S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2549
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 19, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. FAHY, DINOWITZ, EPSTEIN, ABBATE -- read once and
   referred to the Committee on Social Services
 
 AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation  to  home  visiting
   services for applicants for, or recipients of, public assistance bene-
   fits who are exempt from certain work activities

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 332 of the social services law is amended by adding
 a new subdivision 1-a to read as follows:
   1-A. APPLICANTS FOR, OR  RECIPIENTS  OF,  PUBLIC  ASSISTANCE  WHO  ARE
 EXEMPT FROM WORK ACTIVITIES PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH (D) OR (E) OF SUBDIVI-
 SION  ONE  OF  THIS  SECTION  SHALL BE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE HOME VISITING
 SERVICES THAT MEET THE CRITERIA ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO 42  U.S.C.  711,
 SO  LONG  AS SUCH INDIVIDUAL MEETS ALL OTHER ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA ESTAB-
 LISHED PURSUANT TO THE PARTICULAR HOME VISITING MODEL. THE LOCAL  SOCIAL
 SERVICES  DISTRICT SHALL PROVIDE INFORMATION TO ANY APPLICANT OR RECIPI-
 ENT THAT IS INTERESTED IN RECEIVING SUCH SERVICES AND PROVIDE ASSISTANCE
 IN DETERMINING THE MOST APPROPRIATE MODEL TO MEET THE  PARTICULAR  NEEDS
 OF THE INDIVIDUAL.
   §  2.  Subdivision  1  of  section  335 of the social services law, as
 amended by chapter 214 of the laws of 1998, is amended and a  new  para-
 graph (c) is added to subdivision 2 to read as follows:
   1.  Each  social services official shall ensure that each recipient of
 public assistance who is a member of a household with dependent children
 and is eighteen years of age or older, or who is  sixteen  or  seventeen
 years of age and is not attending secondary school and has not completed
 high school or a high school equivalency program, receives an assessment
 of employability based on his or her educational level, including liter-
 acy  and  English  language proficiency, basic skills proficiency, child
 care and other supportive services needs; and skills, prior work experi-
 ence, training and vocational interests. This assessment shall include a
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD06528-01-1

 A. 2549                             2
 
 review of family circumstances including a review of any  special  needs
 of  a  child AND WHETHER HOME VISITING SERVICES WOULD BE APPROPRIATE AND
 BENEFICIAL FOR THE FAMILY. Such assessment  shall  be  completed  within
 ninety  days of the date on which such person is determined eligible for
 public assistance. An applicant for or recipient  of  public  assistance
 may  be  assigned to work activities prior to completion of such assess-
 ment.
   (C) WHERE AN ASSESSMENT INDICATES THAT HOME VISITING SERVICES WOULD BE
 APPROPRIATE AND BENEFICIAL TO THE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE HOUSEHOLD, AND  SUCH
 SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE, THE LOCAL SOCIAL SERVICES OFFICIAL SHALL ENCOUR-
 AGE  THE  RECIPIENT  TO PARTICIPATE IN SUCH SERVICES. TO THE EXTENT THAT
 SUCH PARTICIPANT IS INTERESTED IN RECEIVING HOME VISITING SERVICES,  THE
 LOCAL  SOCIAL  SERVICES  OFFICIAL SHALL ASSIGN THE PARTICIPANT TO A WORK
 ACTIVITY IN ACCORDANCE WITH PARAGRAPH (F) OR (M) OF SUBDIVISION  ONE  OF
 SECTION THREE HUNDRED THIRTY-SIX OF THIS TITLE, WHERE SUCH HOME VISITING
 SERVICES  SHALL  COUNT TOWARDS THE INDIVIDUAL'S WORK REQUIREMENTS AS SET
 FORTH IN SECTION THREE HUNDRED THIRTY-FIVE-B OF THIS TITLE.
   § 3. Paragraph (c) of subdivision 5 of section  335-b  of  the  social
 services  law,  as  added by section 148 of part B of chapter 436 of the
 laws of 1997, is amended to read as follows:
   (c) Each social services official shall ensure  that  each  parent  or
 caretaker  of a child, when such parent or caretaker is receiving public
 assistance, is engaged in work as soon as practicable.  PROVIDED, HOWEV-
 ER, THAT SUCH SOCIAL SERVICES OFFICIAL SHALL ENSURE THAT EACH PARENT  OR
 CARETAKER  OF A CHILD UNDER THE AGE OF FIVE IS PROVIDED WITH INFORMATION
 REGARDING HOME VISITING PROGRAMS WHICH  MEET  THE  CRITERIA  ESTABLISHED
 PURSUANT  TO  42  U.S.C.  711 IN THEIR AREA, AND THAT SUCH HOME VISITING
 SERVICES MAY SATISFY A PORTION OF SUCH INDIVIDUAL'S REQUIRED WORK ACTIV-
 ITIES.
   § 4. Paragraphs (f) and (m) of subdivision 1 of  section  336  of  the
 social services law, paragraph (f) as amended by chapter 275 of the laws
 of  2017, and paragraph (m) as amended by section 148 of part B of chap-
 ter 436 of the laws of 1997, are amended to read as follows:
   (f) job search and  job  readiness  assistance,  WHICH  SHALL  INCLUDE
 ACTIVITIES WITH THE GOAL OF SEEKING OR OBTAINING EMPLOYMENT, OR PREPARA-
 TION TO SEEK OR OBTAIN EMPLOYMENT, INCLUDING LIFE-SKILLS TRAINING, WHICH
 SHALL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO HOME VISITING SERVICES TO THE RECIP-
 IENT AND THEIR FAMILY, AND provided FURTHER that job search is an active
 and  continuing  effort  to  secure  employment  configured by the local
 social services official; and such social services district may work  in
 cooperation  with  the department of labor to provide workforce guidance
 and information in accordance with section ten-c of the labor law;
   (m) job search and job readiness assistance, AS DEFINED  IN  PARAGRAPH
 (F)  OF  THIS SUBDIVISION, once the individual has exceeded the six week
 limit set in federal law;
   § 5. This act shall take effect immediately.