On October 5, 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a decision on the legality of the 2012 Deferred Action for Child Arrivals (DACA) policy. The court partially affirmed the district court’s July 2021 decision declaring the 2012 DACA policy unlawful. However, the court of appeals preserved the partial stay issued by [...]

The following changes to the Cash Assistance program were implemented on October 1, 2022:Elimination of the 185% Standard of Need Test and Federal Poverty Level Test. Countable income must be below the net income test or Standard of Need test, see https://bplc.cssny.org/benefit_tools/8 for the levels in NYC.Changes in earned income deductions: All households who have received [...]

Regular HEAP BenefitHEAP officially opened November 1, 2022. HEAP provides a grant to low-income households to help pay for energy expenses. HEAP eligible households receive either a direct payment to their heating/utility vendor or a one-time cash benefit. The benefit amount depends on whether the household pays for heat directly (and if so, the type of [...]

For families who did not earn enough to file a 2021 tax return there is still time to claim the child tax credit!!! Claim the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit, the full Child Tax Credit, the Earned Income Tax Credit or other credits. Taxpayers are encouraged to use electronic filing options including IRS Free File which is [...]