Dear Community Partners:
 
Thank you for ongoing partnership in our shared commitment to serve New Yorkers in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. 
 
Following our standing call on Tuesday, we wanted to share important recent developments.
 
State Waivers

As reported in our previous communications, we have eliminated all requirements for HRA in-person appointments for clients and we will not take any adverse case actions if HRA clients do not keep previously scheduled appointments or assignments. Additionally, clients who would otherwise be required to recertify their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)/Food Stamps or Cash Assistance (CA) cases do not need to do so at this time. When recertification resumes, the agency will notify clients and community partners on this process.

We have submitted requests to the State and federal governments to waive signature requirements for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program SNAP/Food Stamps and Cash Assistance (CA) to assist clients who need help from our staff or providers to apply through ACCESS HRA, and we will keep you informed as this moves forward.

Medicaid

In New York City, all active cases will be extended. No Medicaid case will be closed for failure to renew or failure to provide documentation. Any case that is closed for failure to renew or failure to provide documentation that had Medicaid coverage on or after March 18, 2020 will be re-opened with coverage restored to ensure no gap in coverage. Renewals will be extended for 12 months.

Former SSI recipients and any discontinued Temporary Assistance/Medicaid cases that require a separate Medicaid eligibility determination will have Medicaid coverage extended. No renewal is required to be sent at this time and no redeterminations are required at this time.

During the COVID-19 Emergency, New York City residents who are age 65 or over; living with a disability or blindness; in receipt of Medicare and are not a parent or caretaker relative of minor children; or are young adults under age 26 who were formerly in foster care are able to submit a Medicaid application via fax to 917-639-0732.

All other applicants not in the categories listed above may submit an application via the NY State of Health at www.nystateofhealth.ny.gov or by calling 1-855-355-5777.

Food Resources

New York City is taking steps to make sure every New Yorker has access to the food they need. For individuals who are in need of support with meals and food, here are some resources that we want to be sure you are aware of:

  • Any New Yorker can receive three free meals a day at one of more than 400 Meal Hubs across the city. Find out more information here.

  • The City has created the GetFoodNYC food delivery program to provide food for coronavirus (COVID-19)-vulnerable and food-insecure New Yorkers not currently served through existing food delivery programs. Find out more information here.

  • If you are interested in the location a food pantry, please visit the Food Help NYC pantry locator. We recommend calling to ensure the particular location is open. We’ve provided all of our emergency food providers with information about grab and go meals and how to implement social distancing at food pantries. 
 
Shelter

We remain committed to ensuring that all New Yorkers experiencing homelessness have access to safe and secure shelter placements. Together with our network of providers, DHS is working hard to protect shelter residents and our shelter staff during this time. We will continue to communicate regularly to share guidance on shelter cleaning, social distancing, and isolating of clients who are showing symptoms. We have also taken the following steps, with more to come:

  • Stood up more than 700 isolation beds in commercial hotels for individuals with symptoms of COVID-19

  • Prioritized transfer of DHS clients aged 70 and older to commercial hotels

  • Securing additional safe haven beds and drop-in centers

  • Streamlined the process for families applying for shelter by eliminating in-person appointments and conducting interviews by phone
 
Community-wide Conference Call

If you were not able to join Tuesday’s call, please find an audio recording here and use  Covid-19  as the password.
 
For a copy of our previous communications, click on the following links:

As a reminder, we now have a standing informational call on Tuesdays at 4:00PM . Details about this call will be sent under separate cover.

As always, thank you for your continued partnership in serving New Yorkers in need, particularly now when our clients need us more than ever.

Contact for Electeds
If you have any questions or concerns about the changes we have made during this crisis, please do not hesitate to reach out to Deputy Commissioner of Intergovernmental and Legislative Affairs Erin Drinkwater, drinkwatere@dss.nyc.gov . 

Contact for CBOs
If you have any questions or concerns about these changes, 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
In case you missed it:

Announcement on Small Business Administration SBA Paycheck Protection Program
 
Please be aware of the following announcement from the Small Business Administration (SBA):

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MAY GIVE YOU UP TO $10 MILLION TO KEEP YOUR BUSINESS OR NONPROFIT GOING. New program with $350 billion available on first-come, first-served basis. Act now.

This is a new U.S Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program, with two-year loans at 0.5% interest that you may not have to pay back. If you are a business or a nonprofit with 500 or fewer employees, you may be eligible. In order to take advantage of this opportunity, ask your business’s bank if they offer the federal SBA Paycheck Protection Program. If your bank offers the program, they will walk you through the application process. If your bank does not offer the program visit this link with a list of traditional SBA banks. For more information or advice, visit the federal government’s information page on the program, here .