New Yorkers sue OTDA

New Yorkers have filed a class-action lawsuit against the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), alleging delays in hearings, which advocates say slow access to basic needs.

“The statutory time period required for a fair hearing on (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits, food benefits, is 60 days from the time the request is requested until the time it is to be resolved and where a decision must be made. And for cash aid, it’s 90 days,” said Saima Akhtar, an attorney at the National Center for Law and Economic Justice.

Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers receive public assistance each month, but requests for help sometimes turn into appeals to local social service agencies, which advocates say take too long to reach a judge.

Spectrum News 1 contacted OTDA and a spokesperson said it does not comment on pending litigation.

The OTDA class action lawsuit claims that tens of thousands of New Yorkers are waiting months, if not years, for decisions determining their eligibility for essential benefits.

“Households are not stable and they are suffering,” Akhtar said. “And they are neighbors, brothers and sisters, cousins ​​and grandparents. We trust our government to fulfill its obligations and do its job for the general well-being.

Akhtar said the goal of the lawsuit is to speed up this process and get people the help they need in a timely manner.