New York State Department of Social Services

Department of Family Assistance

Department overview
Jurisdiction	New York
Child agencies	Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Office of Children and Family Services
Key documents	Social Services Law Executive Law

The New York State Department of Family Assistance (DFA), also known as the Department of Family Services, is the department of the New York state government. Its regulations are compiled in title 18 of the New York Codes, Rules and Regulations.

It is composed of two autonomous offices:

Administrative reviews ("Fair Hearings") of decisions by a local social services agency are handled by the OTDA Office of Administrative Hearings.

A Rivera Request, also known as an evidence packet request, is the document (labeled W-186A) used for requesting evidence relating to a NYC Human Resources Administration fair hearing pursuant to the stipulation and settlement in Rivera v. Bane.

On August 20, 1997, Governor Pataki signed the Welfare Reform Act of 1997 that, in relevant part, renamed the Department of Social Services (DSS) as the Department of Family Assistance, and also divided the department into Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) and the State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). These two offices assumed many of DSS' functions. Other functions of the former DSS were transferred to the Department of Labor and the Department of Health. In addition, as part of the reorganization of State government, OCFS assumed all of the functions of the Division for Youth (DFY). It was also formerly the Department of Social Welfare.

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