![]() ![]() The City’s pattern of noncompliance is systemic and severe. Instead, they must go without benefits and miss meals until HRA gets around to processing their cases.” “These households receive no substitute benefits or food during this time. “It is unacceptable that thousands of families who are eligible to receive life-sustaining benefits are forced to suffer and go hungry while they wait for HRA to process their cases and issue the benefits they are entitled to,” said Kathleen Kelleher, staff attorney in the Civil Law Reform Unit at The Legal Aid Society. The lawsuit seeks to direct DSS and HRA to comply with their legal obligation to meet all processing timelines required by law regarding SNAP and cash assistance applications and recertifications and to maintain reliable and functional application and recertification application processes, such as eligibility interviews and verification procedures. Under the Food and Nutrition Act and New York Social Services Law, DSS and HRA are legally mandated to ensure that all eligible households in New York City receive SNAP and cash assistance benefits to which they are entitled. These delays cause thousands of families to face food instability, as they are forced to make impossible decisions like whether to pay their rent or feed their children. (NEW YORK, NY) – The Legal Aid Society, New York Legal Assistance Group, and Dechert LLP, filed a class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against the New York City Department of Social Services (DSS) and Human Resources Administration (HRA) for failing to process applications and recertification for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and cash assistance - both essential forms of federal and state benefits for low-income people used for the purchase of food and other basic needs - within the 30-day timeframe required by federal and state law. Nadia Khasawneh, New York Legal Assistance Group | Lopez, The Legal Aid Society | 91 Partnering with NYC Communities to Expand Legal Access.Securing Access to Health Care & Essential Benefits. ![]() Supporting Survivors of Violence & Discrimination.Standing Up for the Rights of Immigrants. ![]()
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