The Department of Charities was established by the Laws of 1926 (Chapter 651), following the constitutional reorganization of State government. The administrative head of the department was the State Board of Charities, originally established in 1867. The department implemented the public-assistance policies and programs of the Board of Charities and assumed administrative control of institutions for dependents from the local boards of managers. Duties of the commissioner of education relating to Native American Affairs (except the education of children on reservations) were transferred to the Department of Charities. The State Commission for the Blind, originally established in 1913, became a bureau in the new department.
In 1929 (Chapter 654), the department was renamed the Department of Social Welfare, while its administrative head was renamed the Board of Social Welfare. This law and a series of public welfare laws that year reflected the importance of a new State emphasis on home relief rather than institutionalization as the fundamental basis of public welfare administration, superseding the antiquated "poor laws." The Public Welfare Law was amended in 1936 (Chapter 873) to provide for a permanent system of State aid for public relief. The Board of Social Welfare was reorganized and given authority to appoint a commissioner of public welfare. In 1967 (Chapter 728), the department was renamed the Department of Social Services.
In 1971 (Chapter 110), The Board of Social Welfare was transferred from the Department of Social Services to the Executive Department. The Bureau of Proprietary Organizations, which had the power of approval of certificates of incorporation for public welfare agencies and institutions, was removed from the department and placed under the Board of Social Welfare. The board's authority to appoint the commissioner of social services was transferred to the governor. The commissioner assumed the board's authority relating to administration of public assistance. Responsibility for all training schools and facilities for juvenile delinquents was transferred to the Division for Youth, and responsibility for the Women's Relief Corps Home was transferred to the Department of Health.
The Welfare Reform Act of 1997 (Chapter 436 of the Laws of 1997) renamed the Department of Social Services the Department of Family Assistance. Two major offices were created within the new department: the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance and the Office of Children and Family Services. Functions of the former Department of Social Services were transferred to the two aforementioned offices, as well as the Department of Health and Department of Labor. The functions of the former Division of Youth were transferred to the Office of Children and Family Services.
Web Site Topic:
The Department of Social Services supports the health and welfare of citizens by conducting the State's income maintenance, medical assistance, and social supportive-services programs. The department supervises the administration of the functions carried on by the local social services districts in New York State. The department carries out its income-maintenance responsibilities by providing funds to needy persons to sustain them while encouraging their self-sufficiency through education, employment services, and training. This is accomplished through such programs as Aid to Families with Dependent Children and Food Stamps. The department carries out its medical-assistance responsibilities by providing Medicaid to pay hospitals, physicians, nursing homes, and other providers for medical care and services for which recipients cannot afford to pay. The department carries out its social services responsibilities by providing support for services such as day care; foster care; preventive services (e.g., a homelessness prevention program); domestic violence services; housing improvement services; family planning; protective services for adults and children; services for visually handicapped; and services for Native Americans.
