November 30, 2020


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 now be found on our DSS COVID-19 Community Updates page.

Grab and Go Meals

Despite the temporary closing of in-person school, the grab-and-go meal locations in schools will remain open. All of the over 1,100 Department of Education schools that have been open for children learning in person or remotely will continue to distribute meals from 9AM - 12PM daily.

All of the over 260 Department of Education schools that have been community hubs distributing meals for the general public, including those serving kosher and expanded halal options, will continue to distribute meals from 3PM - 5PM daily.

During the holidays when schools are not in session, there will be grab-and-go meal service available on the following dates from 12pm to 3pm:
 
  • December 24th (Christmas Eve) 
  • December 28th-31st (Including New Year’s Eve)

There will be no meal service available on the following dates: December 25th (Christmas Day) and January 1st (New Year’s Day).

For more information please visit www.schools.nyc.gov/freemeals.

COVID 19 Testing Sites

Free testing continues to be available throughout the five boroughs. 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. These are no cost testing sites open to all New Yorkers.

Burial Claims

In response to questions received on our weekly call, we are sharing details regarding applying for burial expenses. The HRA Office of Burial Services (OBS) assists individuals in need of financial assistance to meet funeral expenses for deceased low-income New York City residents. The burial allowance is available to low-income decedents who do not have resources or assets available to pay for their funeral. Proof of low-income status may include, receipt of social services benefits or public assistance from HRA such as Cash Assistance, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, or social security benefits including supplemental security income (SSI). The HRA OBS can pay up to a maximum amount of $1,700 under the current emergency rule towards the cost of a funeral bill for a decedent's final disposition (which includes burial, cremation or burying of cremation ashes) to the decedent's relative, friend, Organizational Friend or authorized representative.

In the event, the funeral bill exceeds the current $3,400 cap under the emergency rule, the cost of the burial plot, grave opening or cremation will be deducted from the total bill and where the remaining bill amount is less than the above $3,400 cap a burial allowance will be approved. The applicant who is responsible for the funeral arrangements or their representative must file an application with the Office of Burial Services within one hundred-twenty (120) days under the emergency rule, from the date of the decedent's death. To determine eligibility, an application must be submitted and OBS will assess the individual circumstances of each case. OBS will accept a photo or scanned image of a document via email and we may require a hard copy if the image or photo is not legible. OBS requires the following documentation:

  • A Burial Allowance Application Form M-860W completed and signed by the applicant or authorized representative. See application for details.

  • One original certified copy of the Death Certificate (it will be returned to the applicant).

  • A copy of the Funeral Contract also known as the Statement of Goods and Services Selected. The contract must be signed by the Funeral Director and by the person who made the funeral arrangements.

  • A copy of the cemetery or crematory bill, itemizing all charges.

  • The original itemized funeral bill signed by the Funeral Director and notarized in the presence of a Notary Public or Commissioner of Deeds. The funeral bill must be stamped "Paid-in-Full" if the charges have been paid and the applicant is seeking reimbursement.

OBS may request additional documents to determine eligibility based upon the facts and circumstances of each case.

Note: During the pandemic an electronic signature can be used by a person in lieu of a signature affixed by hand in executing documents and forms authorizing or accepting funeral services. NYS Governor's Executive Order 202.11 March 27, 2020.

Pandemic EBT Benefits (P-EBT) – September 2020 - 2021

With schools temporarily closed again, as we have reported previously, the continuing appropriations bill passed by Congress in September funds the continuation of Pandemic EBT benefits (P-EBT) for the 2020-21 school year. The State OTDA, which administers this program, is waiting for federal guidance on distribution of these benefits.

Benefits will be provided for days when students are not physically in the school building, whether on a hybrid schedule or engaged in fully remote learning, even if students are receiving grab-and-go meals.

The bill extends Pandemic-EBT benefits through September 2021, and also expands the program to include younger children who might have received meals at daycare programs that are closed or operating on reduced hours. For more information, please see informational flyers on P-EBT at nyc.gov/getfood in 13 languages.

HEAP

As a reminder, applications for HEAP can be accessed by calling 212-331-3126 or visiting the ACCESS HRA website for instructions here. HEAP applications are available for download here. Please note, the HEAP application cannot be submitted through ACCESS HRA at this time. All HEAP applications need to be completed, signed by the applicant or their authorized representative and returned by mail or dropped off at a designated HEAP assistance location (HEAP assistance locations can be found on our COVID 19 Community Updates page). There is no need to come in to a Center. The completed application can be mailed back to HRA at:

NYC DSS/HRA/HEAP
PO Box 1401
Church Street Station
New York, NY 10008

Information can be found here.


The Pharmacy to Farm Prescriptions program provides New Yorkers who receive SNAP benefits, and who also have high blood pressure, with $30 in Health Bucks each month.

Patients filling a prescription for high blood pressure medication at select pharmacies can receive a fruit and vegetable “prescription” that can be exchanged at a nearby farmers market for Health Bucks. 

Health Bucks are $2 coupons that can be used to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at all NYC farmers markets. 

For more information or questions about the program, please email farmersmarkets@health.nyc.gov.

Please find a list of participating pharmacies online.

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 the 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, please click on the links below:
 

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