The Human Resources Administration (HRA) is trying to eliminate, whenever possible, the need for clients to come in person to HRA offices.
You can use the ACCESS HRA website or the ACCESS HRA Mobile App from anywhere and at any time to submit requests to HRA. You can also submit documents using the Document Upload feature on the ACCESS HRA Mobile App.
New Applicants and Current Recipients for Cash Assistance
You can apply for Cash Assistance and/or apply for Emergency One-Time Assistance, as well as recertify for ongoing Cash Assistance benefits, using the ACCESS HRA website or the ACCESS HRA Mobile App. HRA will call you to complete your telephone eligibility interview. In-person interview appointments at Job Centers are not available at this time.
Get more information about COVID-19 and your HRA benefits.
Current Cash Assistance Recipients Only
If your case is due to recertify and you would like to continue receiving Cash Assistance, you must complete the recertification process to see if you are still eligible. HRA will mail you a letter with detailed instructions on how to submit your recertification form. You can always check the ACCESS HRA website or the ACCESS HRA Mobile App to see when you must recertify next.
If you receive a Cash Assistance 6-month eligibility mailer, you must complete, sign and submit it before the due date printed on the notice. Submit it by either:
- Mailing it back to HRA using the included postage-paid envelope, or
- Uploading pictures of the entire form using the Document Upload feature on the ACCESS HRA Mobile App.
Your Cash Assistance case will stay open even if you:
- Needed to complete your Cash Assistance recertification interview between March and August 2020, but did not submit a recertification form. Your certification period was automatically extended, and HRA will mail you a letter when you need to recertify.
- Missed an HRA appointment, including HRA child support or child care services
- Missed an HRA work or training assignment (even if you are or were sanctioned)
All scheduled in-person appointments have been cancelled until further notice. HRA will notify you by text, email and/or postal mail for any steps you must take in the future.
If you have child care forms to return, please upload them using the ACCESS HRA Mobile App or submit them at an open HRA Job Center in the borough where you live.
Use ACCESS HRA to submit any of the following changes to your case:
- Update your residential address and add new housing expenses and utility expenses for your new address
- Provide changes to your household income
- Remove a household member from your case
You do not need to submit a new application to make these changes, but you will need to upload, fax or mail HRA documents that prove why the change(s) are needed.
Learn about the documents you can use and the ways to submit them.
Get more information about COVID-19 and your HRA benefits.
Keep Your Information Up-to-Date
Use the ACCESS HRA website or the ACCESS HRA Mobile App to view your case information and update your contact information. It's very important that HRA has your current contact information.
HRA Locations
The number of HRA Centers and Offices open to the public has been reduced. Please only visit an HRA Center or Office if your needs cannot be met online or by phone. Hours and locations may change. Visit the HRA Center Locations website for more information.
EBT Cards
Applicants who have been approved for benefits will receive an EBT card in the mail. If your EBT card has not yet arrived, you can go to the Brooklyn Over-The-Counter (OTC) site for your permanent card, or one of seven open HRA locations for a temporary card that will have all benefits available until your EBT card arrives. Visit the HRA Center Locations website for more information.
Permanent EBT cards can only be sent via the mail or picked up at the Brooklyn OTC site. For more information, visit the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Card page.
SNAP ABAWD Work Requirements
Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) work requirements are currently suspended. If you receive SNAP benefits as part of your Cash Assistance case, the SNAP portion of your case should not have been affected if you did not comply with ABAWD work requirements since March 2020.
Supplement for Some SNAP Households
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 provided funding for a supplement to all SNAP households that did not receive the maximum SNAP benefit amount allowed for their household size in March 2020 through March 2021. These supplements have been or will be issued on a monthly basis during this period.
If you already received your March 2020 through March 2021 SNAP benefits, and it was not for the maximum amount allowed for your household size, you should have received or will receive another payment for the difference.
SNAP Households that received the maximum benefit are not eligible for a supplement payment.
Get answers to frequently asked questions about the supplement benefit.