# Applying for benefits

Source: https://www.qaravan.org/resources/money/applying-for-benefits/

In New York City, cash assistance, SNAP food benefits and Medicaid go through the City's Human Resources Administration (HRA), usually on the ACCESS HRA online account. The public charge rule touches only some green card and visa applications.

You can apply yourself, for free. QARAVAN does not process benefits or give legal advice, but can point you to organizations that help with applications and explain immigration consequences.

## Start here

- Apply on ACCESS HRA ([nyc.gov/accesshra](https://nyc.gov/accesshra)) and do the interview. Without it, a SNAP application is rejected.
- The public charge rule touches only some green card and visa applications. Before you give up help, ask the City's free MOIA hotline, [800-354-0365](tel:8003540365): say "Russian" and a free interpreter joins.
- Everyone has the right to apply. HRA does not share your personal information unless the law requires it.

## Applying on ACCESS HRA, step by step

1. Decide what to ask for A Cash Assistance application also checks whether you can get Medicaid and SNAP; if cash assistance is denied, the notice says when those will be decided. If you only need food, apply for SNAP. From January 1, 2027, the State separates Medicaid from cash assistance.
2. Sign in to ACCESS HRA Open [nyc.gov/accesshra](https://nyc.gov/accesshra) and sign in or create a profile. The ACCESS HRA app lets you track your application and upload documents.
3. Fill in the application Your name, address (if you have one) and an electronic signature are enough for the application to be accepted, but it is better to give the rest right away. You can apply even if you or someone in your family cannot get a benefit because of status: a parent can apply for a child who qualifies without the parent's Social Security number.
4. Sign and submit The electronic signature sets the filing date. HRA decides on SNAP within 30 days.
5. Do the interview The interview is by phone: for cash assistance, [929-273-1872](tel:9292731872), Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 5 pm; for SNAP, HRA also lists [718-762-7669](tel:7187627669). Upload your documents in the [ACCESS HRA app](https://a069-access.nyc.gov/accesshra/) beforehand. The SNAP interview takes about 30 minutes. On either line, say "Russian" and a free interpreter joins. Without an interview within 30 days, the SNAP application is rejected. For an urgent one-time payment, do it within 7 days. You can also interview in person at an HRA center.
6. Gather your documents For cash assistance you need proof of identity, where you live and income; for SNAP, HRA names a photo ID, pay stubs, utility bills and a lease. Upload them in the ACCESS HRA app, fax them to [917-639-2544](tel:9176392544) or mail them (SNAP, P.O. Box 29008, Brooklyn, NY 11202). A document list in Russian is [form W-119D on the HRA site](https://www.nyc.gov/assets/hra/downloads/pdf/W-119D-R.pdf).
7. Track the application You can follow your application in the ACCESS HRA app. For questions about your case you can call DSS OneNumber at [718-557-1399](tel:7185571399); say "Russian" and a free interpreter joins. For HRA to discuss your case with someone else, such as a helper from an organization, you need a signed Client Consent Form.
8. Get your EBT card HRA mails an EBT card (Electronic Benefits Transfer), which your benefits are loaded on, to everyone approved for cash assistance or SNAP. If it has not come, you can get a temporary card at an open HRA center and the permanent one at HRA's Brooklyn site.
9. If you are denied If SNAP was denied because you missed the interview, apply again. If you disagree with a decision, contact DSS OneNumber. A complaint about staff goes through [311](tel:311) and does not affect your case.
10. Report changes and renew Report changes in income, savings, address, household and work: on ACCESS HRA, at a SNAP center, by mail or by fax. If you must send a six-month periodic report and do not, your SNAP case closes. SNAP in New York City is usually approved for a year; you can recertify as early as 60 days before it ends, and HRA sends a notice by mail. If your Medicaid is tied to cash assistance, you will get a text from NY State of Health (NYSOH, the State's insurance marketplace) and a detailed letter in December, so check your address and phone in your ACCESS HRA profile.

