Bill Text: NY S04081 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to state assistance for food and vet expenses for guide dogs, hearing dogs and service dogs of individuals qualifying for social services; requires regulations set an amount of no less than $50 a month; clarifies that service dogs do not have to be certified to qualify for such benefits.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO SOCIAL SERVICES [S04081 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S04081-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          4081

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    February 2, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced by Sens. BRISPORT, SALAZAR -- read twice and ordered printed,
          and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Social Services

        AN  ACT  to amend the social services law, in relation to assistance for
          guide dogs, hearing dogs and service dogs and to repeal section  303-a
          of such law relating thereto

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Section 303-a of the social services law is REPEALED and  a
     2  new section 131-y is added to read as follows:
     3    §  131-y. Assistance for guide dogs, hearing dogs and service dogs. 1.
     4  It shall be the duty of the social services official to provide  assist-
     5  ance, in accordance with regulations of the department, to a person with
     6  a  disability using a guide dog, hearing dog or service dog who has been
     7  determined to be eligible for or is receiving, including but not limited
     8  to, federal supplemental security income benefits,  supplemental  nutri-
     9  tion  assistance  program benefits, medical assistance for needy persons
    10  and/or additional state payments under this chapter, for the purchase of
    11  food and the cost of veterinarian expenses for such dog.
    12    2. Such regulations of the department shall fix an amount of not  less
    13  than fifty dollars a month, and the method and frequency of distribution
    14  and  procedures  for the determination and periodical redetermination of
    15  eligibility for such assistance.
    16    3. Such assistance shall not be granted to any person for whom  earned
    17  income  has  been  exempted  for such purpose pursuant to federal law or
    18  regulation.
    19    4. The full amount properly  expended  by  social  services  districts
    20  under  this  section,  including costs of administration, shall be reim-
    21  bursed by the state.
    22    5. For purposes of this section, "service dog"  shall  mean  any  dog,
    23  regardless  of  certification,  under the control of the person using or

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00759-01-3
        S. 4081                             2

     1  training it and that has been or is being  individually  trained  to  do
     2  work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability.
     3    § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
     4  it shall have become a law.