Social ServicesRoberto Rodriguez, Commissioner
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.
Temporary Assistance
Child Support Enforcement
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
Food Stamps enable eligible households to purchase food at participating stores. The program is designed to be a supplement to a household food budget in order to provide a nutritious diet. A new electronic system for issuing Food Stamps began in December 2000 called Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT). Benefits are authorized in an account that is accessed by the recipient at participating retail stores through the use of a benefit card and personal identification number (PIN). The Food Stamps Division serves all households that do not receive Temporary Assistance. Eligibility is based on resources and monthly income. Food Stamp levels are generally higher than TA levels. This allows participation by working families. Food Stamp applications are accepted at town offices throughout the County as follows:
Medical Assistance Program
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
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
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
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:
Youth Bureau
Early Intervention and Preschool Special Education Programs
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 |
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