Welfare in New York


Food Stamps
Under the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as the Food Stamp program, low income individuals and families are provided financial assistance for purchasing food. This may also include Emergency Food Assistance and Expedited Benefits.

Temporary Assistance / Cash Assistance

The Welfare Reform Act of 1997 created two programs, Family Assistance and Safety Net Assistance, to be state-directed and county-administered implementations of the constitutional mandate to aid, care and support the needy.

Family Assistance (FA)

In the Family Assistance program, the state implementation of the federal Temporary Aid to Needy Families Program, eligible families may receive up to 60 months of cash assistance.

Safety Net Assistance (SNA)

Under the Safety Net Assistance program, single individuals without children, and families who have already received cash assistance for 60 months, may receive benefits. An individual or family may receive SNA for up to 24 months unless exempt from work requirements or HIV-positive, after which the local government directly pays rent and utilities with a small cash allowance.

Medicaid / Child Health Plus

is the state health insurance marketplace and also determines eligibility for Medicaid and Child Health Plus.

Women, Infants, Children (WIC)

Child nutrition programs

The federal Food and Nutrition Service has several programs, administered by state agencies, that help fight hunger and obesity by reimbursing organizations such as schools, child care centers, and after-school programs for providing healthy meals to children: