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Public Benefits & Domestic Violence: Articles

2011 Domestic Violence Legislative Update :
Described below are the new domestic violence-specific laws, as well as the bills which successfully navigated both houses of the Legislature and are awaiting further action. This update is current through July 20, 2011. The Empire Justice website posts legislative updates throughout the summer as needed. Read More

New Resource to Assist Domestic Violence Victims with Unemployment Benefits System :
A new user-friendly resource has been developed to assist domestic violence victims navigate through the unemployment insurance benefits system. Read More

Fact Sheet on Public Benefits and Domestic Violence in New York State :
If one of the above facts applies to you, when you are notified that you are close to your sixtieth month on TANF/family assistance, you should speak with the domestic violence liaison about your impairment. The domestic violence liaison will only ask you for medical verification and then can give you a waiver from the welfare time limit requirement for at least four months. Read More

Senate Urged to Use Legal Services Assistance Fund to Provide Civil Legal Services to Victims of Domestic Violence 2004 :
The Legal Services Assistance Fund (the Fund) was created by the Legislature last year to “assist in the provision of and the reimbursement of expenses incurred by local government agencies and not for profit providers or their employees relating to providing criminal or civil legal services.” (§98-c of the State Finance Law) The Fund is supported by a portion of the fee paid for criminal history searches and is to be made available through a Memorandum of Understanding between the Governor, the Senate Majority Leader and the Speaker of the Assembly. Read More

Expansion of Eligibility for State Food Assistance Program Violence :
The Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) issued 02 ADM-4, directing those local social services districts that have implemented the State’s Food Assistance Program (FAP) to begin providing state food stamp benefits to certain immigrant victims of domestic violence. Read More

Advocacy Issues with the Family Violence Option :
Training on Family Violence Option. Different scenarios show you how to deal with specific areas of Family Domestic Violence. Read More

The Family Violence Option in New York :
2. The family violence option sets forth intake procedures for individuals to self-identify as domestic violence victims and mandates that all individuals who indicate that they are a victim of domestic violence be referred to a domestic violence liaison. Read More

Statistics on New York's Family Violence Option Reflect Poor Implementation :
The family violence option is a federal option that was implemented in New York State on April 1, 1998. As statistics demonstrate that 20- 30% of welfare recipients are current victims of domestic violence, the family violence option was intended to allow states to address the safety needs of domestic violence victims and their children within their state TANF plans. [1] The family violence option allows an individual to self identify as a domestic violence victim in order to waive certain program requirements under welfare reform that may make it more difficult for that individual to escape domestic violence. Read More