About Erie County Social Services
Social Services are New York State, Erie County and local government agencies responsible for providing a wide range of health and human services and programs in Erie County, NY. The range and types of programs may vary significantly from one jurisdiction to the next, but Social Services in Erie County tends to emphasize safety net programs, the provision of basic necessities, and the protection of children, elderly, and dependent or vulnerable adults.
You may contact Social Services for questions about:
- Erie County Social Services programs
- Government benefits and welfare
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
- Food stamps and EBT cards
- Erie County Medicare and Medicaid
Pivot: The Wage Subsidy Program
PIVOT, or Placing Individuals in Vital Opportunity Training, is a wage subsidy program developed to meet the hiring needs of local employers by paying the wages of PIVOT participants for a six-month training period. Once the six months are up, participants become permanent employees with the companies and are provided with ongoing support by PIVOT.
Who Does Social Services Help
Men, women, and children in a variety of circumstances are eligible to receive assistance from the Erie County Department of Social Services. Many programs within Social Services seek to assist those in need, whether they need help finding a job, assistance with domestic violence, are unable to afford groceries, or even need help with affording to heat their home.
If youâre in need, the Erie County Department of Social Services will try to help.
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Ec Department Of Social Services Announces Medicaid Transition
Modified: March 2, 2018 11:26am
Latest News
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Medicaid recipients in Erie County will shortly begin to receive notices regarding a new way to renew their Medicaid coverage. These notices will come from the New York State of Health, and will inform recipients that You and/or members of your household need to renew your coverage through NY State of Health.
The letters describe what steps the recipient needs to take to continue to have health coverage. Failure to act will result in the loss of health insurance after Medicaid ends. Should recipients have questions about the information in the letter, they may contact 1-855-355-5777. Letters from the New York State of Health will go out monthly between March 2018 and February 2019.
Please direct questions to Brian Bray, Special Assistant to the Commissioner, ECDSS at 858-8924 or via email at .
Applying For Food Stamps With Snap
SNAP, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, helps low-income workers, disabled persons, senior citizens, and others in need to feed their families by issuing an Electronic Benefit Transfer card for food purchases.
Eligibility and benefits are dependent on various factors, such as income and household size. Foods such as produce, bread, meats, and dairy products can all be purchased through SNAP. Ineligible items include alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, hot foods, and non-food products such as household supplies and vitamins.
Eat Smart New York
An exciting benefit of the SNAP program is that all qualifying individuals receive free and unlimited access to Eat Smart New York, an educational program that seeks to teach about meal planning, food safety, healthy cooking, and more.
Through ESNY, educators meet with participants either in group settings or one-on-one. Classes can be taught at individual households, food pantries, senior centers, and other communal settings, based on the needs of the participants.
Can I Get Expedited Benefits?
In exigent circumstances, households can be deemed eligible for expedited benefits. In these cases, they receive expedited SNAP benefits within 5 calendar days from the date of application submission.
This means that a representative may contact you to verify your information and if you donât follow through, you will no longer continue to receive SNAP benefits.
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Consumer Directed Personal Attendant Program :
If a client qualifies for CASA services, they may also be eligible for assistance through the Consumer Directed Personal Attendant Program, a unique program which allows clients to recruit, hire and supervise their own aides. Consumer directed attendants may also perform skilled nursing tasks under the consumer’s direction.
For more information about CASA services, please call:
Access and Coordination Team Monday – Friday
Legal And Protective Services
The Department of Social Services provides a wide variety of legal and protective services to help protect adults and children in a multitude of situations.
â Child support enforcement
â Fraud reporting
â Legal advocacy for the disabled
â Fair hearing requests
â Consumer protection complaints
â Child protective services
â Adult protective services
â Domestic violence services
â Foster care and adoption services
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Medicare Premium Savings Program
The Medicare Premium Savings Program is available under Medicaid, and administered by the Erie County Department of Social Services. The Savings Program helps low-income Medicare beneficiaries pay for some of their Medicare out-of-pocket expenses. Included in the program:
- Qualified Medicare Beneficiary Program
- Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary Program
- Qualified Individual 1 Program
How To Apply For Medicaid Long Term Care Eligibility:
The application process begins by calling 858-1901 to request an Access NY application. The date that a completed application is received by this agency is considered to be the application date.
