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 Who are Due to Recertify

If you receive a Cash Assistance recertification notice by mail or an ACCESS HRA alert that you need to recertify, you must submit your recertification or your benefits will stop. You can use ACCESS HRA or fax, mail, or a drop box at open centers to submit your recertification.  Make sure to include your correct phone number.  You can check it and update it on the ACCESS HRA website or the ACCESS HRA Mobile App.

Learn about the ways you can submit your recertification and supporting documents.

All Other Current Recipients

Cash Assistance 6-Month Mailer

If you receive a Cash Assistance “Mail-In Recertification /Eligibility Questionnaire” (commonly known as the 6-month mailer), you must submit your signed and completed form by the due date on your notice or your case will close.

You can submit a completed and signed mailer by taking pictures of all pages and uploading them using the ACCESS HRA Mobile App. If you prefer to mail it back, you can send it back to HRA using the postage-paid envelope that was sent with the form. 

If you no longer have that envelope, you can mail the completed form to:

Family Independence Administration
P.O. Box 637 
Canal Street Station
New York, NY 10213-0195

If you are not using the envelope sent with the form, you will have to pay for your own postage. 

Other Important Information for Current Recipients 

Your Cash Assistance case will stay open even if you:

• 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.

Reporting Changes on a Current Cash Assistance Case

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  

HRA has reopened most Job Center locations, but with ACCESS HRA you can skip the trip and apply for Cash Assistance, special grants and more online. If your needs cannot be met by ACCESS HRA or over the phone, visit the HRA Locations page for more information on center openings.

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 an open HRA location 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.

Expanded SNAP Eligibility for College Students 

During the COVID-19 emergency, there are new rules for the SNAP program which will allow more college students to get benefits.  

• If you are a student eligible to participate in a state or federal work-study program, you may now also be eligible for SNAP, even if you aren’t currently employed in work-study. 
• If your “expected family contribution” (EFC*) is $0, and you meet other SNAP eligibility requirements, you are eligible for SNAP.  
  • *Your EFC is found in your Student Aid Report and it is calculated based on information provided in your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

These new SNAP eligibility rules will last until one month after the public health emergency from COVID-19 is officially lifted. If you are able to get benefits due to these new rules, your benefits will last until your next recertification even if the public health emergency is ended first.

SNAP ABAWD Work Requirements

Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) work requirements are currently waived until September 30, 2022.  If you receive SNAP benefits as part of your Cash Assistance case, the SNAP portion of your case will not be affected if you do not comply with ABAWD work requirements.

Supplement for SNAP Households

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 provided funding for a supplemental benefit for SNAP households.  The supplemental benefit is issued during the last 2 weeks of each month that it is authorized.  The supplemental benefit has been authorized for January 2022.

From March 2020 through March 2021, the supplemental benefit was only issued to SNAP households that did not receive the maximum benefit for their household’s size.

In April 2021, the US Department of Agriculture changed its policy on the supplemental benefit.  All households with an active or closed SNAP case that receive SNAP benefits in a month when the supplemental benefit is authorized, even those receiving the maximum SNAP allotment, will receive a supplemental benefit of at least $95. This policy only affects SNAP benefits for April 2021 and any future months the supplemental benefit is issued. It is not retroactive and does not affect any months prior to April 2021. 

Households that previously received a supplement of less than $95, or no supplement, will receive a supplement of $95.  For households receiving supplements of more than $95, the supplement will continue to be the difference between the amount of SNAP benefits the household was issued and the maximum benefit amount allowed for the household size. 

Get answers to frequently asked questions about the supplement benefit.