131-u. Domestic violence services to eligible persons. 1. Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of law, a social services district shall, in accordance with the provisions of this section and regulations of the department, offer and provide emergency shelter and services at a residential program for victims of domestic violence, as defined in article six-A of this chapter, to the extent that such shelter and services are necessary and available to a victim of domestic violence, as defined in article six-A of this chapter, and in need of emergency shelter and services, who was residing in the social services district at the time of the alleged domestic violence and who:
(a) is eligible for public assistance under one of the following programs:
(i) emergency assistance to needy families, pursuant to section three hundred fifty-j of this chapter;
(ii) family assistance, pursuant to section three hundred forty-nine of this chapter;
(iii) safety net assistance, pursuant to sections one hundred fifty-seven and one hundred fifty-eight of this chapter; or
(iv) any other form of public assistance and care pursuant to sections one hundred thirty-one and one hundred thirty-one-a of this chapter; or
(b) applied for public assistance and care during the time the victim was residing in a residential program for victims of domestic violence. To the extent that funds are appropriated expressly therefore and a social services district has exhausted its allocation under title XX of the federal social security act, state reimbursement shall be available for fifty percent of the expenditures made by a social services official for emergency shelter and services provided to a victim of domestic violence who is determined to be ineligible for public assistance during the time the victim was residing in a residential program for victims of domestic violence.
2. The department shall annually establish, subject to the approval of the director of the budget, a daily rate of reimbursement for each residential program for victims of domestic violence, as defined in article six-A of this chapter, certified by the department which provides emergency shelter and services to persons eligible for such emergency shelter and services pursuant to this section. A social services district financially responsible for a victim of domestic violence shall reimburse a residential program for victims of domestic violence for the costs of emergency shelter and services provided to such victim at the daily reimbursement rate established by the department reduced by the sum of all fees which such victim is able to pay toward the costs of such shelter and services as determined in accordance with the public assistance budgeting rules set forth in the regulations of the department and by any third party reimbursement available for such costs.
Last modified: February 3, 2019