Establishes a user-friendly benefits cliff calculator tool that allows users to understand how changes to gross income can affect eligibility for public assistance programs and long-term financial self-sufficiency and sustainability.
Extends the period given to certain applicants for public assistance benefits to request a fair hearing on a determination of their ability to participate in work activities from ten days to sixty days or within sixty days of receipt of a work activity assignment.
Relates to automated identification of OTDA assistance program participants; identifies entities to be defined as a "utility corporation"; requires utility corporations to administer secure transmission of participant data; requires utility corporations to conduct automated file matching with OTDA assistance program participant accounts; directs utility corporations to notify participants of automatic enrollment in utility corporation affordability program; makes related provisions.
Establishes an emergency heating energy assistance program benefit to provide emergency assistance to certain households where such household is threatened with shut-off or an energy emergency due to nonpayment.
Requires food distributors that accept SNAP benefits to establish a mechanism to apply available coupons or discounts to purchases made by eligible recipients of SNAP benefits without such recipient being required to provide a physical coupon.
Requires the office of temporary and disability assistance to make publicly available on its website information regarding waivers, rental supplement plans and shelter supplement plans.
Requires a local social services district to accept or deny an application for public assistance as soon as possible but no later than thirty days after the date of the application.
Exempts income earned by a head of household or any person in the household from certain job training or adult education programs from the determination of need for public assistance programs.
Relates to the creation of a self-sufficiency standard study regarding how much income is needed for a family of a given composition in a given geographic location to adequately meet its basic needs without public or private assistance.