The mission of the Department of Social Services is
to adequately and efficiently assess, plan for and provide appropriate
services to families and individuals in need.
The Agency is comprised of several major divisions.
Each division has unique job duties, however, all divisions interact
with each other in some manner or another.
Information for Non-Parent Caregivers (Grandparents, Other Relatives, Friends) Caring for Children
Temporary Assistance
1021 Development Court
Kingston, NY
Phone: 845-334-5045
Hours: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday-Friday
Interviews Available: 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM Monday-Friday. Emergencies are handled on a daily basis.
- Temporary Assistance
(TA) is the term now used in NYS for Public Assistance (welfare)
programs. The term conveys the message that assistance is short-term
help for families and individuals while they work their way toward self-sufficiency.
Program has an employment focus.
TA clients receive money for basic living expenses,
food stamps and medical coverage. Eligibility is based on the income
and resources of the family. Family Assistance provides money to families
with children and Safety Net Assistance provides money for basic living
expenses for single adults and childless couples.
- Emergency Assistance for Adults (EAA)
is a short-term program to meet the emergency needs of Supplemental
Security Income (SSI) recipients.
- Emergency Assistance for Families (EAF)
is a short-term program to meet the emergency needs of families.
- Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP)
is a Federally funded program that helps low income households pay home
energy costs and funds programs for low cost residential weatherization
and other energy related home repairs. HEAP is available to low income,
TA and SSI households during the heating season (mid-November through
April).
- Transitional Opportunities Program (TOP)
is a component of Ulster County's Family Assistance Program. The goal
of TOP is to assist all eligible parents in overcoming the barriers
to financial self-sufficiency. Top fosters the importance of wages from
employment, job advancement and retention, as well as child support
(when applicable) in achieving independence and economic self-sufficiency.
TOP provides comprehensive supportive services, including intensive
case management services, employment services, child support services,
day care, and family services.
Child
Support Enforcement
1011 Development Court
Kingston, NY 12401
Hours: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday-Friday
Customer
Service Hotline: 1-888-208-4485
Hotline
Hours: 8:00
AM to 7:00 PM Monday-Friday
TTY: 1-866-875-9975
The primary objectives include the location of
absent parents, establishment of paternity and support on behalf of
all children in receipt of Temporary Assistance, Medical Assistance,
and Foster Care. Enforcement of the support orders requires a multifaceted
system involving state and local government agencies, court systems,
employers, and the public. Cases undergo continuous investigation to
ensure the timely collection of needed support money.
Food
Stamps Program
SNAP
(Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)
1051 Development Court
Kingston
,
NY
12401
845-334-5200
PARTICIPATION
MADE EASIER
Applying
for food stamps has become easier with our new electronic
application.
now
you can apply for the food stamp program from the convenience
of your own home.
Please
see our website at
WWW.MYBENEFITS.NY.GOV
For
more information
The
local food stamp district now conducts most interviews by
phone (face to face interviews are done by request).
No
need to travel to our
Kingston
office or your local town hall to apply for benefits.
Applying on-line offers a more discreet approach to the
food stamp program allowing the applicant to apply in a more
private environment when submitting personal information
regarding their financial situation. Applications can be
submitted from any computer location, even your local library.
The
mybenefits website offers screenings on other assistance
programs in your area as well.
Our
Kingston
office hours are:
|
Hours:
New applications accepted 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Monday-Friday
Interviews Conducted: Monday & Wednesday
8:00 AM - 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM and Tuesday,
Thursday, Friday 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM
|
Medical
Assistance Program
1001 Development Court
Kingston, NY 12401
Phone: 845-334-5035
Hours: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday-Friday
Medical Assistance is the term used in NYS for
Medicaid Programs, which are a far more extensive set of programs than
they were prior to Welfare Reform.
Our traditional, very comprehensive, programs are fee-for-service
Medicaid, and Managed Care Medicaid. Both these programs are for
individuals and families age 19 and up who meet very stringent income
and resource guidelines. We also offer Child Health Plus A for
children under 19 who meet our income guidelines. Children above those
income levels would be referred to Child Health Plus B which is not
operated under Medical Assistance.
Family Health Plus is a Medical Assistance
Programs for adults 19-64 with higher income and resource guidelines.
With this program, clients receive coverage similar to employer-based
health insurance through a managed care organization.
We also offer some more specialized programs; the Prenatal
Care Assistance Program for pregnant women, the Family Planning
Benefit Program for persons of childbearing age, various Medicare
Savings Programs, the Medicaid Buy-In for Working Persons with
Disabilities, COBRA Assistance, Chronic Care Medicaid for
nursing home and long-term home health care, and various waivered
programs for persons with specific needs such as the Care at Home
program for children, the TASA Program for pregnant and parenting
teens, and the Traumatic Brain Injury Waivered program.
