that the critical information and details about changes we are making in response to the pandemic are being communicated to our clients. Your active engagement is appreciated, and your questions and suggestions help us better understand the needs of those we serve and respond accordingly.
If you were not able to join our weekly call (usually on Tuesdays), please find an audio recording here and use Covid-19 as the password. The information contained in this communication is a synopsis of what was shared.
Each week, we will provide all of the information included in each of our prior communications on our website on the COVID-19 Community Updates page. If you would like to reference a specific prior communication, links to each of the prior communications can be found on the community updates page.
As a reminder, we have a standing informational call on Tuesdays at 4:00PM. In the event that the date or time of the weekly call needs to change due to extenuating circumstances, a notification is sent out from DSSoutreach@dss.nyc.gov, in addition to an updated calendar invitation to those who have signed up to join the calls. To be added to this list, please reach out to DSSoutreach@dss.nyc.gov.
Please note that there are several hundred participants on these weekly calls, and as a result they may start a few minutes late to allow as many people to join as possible and hear all the information. In addition, the large number of participants does not allow us to have individual conversations efficiently, which is why we respond to individual inquiries through the chat box. If you have additional questions after the call, please reach out to DSSoutreach@dss.nyc.gov or the appropriate contact area listed on our COVID 19 Community Updates page.
CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) is available during these calls as an accommodation for individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Please contact oria@dss.nyc.gov at least four hours prior to the call to enable this service.
As always, thank you for your continued partnership in serving New Yorkers in need, particularly now when our clients need us more than ever. If you have any questions or concerns about the changes we have made and are continuing to develop to address the COVID pandemic, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Office of Advocacy and Outreach at DSSoutreach@dss.nyc.gov.
Sincerely,
Steven Banks
DSS Commissioner
New York City Department of Social Services
