New Consumer Website
Helps New Yorkers Find Least Expensive Prescription Drugs
February 1, 2008
Announced on February 13, 2008, a new state website now allows consumers to easily compare prescription drug prices for the 150 most commonly prescribed drugs at pharmacies in their neighborhoods in order to purchase needed drugs at the best possible price. Read More

New Advocates Guide Now Available
February 1, 2008
Newly posted on the Empire Justice Center website is a revised and updated edition of “An Advocate’s Guide to the Welfare Work Rules” Read More

Facts about the 2008 Stimulus Payments
February 1, 2008
Instructions for Low-Income Workers and Recipients of Social Security and Certain Veterans’ Benefits Read More

State Funding for Civil Legal Services
February 1, 2008
Ensuring that poor and low income individuals and families have access to justice and that the state of New York has a strong and well-funded system for delivering civil legal services is core to our mission. Toward that end, we have led the annual effort to secure, maintain and increase state funding for civil legal services programs across the state. Read More

USCIS to Expedite the Naturalization and Adjustment Applications of SSI Recipients
February 1, 2008
A settlement has been reached in the case of Schmul Kaplan, et al., v. Michael Chertoff, filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, which requires the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) to expedite the applications of refugees, asylees, and other humanitarian based immigrants for permanent residence or naturalization if the applicants are facing the cut-off of their Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits because they have come to the end of their period of SSI eligibility. Read More

Regulatory Roundup - February 2008
February 1, 2008
Regulatory Round Up reports on administrative rule making of interest to public benefits specialists. The rulemaking described below appeared in the New York State Register from December 26, 2007 to February 20, 2008. All references are to 18 NYCRR, unless otherwise indicated. Read More

The Community Reinvestment Act Continues to Meet the Credit Needs of Our Communities
February 1, 2008
In January, Empire Justice Center and the Greater Rochester Community Reinvestment Coalition hosted an all day forum celebrating 30 years of the federal Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). The forum, entitled “Happy Birthday CRA: Celebrating the Past, Planning for the Future,” featured panel presentations, discussions and a lunchtime keynote address by Diane E. Thompson, an attorney with 14 years experience representing low income homeowners. Read More

Special Education Victory in Greece, NY
February 1, 2008
The Greece Central School District, a suburban district outside of Rochester, NY, is the eighth largest district in the state, with enrollment of approximately 13,000 students, of whom 1,300 are classified as students with disabilities pursuant to federal law. Read More

NYS Implements Two Major Initiatives in January 2008 Improve Access to Food Stamps
February 1, 2008
January 2008 ushered in two big changes to the Food Stamp Program in New York State – changes which improve access to food stamp benefits and simplify program administration. The first change, which expands categorical eligibility, eliminates the resource test for almost all food stamp households. The second, the Working Families Initiative, is designed to make it easier for low-income working families to access the Food Stamp Program. Both components were announced last year by Governor Spitzer as part of his initiative to improve food stamp access for working families. Read More

The First Department Hands Elderly and Disabled Refugees a Welcome Victory
February 1, 2008
A better birthday surprise can hardly be imagined for an elderly refugee who fled anti-Semitism in Russia in the late 1990's and recently celebrated his 101st birthday than a ruling from the First Department that he and all other elderly and disabled, lawfully residing immigrants who are ineligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) solely because of their immigration status must be provided with public assistance by New York State at the SSI related standard of need set out in Social Services Law §209.2, rather than assistance at the significantly lower welfare standard. Read More

What’s New in Child Support
February 1, 2008
As a result of a number of developments at the federal level, there will be some significant changes forthcoming in the laws governing child support in New York State, particularly as applied to low income individuals who are or were receiving public assistance. For the most part, this is because 2008 is the year many of the child support provisions in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 become effective. Read More

TANF Final Rules as Required by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005
February 1, 2008
The regulations summarized in this article represent the culmination, at least for now, of a process that began with the dramatic welfare reform legislation of 1996 – the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act (PRWORA) – which was later modified by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA). Read More