New York Kinship Care Application Process — What to Expect From DSS and Your Caseworker

The Application Timeline

Applying for benefits as a kinship caregiver in New York follows a predictable sequence, but the pace depends on your county and how prepared you are. The standard processing window is 30 days from the date your application is received — for Temporary Assistance, SNAP, and Medicaid. Expedited SNAP processing can happen within 7 calendar days if the household meets urgency criteria (under $100 in liquid resources and gross monthly income under $150, or combined shelter and utility costs exceeding gross income and liquid resources).

Here is what each stage looks like.

Filing the Application

You can file Temporary Assistance and SNAP online (ACCESS HRA in NYC, myBenefits.ny.gov upstate), in person at a county DSS office, or by mailing the paper Form LDSS-2921. The LDSS-2921 covers Temporary Assistance, SNAP, Medicaid, and childcare assistance in a single filing. Medicaid and Child Health Plus can also be applied for through NY State of Health. For a child-only case, the child is the applicant and you are the non-applicant caretaker.

The moment your application is received — stamped in person, submitted online, or date-stamped in the mail — the 30-day processing clock starts.

The Eligibility Interview

The district may contact you to schedule an eligibility interview or request verification. In NYC, interviews are often by phone; upstate counties may use phone or in-person appointments. Follow the instructions in your notice or account.

At the interview, the caseworker will:

• Confirm the child's identity, age, and Social Security number
• Verify your relationship to the child (birth certificates linking the generations, or an affidavit)
• Ask about the child's living arrangement and how they came to be in your care
• Ask about the child's income — Social Security survivor benefits, SSI, child support, or any other income received in the child's name
• Go through the verification documents you have submitted

For a child-only case, the caseworker should not be asking about your income, your employment, or your assets. If they do, this is the moment to clarify: "I'm filing as a non-needy caretaker for a child-only grant. My income is excluded under 18 NYCRR Parts 350-352." If the caseworker is unfamiliar with the rule, ask for a supervisor review.

After the Interview

Once the interview is complete and all documents are verified, the caseworker submits the case for determination. You will receive a written Notice of Decision — either an approval with the monthly grant amount and start date, or a denial with the reason.

For a child-only Temporary Assistance case, the grant amount is calculated by adding the child's Basic Needs Allowance, the Home Energy Allowance (HEA) plus Supplemental HEA, and the local Shelter Allowance. In New York City, a one-child grant maxes out at $439.70 per month. Upstate and suburban counties vary based on local shelter allowance schedules.

SNAP benefits, if applied for simultaneously, are determined separately from the cash grant. For Medicaid, a child who is not claimed as a tax dependent is generally evaluated as a household of one under MAGI rules.

Your Caseworker's Role After Approval

The caseworker assigned to your case is your main contact for questions, reporting changes, and recertification. In practice, caseworker turnover in county DSS offices is high — you may deal with different people at different stages. Keep your own records: every document you submit, every phone call date, every person you speak with.

If your caseworker leaves and you are not assigned a new one, call the main number of your county DSS or HRA and ask for your case to be reassigned. Cases without active caseworkers can drift without recertification notices being sent on time.

What to Do If Nothing Happens

If 30 days pass without a decision, contact DSS or HRA to confirm the status and whether it needs any more information. If the agency has made an adverse determination or failed to act, you can ask OTDA for a Fair Hearing by phone (1-800-342-3334) or online at otda.ny.gov/hearings. You can also call the NYS Kinship Navigator at 1-877-454-6463 for help navigating a stalled case.

The New York Kinship Financial Help Guide covers every step of the process with sample timelines, caseworker scripts, and an application tracking log so you can document each interaction.

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