When completing and returning the Access NY application for Long Term Care, please be sure to complete the Access NY Supplement A form and a notarized authorization to represent. Also include your choice of how we should contact you. Be sure to sign the application AND Supplement A.
Upon receipt of the completed Access NY application by our agency, the application will be assigned to an examiner who will contact you to discuss the application or arrange a face to face appointment. Face to face meetings are scheduled within two weeks of the agencys receipt of your application. Meetings are scheduled between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. at the Rath Building, 158 Pearl Street, Buffalo, NY 14202.
In addition to verification of gross monthly income and outstanding medical bills, the representative must supply the last 60 months of financial records. This may include all pages of bank statements and statements from brokerage houses. You will need to provide photocopies for us to retain in our records. We require documentation of the source of all deposits and withdrawals of $2,000 or more.
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Home Energy Assistance Program
The mission of HEAP, a federally-funded program, is to assist low-income families with their heating assistance. This may involve any one of the following heating methods:
â Electricity
â Oil
â Corn
â Propane
â Natural gas
â Wood
â Kerosene
If you require proper heating in your home and are unable to afford it on your own, HEAP may be able to help. To apply for HEAP, you must be income-eligible, have identification for all household members, and be able to supply proof of residency and vendor relationship with a heating company.
In addition to assisting with heat services, HEAP can also help provide cooling assistance during the summer months to eligible households. If eligible, HEAP will provide the purchase and installation of either a fan or an air conditioner to cool your home.
Providing Young Adults With Summer Jobs
In partnership with local agencies, the SYEP connects young adults aged 14-20 with employers to provide an influential summer working experience. Participants are placed in entry-level positions in industries such as hospitality, food service, retail, and manufacturing.
In addition to job placement, SYEP offers educational and skills training, along with workshops on job preparedness and financial literacy.
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Who Is Exempt Or Excluded From Managed Care
Exempt :
- Native Americans.
Excluded :
- Individuals who are dually eligible .
- Foster children in the placement of a voluntary agency.
- Individuals covered under other insurance .
- Permanent residents of residential health care facilities.
Above examples represent the most common exempted/excluded categories of individuals.
Erie County Social Services Department Reminds Residents Of Remote Service Options
BUFFALO, N.Y. The Erie County Department of Social Services wants to remind residents that help can be offered remotely while reducing the risk of COVID-19.
In a new campaign, We can help you from home,” the department will use social media to educate residents about the different ways in which Erie County residents can access social services from the safety of their homes.
The programs and services provided by our Department are vital to the residents of Erie County, said Social Services Commissioner Marie Cannon in a release. It is essential for us to inform the public about the many ways they can access our services without having to travel to our offices during this pandemic.
Officials says that in-person visits to county social service offices are now only necessary in very limited circumstances, such as homelessness and immediate lack of food.
The county also wants to provide residents with additional resources and information to social services provided by the county and state:
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What Is Medicaid Managed Care
Medicaid Managed Care provides Medicaid-eligible individuals access to health care through Medicaid Managed Care Plans. These plans provide the majority of Medicaid services such as primary, specialty, ancillary and inpatient services. Medicaid services such as pharmacy and dental will continue to be provided through the traditional Medicaid system.
Department Of Social Services
We are responsible for addressing the social service needs of the poor and the near poor, as well as those who are unable to care for and protect themselves.
It is our mission to improve the quality of life in Albany County by helping people to help themselves and to help those incapable of acting on their own behalf.
We do this by offering a broad range of protective, preventative, social and financial services.
Non-emergency application for SNAP/HEAP
- Non-emergency applications for SNAP/HEAP can be made online at myBenefits.ny.gov and Temporary Assistance
- New applicants or individuals who are recertifying for benefits can fax, mail in their completed applications and documentation or email their completed applications and documents. Also, you can hand your packet to a security guard at the front of our building and they will place it in a drop box inside our building for you. Individuals must include a working phone number on all of the paperwork submitted. We will call to conduct a phone interview and review documentation.
- Individuals currently receiving benefits can contact their workers rather than coming in to our building for any questions or concerns they have. You can also submit your documentation for your application or renewal using the NYDocSubmit mobile app.
- You can also check your EBT balances online through myBenefits.ny.gov
MailingAddress:AlbanyCounty Department of Social Services162Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12210
In-person visits are required for:
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