New York, NY – Today, Assemblymember González-Rojas announced that she, along with Assemblymember Khaleel Anderson, will introduce a bill in the New York Assembly to authorize the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) to reissue stolen public assistance benefits, particularly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Specifically, the new bill would amend Social Services law 350j to add a new subdivision that says, “in instances of fraud or theft of benefits, emergency assistance to needy families with children benefits may be reissued.”

The Legal Aid Society and Empire Justice Center recently sent a letter to top officials at OTDA asking for help for the over 2,000 clients whose benefits have been “skimmed” since the beginning of the year. OTDA responded that from January through August of this year, over $700,000 of SNAP benefits had been stolen from New Yorkers who rely on those benefits to put food on their tables. Right now, there is no legal recourse for SNAP recipients who are victims of benefits skimming. In a recent NY Daily News article, the author noted that, “while federal funds are unavailable for reimbursement, states can choose to dig into their own pockets to refund stolen money. Others do. NY doesn’t – a state statute blocks the state from replacing stolen public assistance money.” This new bill would provide a formal mechanism for New Yorkers to recoup stolen funds.

Assemblymember González-Rojas recently attended a press conference in support of Senator Gillibrand’s bill that would address benefits skimming at the federal level.

“Every stolen dollar of SNAP benefits is a dollar that struggling New Yorkers can no longer use to put food on the table for their families. These are the same families that are disproportionately impacted by generational poverty and food insecurity,” said Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas, a member of the Assembly’s Social Services Committee. “I’m proud to introduce legislation in Albany to clarify social services law and permit the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance to replace stolen SNAP benefits. I’m committed to eliminating hunger in New York and urge my colleagues in the legislature to take up the bill in the coming session.”

“As a state lawmaker and former SNAP recipient, I am duty-bound to advocate for working-class families who have fallen victim to SNAP/EBT theft,” said Assembly Member Khaleel M. Anderson. “Thousands of families and children across New York State have suffered at the hands of ‘skimming’ to no fault of their own, and it’s time for New York to make them whole. Other states have provided recourse by unlocking emergency funds to reimburse SNAP/EBT theft victims, and I am proud to join Assembly Member González-Rojas as a co-sponsor of this bill authorizing OTDA to do the same here in New York."