Office of Temporary & Disability Assistance

The budget enacted by the Legislature (May 16, 2002) made no changes to the Executive budget.

The 30 Day Amendments to the Executive Budget (analysis as of February 25, 2002):

·          Adds $10 million to the Federal Health and Human Services fund in the Division of Disability Determinations to “more accurately reflect the anticipated Federal grant award.”  This will provide an additional $4.55 million to personal services, $3.95 million to nonpersonal services and $1.5 million to the fringe benefit appropriation.  The original Executive Budget had cut the Disability Determinations program by $14.8 million without reducing any full-time equivalent positions which seemed impossible to accomplish.  This restoration appears to provide adequate funding for current FTE positions.

The Executive Budget recommends (analysis as of January 29, 2002):

·        An FTE level of 2,510, which represents a decrease of 1 FTE from the Governor’s revised estimated 3/31/02 FTE level.  This revised estimate is 58 FTEs lower than last year’s Executive Budget FTE estimate for 3/31/02. 

-          The FTE reductions that occurred during this fiscal year were in the following areas:  the Administration program (-38 FTEs), Systems Support and Information Services program (+6 FTEs), Temporary and Disability Assistance program (-40 FTEs), and the Division of Transitional Support and Policy (+14 FTEs).  This last change includes the reduction of 1 FTE General Fund position and the creation of 15 new Special Revenue-Other positions.

-          The proposed FTE changes for SFY 2002-03 are in the following areas:  the Administration program (-2 FTEs), Child Support Enforcement (+9 FTEs), Executive Direction (-1 FTE), Legal Affairs (-2 FTEs), System Support and Information Services (-2 FTEs), Temporary and Disability Assistance (-2 FTEs), and Transitional Support and Policy (-1 FTE).

·        In his Deficiency Budget bill, the Governor is requesting an additional $1,088,000 in the Special Revenue-Other Homeless Housing Assistance Program Revenue Account.  This breaks out as follows:  $748,000 in personal services, $85,000 in nonpersonal services, and $225,000 in fringe benefits.  This funding appears to support the15 Special Revenue-Other positions added to the Division of ­­­Transitional Support and Policy Program in SFY 2001-02.

·        Increasing total General Fund support for the agency by $39.9 million (116.2 percent).

·        Cutting by $517,000 (5.1 percent) the General Fund personal services appropriation in the Administration program.

·        Increasing by $1.2 million (58 percent) the General Fund Maintenance Undistributed appropriation in the Administration program.  The following changes result in the $1.2 million increase.  The Office of Audit and Quality Control welfare fraud prevention appropriation increased by $664,000, $194,000 was added for non-federal share of training contracts, and a new $386,000 appropriation was added for a required State match of training grants.

·        Increasing by $5,445,000 (48 percent) Special Revenue-Other support for the Administration program.  This increase is the result of a reduction of $5 million (50 percent) in the Revenue Maximization Contractor Account coupled with new money in the following accounts:  $2.25 million in Multi-agency Training, $7.5 million in OTDA Program, $500,000 in State Match, and $195,000 in Training, Management & Evaluation.

·        Increasing by $587,000 (17 percent) the Special Revenue-Other personal service appropriation in the Child Support Enforcement program.

·        Cutting by $14.8 million (-8.5 percent) from the Disability Determinations program.  This reduction is made up of a cut of $4.5 million (-6.2 percent) the Special Revenue-Federal personal service appropriation, a cut of $9.1 million (-13.3 percent) in the Special Revenue-Federal nonpersonal services appropriation, an increase of $300,000 in the Special Revenue-Federal fringe benefits appropriation, and a cut of $1.5 million in the Special Revenue-Other Disability Determination Account.  It is not clear how there can be no reductions in personnel with cuts of this magnitude.  It is possible that the State is using federal appropriations for the WTC attacks to offset these reductions.  The damages done to the Cortlandt Street office and the cost of its relocation and operation may be paid for with these “off-budget” funds.

·        A cut of $642,000 (-6.5 percent) in the General Fund personal services appropriation in the Legal Affairs program.

·        A cut of $336,000 (-23.2 percent) in the General Fund personal services appropriation in the Transitional Support and Policy program.  This decrease is somewhat offset by an increase of $100,000 (8.3 percent) in the Special Revenue-Federal personal service appropriation in the Refugee Settlement Account.  The new Special Revenue-Other personal service appropriation of $870,000 is for the cost of 15 FTEs in the Homeless Housing Assistance Program moved to the OTDA budget during SFY 2001-02.

·        An increase of $1.13 million (146.8 percent) in the Special Revenue-Federal nonpersonal services appropriation for the Transitional Support and Policy Program in the Refugee Settlement Account.  The Executive Budget does not state how this increased appropriation will be used.

·        Creation of a new Special Revenue-Other account in the Transitional Support and Policy program for the Homeless Housing Assistant Program.   This account will provide, in addition to the $870,000 personal service appropriation discussed above, an additional $105,000 in nonpersonal services and $300,000 in fringe benefits.

·        An increase of $1,642,000 (25.6 percent) in the General Fund personal services appropriation in the Systems Support and Informational Services program.  This is a large increase in light of the fact that only 4 overall positions have been added and there is only a 3.5% contractual increase.

·        An increase of $42.1 million (96 percent) in the General Fund Maintenance Undistributed appropriation in the Systems Support and Informational Services program.  The Executive Budget does not state how this increased appropriation will be used.

·        A cut of $376,000 (-10.5 percent) in the General Fund personal services appropriation in the Temporary and Disability Assistance Program.  This is a large cut for a program that is only losing 2 positions.  Another question about staffing for this program is that the Federal money stayed the same and yet the program lost -40 FTEs during the current fiscal year (SFY 02-03).

·        An increase of $1 million (40 percent) in the Special Revenue-Other HEAP Earned Revenue account in the Temporary and Disability Assistance Program.  The Executive Budge does not state how this increased appropriation will be used.

·        The Executive Budge summary refers to a $3.2 million savings in the OTDA budget to reflect “the third year implementation of Management Plan initiatives.”  It is unclear from the appropriation bills in which program or programs these savings occur.