Relates to the unearned income of a child when the parent or non-parent caregiver chooses to exclude such child from the public assistance household.
Summary
A00691 amends New York’s social services law to change how public assistance households are treated when a parent or non-parent caregiver chooses to exclude a child from the assistance unit. Under current law, certain children living in the same dwelling unit can affect eligibility and grant calculations through household composition rules. This bill adds a new income-disregard rule so that any unearned income of a child who is excluded from the public assistance household would not be counted in determining the household’s assistance.
The bill also revises the household-inclusion provisions in section 131-c. It clarifies that when a minor applies for public assistance, the district must generally include the minor’s parents in the household if they live together, but it removes the prior reference to automatically including minor siblings. At the same time, it expressly allows a parent or non-parent caregiver to exclude other children in the home from the public assistance household, while preserving exclusions for people whose needs are already disregarded under law or regulation, including SSI recipients and certain relatives such as siblings, half-siblings, stepsiblings, and cousins when applicable under existing rules.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would alter eligibility and grant-calculation rules under the Social Services Law by excluding a child’s unearned income when that child is not part of the public assistance household. It would also narrow and modernize the household-composition language in section 131-c, affecting how local social services districts determine who must be included in a minor applicant’s assistance unit and what income is counted. The practical impact would fall on public assistance applicants, caregivers, and local agencies administering benefits, and it may require updates to OTDA systems and regulations to implement the new household and income rules.
Sentiment
The committee votes suggest generally favorable sentiment toward the bill, with the measure advancing out of the Assembly Social Services Committee, Ways and Means Committee, and Rules Committee. The vote margins indicate support, though not unanimous, suggesting the proposal was viewed positively overall but with some reservations. No transcript was provided, so the available record shows committee advancement rather than detailed debate.
Contention
The main points of contention appear to center on how broadly the bill changes household composition rules for public assistance and whether excluding a child from the assistance unit should also exclude that child’s unearned income from consideration. Opponents or skeptical members likely focused on administrative complexity, potential benefit-cost effects, and whether the revised language could change eligibility outcomes for families with multiple children in the same home. Supporters appear to have favored the bill as a clarification that better aligns benefit calculations with the caregiver’s choice to exclude a child from the household.
Same As
Relates to the unearned income of a child when the parent or non-parent caregiver chooses to exclude such child from the public assistance household.