Section 122. Aliens


Latest version.
  • 1. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, no person
      except a citizen or an alien who has been duly naturalized as a  citizen
      shall  be  eligible  for  additional  state payments for aged, blind and
      disabled persons, family assistance,  safety  net  assistance,  services
      funded  under  title  XX  of the federal social security act, or medical
      assistance, subject to the following exceptions:
        (a) The  following  persons  shall,  if  otherwise  eligible,  receive
      benefits under such programs:
        (i)  a  refugee who entered the United States within the previous five
      years with respect to benefits under the temporary assistance  to  needy
      families  block  grant program and the safety net assistance program and
      within the previous seven years with respect to medical assistance;
        (ii) an asylee who was granted asylum within the previous  five  years
      with  respect  to  benefits  under  the  temporary  assistance  to needy
      families block grant program and the safety net assistance  program  and
      within the previous seven years with respect to medical assistance;
        (iii)  a  person for whom deportation was withheld within the previous
      five years with respect to benefits under the  temporary  assistance  to
      needy families block grant program and the safety net assistance program
      and within the previous seven years with respect to medical assistance;
        (iv)  except  as  otherwise required by federal law, a person lawfully
      admitted for permanent residence who has worked for or can  be  credited
      with  forty qualifying quarters as defined under title II of the federal
      Social Security Act, exclusive of any quarter after the thirty-first day
      of December, nineteen hundred ninety-six in which such  person  or  such
      person's parent or spouse received any federal means tested assistance;
        (v)  any alien lawfully residing in the state who is on active duty in
      the armed forces (other than  active  duty  for  training)  or  who  has
      received  an  honorable  discharge (and not on account of alienage) from
      the  armed  forces  or  the  spouse,  unremarried  surviving  spouse  or
      unmarried  dependent  child  of any such alien, if such alien, spouse or
      dependent child is a qualified alien as defined in section  431  of  the
      federal  personal responsibility and work opportunity reconciliation act
      of 1996 (8 U.S. Code 1641), as amended;
        (vi) an alien granted status as a Cuban and Haitian entrant as defined
      in section 501(e) of the federal Refugee Education Act  of  1980  within
      the  previous  five  years  with respect to benefits under the temporary
      assistance to  needy  families  block  grant  program,  and  safety  net
      assistance  and  within the previous seven years with respect to medical
      assistance; and
        (vii) an alien admitted to the United States as an Amerasian immigrant
      as  described  in  section  402(a)(2)(A)   of   the   federal   personal
      responsibility  and  work  opportunity reconciliation act of 1996 within
      the previous five years with respect to  benefits  under  the  temporary
      assistance  to  needy  families  block  grant  program,  and  safety net
      assistance and within the previous seven years with respect  to  medical
      assistance.
        (b)  The  following  persons,  not  described in paragraph (a) of this
      subdivision, shall,  if  otherwise  eligible,  be  eligible  for  family
      assistance, medical assistance, and safety net assistance:
        (i) an alien who is a qualified alien as defined in section 431 of the
      federal  personal responsibility and work opportunity reconciliation act
      of 1996 (8 U.S. Code 1641), as amended, who entered  the  United  States
      before  the twenty-second day of August, nineteen hundred ninety-six and
      continuously resided in the  United  States  until  attaining  qualified
      status; and
        (ii)  a  qualified  alien  who entered the United States five years or
      more earlier with a status within the meaning  of  the  term  "qualified
    