Depending on their level of eligibility, clients may
receive assistance with doctor's visits, prescription medications,
dental services, emergency medical services, in-patient hospital care,
medical transportation, assistance paying for other health insurance
programs, and many other services necessary to keep individuals and
families healthy.
We interview applicants by appointment only. Applicants may
represent themselves, or they may designate a representative to conduct
the interview for them. We also receive applications from some
hospitals, attorneys, and facilitated enrollers who are deputized to
conduct the face-to-face interview.
Day Care
Unit
1091 Development Court
Kingston, NY 12401
Phone: 845-334-5489
Hours: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday-Friday
The Day Care Program provides financial assistance
to qualifying low-income families, teen parents and foster parents who
need help meeting their child care expenses. The subsidy is available
to all working Ulster County residents who meet the income eligibility
guidelines.
Children
and Family Services
1091 Development Court
Kingston, NY 12401
Phone: 845-334-5400
Hours: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday-Friday
Adult Services: This unit incorporates
Adult Protective, Personal Care, Long Term Home Health Care, Family-Type
Homes, Adult Foster Care and SSI services into one generic unit. A Central
Intake System combining Ulster County Office for the Aging and Social
Services facilitates better community access to all services for adults.
Child Protective Services: The CPS Unit
is responsible for investigating reports of child abuse and/or maltreatment
within 24 hours of receipt of a report to the State Central Registry.
The toll free hotline number to the State Central Registry is 1-800-342-3720.
When necessary, CPS seeks from the Family Court an Order of Protection,
court-ordered services for the family, and/or authority to place a child
in foster care. The Family Violence Investigative Unit investigates
cases of domestic violence, physical abuse and sexual abuse reported to the State Central
Registry. Teams of law enforcement officers and child protective caseworkers
jointly respond and investigate these reports. The unit is under the
joint supervision of a NYS Police Senior Investigator and a Child Protective
Services supervisor. The CPS Preventive Unit provides services to families
who have indicated SCR reports and are opened for on-going protective
and preventive services.
Assessment/Intake Unit: This unit is
responsible for the assessment of referrals for children's services
that are made to the Department of Social Services but are not connected
with the State Central Registry. Referrals come from a variety of sources
including, but not limited to, schools, neighbors, agencies and self-referrals.
Referrals are assessed in order to determine the need for mandated preventive
services, community-based services or placement in foster care.
Preventive Services: This unit seeks
to deliver an array of services to meet the multiplicity of problems
that threaten the breakup of families and the placement of children
in foster care. These services include casework counseling, parenting
skills training, and referrals to community based programs and are available
after assessment by the intake unit.
Foster Care: Foster Care services for
children are defined as assessing the need for, arranging for and providing
for placement and related services to children in an appropriate foster
care setting. Children are placed by either the request of a parent
or guardian or as a result of a judicial determination that the child's
continuation in his own home would be contrary to the welfare of such
child. Children are placed from birth up to age 18 and can remain in
care up to age 21 if they entered prior to turning 18. The Foster Care
Homefinding Unit is responsible for securing placements in foster homes
for children who are in the custody of the department and recruiting
and training new foster and adoptive parents.
Coordinated
Children's Services
1081 Development Court
Kingston, NY 12401
Phone: 845-334-5050
Hours: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday-Friday
Coordinated Children's Services (CCS) is a program
unique to Ulster County, which was developed in 1985 as a cooperative
effort between the County Administrator's Office, and the Departments
of Social Services, Probation, Mental Health and Youth Bureau. The mission
of this program is to provide intensive community-based services to
meet the needs of families with at least one child whose behavior disturbance
places him or her at risk of placement in a residential treatment center.
CCS has developed a variety of service
components to wrap around our high-risk children including:
- Intensive Family Casework
- Individual and Family Therapy
- Psychiatric Assessment and Treatment
- Intensive Probation Supervision
- Parent Support Groups
- Youth Support Groups
|
- Recreational Alternatives
- Sexual Behavior Group
- Interagency Collaboration Project
- Respite
- Parent Educators
-
Wrap-around Services
|
Early Intervention and Preschool
Special Education Programs
1071 Development Court
Kingston, NY 12401
Phone: 845-334-5251
Hours: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday-Friday
Early Intervention Program: Provides services
for children from birth to two years of age who have a defined developmental
disability. The program provides screening, evaluations and services
and there is no out-of-pocket cost to eligible participants.
Preschool Program: This program works
in conjunction with the child's "home" school district to
provide appropriate services to children from age 3 to 5 who have been
classified as a "child with a disability." There is a broad
range of services available and children are served in many different
locales depending on their specific needs