## Where to go if online does not work

- ACCESS HRA Any status NYC residents Free The City's online account and app for cash assistance, SNAP and Medicaid applications, documents and case tracking. HRA calls it the best way to apply for SNAP. [a069-access.nyc.gov](https://a069-access.nyc.gov/accesshra/)
- DSS OneNumber Any status NYC residents Free The helpline of the Department of Social Services (DSS), which includes HRA: questions about your case and problems at a center. A letter for the immigration agency USCIS is easier to order online, on ACCESS HRA. Say "Russian" and a free interpreter joins; the line is least busy on Thursday and Friday afternoons. [(718) 557-1399](tel:7185571399) [nyc.gov](https://www.nyc.gov/site/hra/about/immigration-faqs.page) Mon–Fri 8 am–5 pm
- HRA Benefit Access Centers Any status NYC residents Free HRA centers where you can apply for Emergency Assistance in person. SNAP is handled at SNAP Centers. [nyc.gov](https://www.nyc.gov/site/hra/locations/job-locations-and-service-centers.page) Mon–Fri 8:30 am–5 pm
- 311 Any status NYC residents Free The City's information service, 24/7: questions about benefits, appointments and complaints about staff. Reach it online at [portal.311.nyc.gov](https://portal.311.nyc.gov) or in the NYC[311](tel:311) app. If you call [311](tel:311), say "Russian" and a free interpreter joins. [portal.311.nyc.gov](https://portal.311.nyc.gov/) 24/7

## Emergency help: Emergency Assistance (One Shot Deal)

If you cannot pay an urgent bill, ask about emergency help. You do not need ongoing cash assistance for it.

- Emergency Assistance (One Shot Deal) Any status NYC residents Free Help if you cannot pay your bills because you lost your job, earn less or had another emergency, such as an unexpected medical bill. Also if you are homeless or about to lose your housing, your gas or electricity was shut off or you got a shut-off notice, you lost clothes, belongings or furniture to theft, fire or a natural disaster, you are affected by domestic violence, or something else threatens your family's health and safety. An interview is required; for some kinds of help you must show you can pay the bill in future or will have help. Unless you receive SSI (Supplemental Security Income, the federal benefit for people with disabilities and older adults), you may have to pay some or all of it back, and HRA will tell you. Apply on ACCESS HRA or in person at a Benefit Access Center. [nyc.gov](https://www.nyc.gov/site/hra/help/cash-assistance.page)

## Your rights when you apply

- Privacy and Executive Order 41 Any status Free HRA does not share your personal information unless the law requires it, and Executive Order 41, a New York City mayoral order, protects the confidentiality of anyone seeking City services. HRA asks about immigration status only when it is needed to decide eligibility or the law requires it. [nyc.gov](https://www.nyc.gov/site/hra/about/immigration-faqs.page)
- Free interpretation and documents in Russian Any status Free Interpretation is free at all City agencies, including HRA: by phone at HRA sites, and sometimes in person. HRA's documents are translated into six languages, including Russian. [nyc.gov](https://www.nyc.gov/site/hra/about/immigration-faqs.page)
- HRA budget letter for a USCIS fee waiver Any status Fee can be waived If you receive cash assistance, SNAP or Medicaid, HRA can give you a budget letter for a USCIS fee waiver request. Order it online: sign in to ACCESS HRA [on the website](https://a069-access.nyc.gov/accesshra/) or in the app and choose Request Budget Letter. [a069-access.nyc.gov](https://a069-access.nyc.gov/accesshra/)

## Public charge: which applications the rule touches

Public charge is the term the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the federal department that includes USCIS, uses for a person it believes is likely at any time to depend on means-tested benefits. The new rule has applied since September 18, 2026 and can lead to a denied green card or visa, but it does not apply to every application.

