News from New York State Office of Temporary & Disability Assistance

For more information contact: Michael Hayes or Anthony Farmer, 518-474-9516

Online Food Stamp Application Launched in Jefferson County

Interactive Tool Eases Access to Supports for Working Families

WATERTOWN, NY (06/05/2008; 1200)(readMedia)-- State and local officials today marked the official launch of an online application for Food Stamp benefits for Jefferson County residents, during an event at the North Country Children’s Clinic in Watertown.

Jefferson County is the first of 11 counties that will participate in a pilot program that will allow for Food Stamp applications to be filed online at locations other than a local Department of Social Services office.

Elizabeth Berlin, Executive Deputy Commissioner of the State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), noted Food Stamps and other vital benefits are too often not accessed by those eligible. The new online application process is in keeping with Governor Paterson’s commitment to increase the economic security of low-income working families, she said.

“Increasingly, New York families are struggling to make ends meet in the face of rising prices amid an economic slowdown. This effort will help working families connect with the vital supports they need, and deserve,” Berlin said. “By bringing the application process to locations such as the North Country Children’s Clinic, we are making it easier for working individuals and families to access nutritional supports that will go a long way toward increasing their economic security.”

In Jefferson County, three agencies – the Community Action Planning Council, Cornell Cooperative Extension and Jefferson County Office for the Aging – will help individuals complete applications and submit them through a secure website.

The Community Action Planning Council plans to be available to help county residents apply at locations throughout the community, such as the Children’s Clinic, frequently accessed by the public.

“For many of our low-income working families, taking a day off to apply for Food Stamps means a smaller paycheck at the end of the week,” said Laura Cerow, Commissioner of the Jefferson County Department of Social Services. “By bringing the application process to them and making it available at their convenience, they do not have to lose time away from their job or their family.”

The pilot project will begin next in Dutchess and Ulster counties, and later this summer and fall in Erie, Chautauqua, Oneida, Onondaga, Orange, Suffolk, Tompkins and Westchester.

At the conclusion of the pilot period, the facilitated online application will be expanded to all upstate counties. New York City is developing its own application system so online enrollment will be available statewide.

OTDA recently launched a new website, myBenefits.ny.gov, which allows people to determine their potential eligibility for programs such as Food Stamps, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and school lunch programs. Plans call for expanding the screening program to include other benefits over time, with the long-range goal of allowing New York residents to apply for a range of benefits from anywhere over the Internet.

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