QUESTION
What is the status of the litigation affecting the processing of essential benefits in New York City?
2:23:12
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125 sec
The city's Human Resources Administration (HRA) is working to reduce its backlog of essential benefit applications due to a preliminary injunction, but concerns remain over how this reduction is being achieved.
- A preliminary injunction from the forest case mandates a schedule for HRA to reduce its backlog of recertification and application delays.
- HRA is reducing the backlog, but there is concern about an increase in denials due to failures in completing mandated interviews.
- The decrease in backlog is viewed critically, as it may not reflect an improvement in the quality of decision-making or the issuance of benefits to eligible individuals.
- There is also an ongoing contempt motion in the Reynolds vs. Giuliani case related to the issuance of expedited SNAP benefits, and negotiations are ongoing.
Lincoln Restler
2:23:12
I feel like you are the person in most demand for this hearing because the delays in processing of essential benefits is one of, if not the most problematic of all 22100 caters in this report.
2:23:30
And New Yorkers are really struggling.
2:23:32
I just wanna first ask, could you share an update on the status of the litigation?
2:23:37
Has that helped to resolve any of these issues?
2:23:40
So,
Anne K. Callagy
2:23:42
yes, there's a preliminary injunction in effect in the forest case And that under that, there is a schedule for HRA to reduce its backlog.
2:23:55
Over months.
2:23:56
So it it began maybe in October November and each month.
2:24:00
They were supposed to reduce it.
2:24:02
And They are reducing the backlog of recertification delays and application delays.
2:24:09
The concern we have is how is the backlog being boost.
2:24:13
So is it and according to these statistics that were obtained under the city council's local law, There was a extreme increase in denials for failure to have that interview that I was to scribing where you can't get through on the phone.
2:24:31
So the backlog may be decreasing, but we are concerned about how is it decrease So they may be complying with the letter of the preliminary injunction without improving the quality of decisions that are being made and issuing benefits to eligible people.
2:24:56
The other piece is that we have a a a contempt motion in the Reynolds versus Giuliani Case, which was a long standing court order on the issuance of the expedited snack benefits.
2:25:10
And so there are ongoing negotiations in that case, and I'm not sure that I can give you more of an update than that.