Does the public charge rule apply to your application (Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, October 23, 2026)

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## What it means in practice

1. Check your path If you are getting a green card through asylum, refugee status, a T visa, a U visa, VAWA or SIJ, renewing a green card or applying for citizenship, the rule does not touch you (the USCIS Policy Manual names asylees and refugees). If your path is through family, an employer or the lottery, or you are applying for a visa, it does. The City's list of exceptions is not complete; if unsure, ask the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) hotline.
2. A case in immigration court The USCIS public charge guidance covers Form I-485 applications that USCIS itself decides, not green card cases in immigration court (overseen by the Executive Office for Immigration Review, EOIR). If your case is in court, ask a lawyer.
3. Benefits before September 18, 2026 If the rule applies to your application and you filed on or after September 18, 2026, then for the time before that date only cash assistance for income maintenance and long-term institutional care at government expense count. Applications filed earlier may follow different rules.
4. Benefits from September 18, 2026 From that date any means-tested benefit from a city, state, tribal or federal government can be considered, including food help such as SNAP and government health coverage such as Medicaid. This includes benefits started earlier if you kept receiving them on or after September 18, 2026. So if you might later apply for a green card through family, an employer or the lottery, benefits you get now can be counted then.
5. Benefits for children and other relatives The USCIS Policy Manual says benefits your relatives, including children, receive are not attributed to you, and neither is applying on someone's behalf. But if you are legally responsible for supporting the recipient, their benefits can be one of the factors.
6. What is not counted Earned benefits such as Social Security and Medicare, and unemployment insurance, are not means-tested benefits. Besides benefits, officers look at age, health, family, income and assets, education and skills; under the USCIS Policy Manual, getting a benefit is not by itself enough to deny.
7. Before you give up help The City asks you not to stop benefits or services you need until you have talked to a trusted legal provider, who can look at your whole case. Ask for free on the MOIA hotline or in person at a MOIA Immigration Legal Support Center.

## Free legal help on public charge

- MOIA Immigration Legal Support Hotline Any status Free A free, confidential City-funded hotline that answers questions about public charge; say "Russian" and a free interpreter joins. You can also go in person to a MOIA Immigration Legal Support Center. [(800) 354-0365](tel:8003540365) [nyc.gov](https://www.nyc.gov/site/immigrants/legal-resources/public-charge-rule.page) Mon, Wed 9 am–8 pm; Tue, Thu, Fri 9 am–6 pm; last Saturday of the month 9 am–5 pm
- MOIA Immigration Legal Support Centers Any status Free Centers in immigrant neighborhoods, in community sites, health facilities, public schools and libraries. Free, safe immigration legal help in your language, whatever your status. [nyc.gov](https://www.nyc.gov/site/immigrants/legal-resources/public-charge-rule.page)
- USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 8, Part G Any status Free The public charge rules as USCIS states them: the primary source. For your own case, ask a lawyer. [uscis.gov](https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-8-part-g)

## Glossary: definitions of special terms and abbreviations

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This is general information, not legal advice: QARAVAN has no lawyers. QARAVAN does not help anyone enter the US and cannot arrange visas, invitations, sponsorship or evacuation. For your own case, talk to a licensed immigration attorney or a representative accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice.

[All pages: Money, food, benefits and taxes](https://www.qaravan.org/resources/money/)

**Sources, checked November 2026**

- [nyc.gov/site/hra/help/cash-assistance.page](https://www.nyc.gov/site/hra/help/cash-assistance.page)
- [nyc.gov/site/hra/about/immigration-faqs.page](https://www.nyc.gov/site/hra/about/immigration-faqs.page)
- [nyc.gov/site/hra/locations/job-locations-and-service-centers.p…](https://www.nyc.gov/site/hra/locations/job-locations-and-service-centers.page)
- [nyc.gov/site/immigrants/legal-resources/public-charge-rule.page](https://www.nyc.gov/site/immigrants/legal-resources/public-charge-rule.page)
- [uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-8-part-g](https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-8-part-g)
- [a069-access.nyc.gov/accesshra](https://a069-access.nyc.gov/accesshra/)