TO:	Commissioners; TA Directors;  CAP Coordinators

FROM:	Richard McElroy, Acting Deputy Commissioner
	Division of Temporary Assistance

SUBJECT:  “Temporary Assistance and Non-Temporary Assistance Mixed Households – Budgeting When the Family Includes an SSI Member” Conference Calls

EFFECTIVE DATE:	First scheduled call - July 6, 2004
CONTACT PERSON:	Central Regional Team @ 1-800-343-8859, extension 4-9344

On Thursday June 17th, OTDA provided all local district commissioners with an Executive Clearance copy of the draft ADM, “Temporary Assistance and Non-Temporary Assistance Mixed Households – Budgeting When the Family Includes an SSI Member”.  The changes transmitted in the draft ADM will become effective on July 7th, the effective date of the regulatory revisions which support the changes.

The main change is that when a TA family resides with a family member who would be required to be included in the TA filing unit except that the family member receives SSI, that family member’s presence will affect the TA household’s benefit.  For example, in a family with two members receiving TA and one member receiving SSI, the TA members currently receive TA based on the full standard-of-need for two.  Under the new rules, the TA members will receive benefits based on two-thirds of the standard-of-need for three. The income of the SSI individual will NOT count against the TA family members.  The new rules will apply for both Family Assistance and Safety Net Assistance cases and will apply whether the SSI family member is an adult or a child, provided that the adult or child would be required to be included in the filing unit if he or she were not in receipt of SSI. 

During the Executive Clearance period, the Division of Temporary Assistance (DTA) has received questions from districts.  We believe that when districts begin implementation of the new rules, issues and questions may arise.  Therefore, the Division of Temporary Assistance has scheduled a series of telephone conferences on July 6th, 7th and 8th during which districts can ask questions, raise issues and hear the issues and concerns of other districts.  DTA staff will host the calls and will provide answers and clarifications as needed.

Attached is the call-in schedule and directions.  Districts are asked to call in on their assigned day and time.  If that is not possible, the district may join another call.

TA Proration When Family Includes an SSI Member

Audio Conference Discussion

July 6, 2004 (Tues.)	     July 7, 2004 (Wed.)		July 8, 2004 (Thurs.)
9:30 – 10:30		     11:00 – 12:00			9:30 – 10:30
Broome			     Clinton			Chenango
Cattaraugus		     Essex				Columbia
Chautauqua		     Franklin			Delaware
Erie			     Hamilton			Greene
Monroe			     Herkimer			Madison
Niagara			     Jefferson			Otsego
Oneida			     Lewis			Schoharie
Onondaga	                    Oswego			Sullivan
			     St. Lawrence

July 6, 2004 (Tues.)	     July 7, 2004 (Wed.)		July 8, 2004 (Thurs.)
11:00 – 12:00		     2:00 – 3:00			11:00 – 12:00
Allegany		     Albany			Dutchess
Genesee			     Fulton			Nassau
Livingston		     Montgomery			Orange
Ontario			     Rensselaer			Putnam
Orleans			     Saratoga			Rockland
Steuben			     Schenectady			Suffolk
Wayne			     Warren			Ulster
Wyoming		     Washington			Westchester

July 6, 2004 (Tues.)
2:00 – 3:00
Cayuga
Chemung
Cortland
Schuyler
Seneca
Tioga
Tompkins
Yates
Call-In Instructions

Each district can join in the conference at their respective date and time listed above.
Note: due to call-in limitations, please only have one phone call per district (a speaker phone may be used for multiple district participants)
Call toll-free: 1-866-266-3697 or if local (518) 408-1500.  
You will hear a welcome from the NYS Office of Technology and will be asked to enter your conferee code followed by the # sign.

The conferee code you should enter is:  0019521#