CHENANGO COUNTY – County officials are taking action against what they say is an outdated state mandate that allows New York State non-residents to receive public assistance in Chenango County.
The Chenango County Board of Supervisors has voted unanimously to request that the State of New York establish a residency requirement in order for welfare applicants to receive public assistance. A residency requirement would mandate that anyone who is applying for welfare benefits show proof that they have a permanent residence in the state during the application process.
“At this point, for someone to get benefits in New York State, they don’t have to have a term of residency,” explained Bette Osborne, commissioner of the Chenango County Department of Social Services. “The New York State Constitution says the state will provide for people within its borders... As long as someone has spent the last night here in the state and the county is required to provide them with public assistance.”
Local legislators say a residency requirement would cut back on hundreds of thousands of dollars paid by county taxpayers to provide welfare to people who do not live in Chenango County. According to a resolution adopted by the county Board of Supervisors last week, Chenango has seen an influx of out of state residents who are applying for public assistance which has left a significant dent in the county’s budget.
The resolution also cites “other states throughout the country (that) have been known to send people to New York State to receive said benefits as a result of the state’s total benefit package, including Medicaid.”
The Chenango County Department of Social Services typically sees between 15 and 20 homeless applicants each month, said Osborne – approximately two or three of whom are out of state residents. “New York offers a lot of public assistance programs that are not offered in other states,” she said. “If you’re in a state that does not provide certain Medicaid benefits or payment for certain Medicaid benefits and you move to New York State, you’re eligible. We are also one of the only states that has a safety net for childless couples and singles.”
While it’s uncertain whether the New York State legislature will implement a residency requirement in the foreseeable future, the notion has is gaining support from counties all over the state, including several in the Western New York and Finger Lakes regions. But it would ultimately be the responsibility of the state to define specific terms that determines someone to be a New York resident.
While establishment of a residency requirement would save the county from providing welfare benefits for out of state residents, the current lack of such a requirement caught several county policy makers off guard, many of whom said they were unaware that no such policy existed. “I often get residents who say, ‘Why is it so easy to get all these (benefits) in Chenango County’,” said Preston Supervisor Peter Flanagan prior to the adoption of the resolution supporting a residency requirement. “This might put a stop to that.”
A copy of the adopted resolution will be forwarded the offices of New York Governor, state senators James Seward (51st Senate District) and Tom Libous (52nd Senate District), as well as assemblymen Clifford Crouch (122nd Assembly District) and Gary Finch (123rd Assembly District). Copies will also be given to other New York Counties and the New York State Association of Counties.