      alien"  as defined in section 431 of the federal personal responsibility
      and work opportunity reconciliation act of 1996 (8 U.S. Code  1641),  as
      amended,  if  such  entry  occurred on or after the twenty-second day of
      August, nineteen hundred ninety-six.
        (c)  The  following  persons, not described in paragraph (a) or (b) of
      this subdivision, shall, if otherwise eligible, be eligible  for  safety
      net  assistance  and  medical assistance, except that medical assistance
      shall be limited to care and services (not including care  and  services
      related to an organ transplant procedure) necessary for the treatment of
      an  emergency  medical condition as that term is defined in section 1903
      of the federal social security act unless and  until  federal  financial
      participation is available for the costs of providing medical assistance
      provided,  however,  that  any  such  person  who,  on the fourth day of
      August, nineteen hundred ninety-seven  was  residing  in  a  residential
      health  care  facility  licensed  by  the  department  of health or in a
      residential facility licensed, operated  or  funded  by  the  office  of
      mental  health  or  the  office  of mental retardation and developmental
      disabilities, and was in receipt of a medical  assistance  authorization
      based  on  a finding that he or she was a person permanently residing in
      the United States under color of law shall, if  otherwise  eligible,  be
      eligible  for  medical  assistance  and provided, further, that any such
      person who, on the fourth day of August, nineteen hundred  ninety-seven,
      was  diagnosed  as having AIDS, as defined in subdivision one of section
      two thousand seven hundred eighty of the public health law, and  was  in
      receipt  of medical assistance authorization pursuant to title eleven of
      article five of this chapter based on a finding that he  or  she  was  a
      person  permanently  residing  in  the  United States under color of law
      shall, if otherwise eligible, be eligible for medical assistance:
        (i) a qualified alien who entered the United  States  less  than  five
      years  earlier  or  for less than five years has had a status within the
      meaning of the term "qualified alien" as defined in section 431  of  the
      federal  personal responsibility and work opportunity reconciliation act
      of 1996 (8 U.S. Code 1641), as amended, if such  entry  occurred  on  or
      after the twenty-second day of August, nineteen hundred ninety-six; and
        (ii)  an  alien  whose  status  is  not within the meaning of the term
      "qualified alien" as defined in section  431  of  the  federal  personal
      responsibility  and  work opportunity reconciliation act of 1996 (8 U.S.
      Code 1641), as amended, but who is otherwise permanently residing in the
      United States under color of law.
        (d) A person paroled into the United States for a period of less  than
      one  year shall, if otherwise eligible, be eligible to receive any state
      or local non-federal assistance provided under this chapter on the  same
      terms as such programs are available to persons who are qualified aliens
      as  defined  in  section  431 of the federal personal responsibility and
      work opportunity reconciliation act of  1996  (8  U.S.  Code  1641),  as
      amended.
        (e)  Nothing  herein  shall  preclude  the  receipt  by  any  alien of
      community based non-cash assistance in accordance with the directions of
      the United States attorney general or the receipt of medical  assistance
      for  care  and  services  (not including care and services related to an
      organ transplant procedure) necessary  to  treat  an  emergency  medical
      condition  as that term is defined in section 1903 of the federal social
      security act.
        (f) An alien who is not ineligible for federal  supplemental  security
      income  benefits by reason of alien status shall, if otherwise eligible,
      be eligible to receive additional state  payments  for  aged,  blind  or
      disabled persons under section two hundred nine of this chapter.
    
        (g)   Aliens   receiving  supplemental  security  income  benefits  or
      additional state payments for aged, blind  and  disabled  persons  under
      section  two  hundred nine of this chapter shall be eligible for medical
      assistance if otherwise eligible.
        (h) Qualified aliens as defined in section 431 of the federal personal
      responsibility  and  work opportunity reconciliation act of 1996 (8 U.S.
      Code 1641), as amended, if otherwise eligible and  except  as  otherwise
      provided  by  federal  law,  shall  be eligible for services pursuant to
      title XX of the federal social security act.
        2. Any alien, including an alien who  is  not  a  qualified  alien  as
      defined  in  section 431 of the federal personal responsibility and work
      opportunity reconciliation act of 1996 (8 U.S. Code 1641),  as  amended,
      is  eligible  for  adult protective services and services and assistance
      relating to child protection to the extent that such person is otherwise
      eligible pursuant to this chapter and the regulations of the department.
        3. Each social services district shall report to  the  department,  in
      accordance  with regulations of the department, the name and address and
      other identifying information known to it  with  respect  to  any  alien
      known to be unlawfully in the United States.
        4.  To  the extent permitted by federal law and regulation, the income
      and resources of a sponsor of an alien, who has signed an  affidavit  of
      support  pursuant  to section 213A of the immigration and naturalization
      act, and the income and resources of such  sponsor's  spouse,  shall  be
      deemed   available  to  such  alien  for  purposes  of  determining  the
      eligibility of such alien for  assistance  funded  under  the  temporary
      assistance to needy families block grant and medical assistance.
        5.  If  and  to  the  extent  that  the  family assistance, safety net
      assistance, state  additional  payments  in  the  supplemental  security
      income  program,  emergency assistance to aged, blind or disabled adults
      or medical assistance is paid to or on behalf of an alien  for  whom  an
      affidavit  of  support  pursuant  to section 213A of the immigration and
      naturalization act has been signed, the social services  district  shall
      request  reimbursement  by the sponsor in the amount of such assistance,
      and, if the sponsor does not within  forty-five  days  of  such  request
      indicate  a  willingness  to  commence  payments,  such  social services
      district may commence an action against  the  sponsor  pursuant  to  the
      affidavit. Remedies available to enforce an affidavit of support include
      all  of  the remedies described in sections 3201, 3202, 3204 and 3205 of
      title 28 of the United States Code, as well as  an  order  for  specific
      performance and payment of legal fees and other costs of collection, and
      include  corresponding  remedies  available  under  state law; provided,
      however, that no action shall be  brought  more  than  ten  years  after
      assistance was last given.
        6.  Nothing  in  this  section  shall  be interpreted as affecting the
      eligibility for pre-natal care benefits for persons  otherwise  eligible
      for such benefits.