New York State has increased its maximum weekly unemployment insurance benefit (UIB) from $504 to $869.This change is possible because New York paid off its $7 billion federal loan to the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund through the 2025 state budget. As a result, benefits can increase, and employers will no longer have to pay the Interest [...]

Annual ChangesIncome guidelines have increased, click here for a chart of the updated income guidelines.SNAP benefit amounts have increased slightly.Certain deductions have increased: the shelter cap, as well as the homeless deduction.We have updated our SNAP Budget Worksheet and free SNAP Calculator to reflect all of these changes.SNAP Changes as a Result of H.R. 1NYS OTDA has released a [...]

Families who missed the 3-K, Pre-K, or Kindergarten application deadlines, can still add their child to waitlists, which is scheduled to close on Friday, September 19, 2025.  Those on the waitlist may still lead to a placement for the 2025–2026 school year.There are two ways to add a child to a waitlist:Contact the school of interest directly to [...]

As part of the “unwinding” process following the end of the Public Health Emergency, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) had provided temporary easements related to Medicaid renewals.  Many of these easements have now expired on June 25, 2025.The following key updates, as outlined in GIS 25/MA 06, reflect the return to standard Medicaid renewal procedures:·       [...]