Once your case has been closed and you have stopped receiving family assistance (welfare), you may still be able to get help paying for child care through the Transitional Child Care (TCC) program.

ELIGIBILITY FOR TCC:

You may be eligible for TCC if:

1 You have been discontinued from family assistance because you started earning too much money, began receiving more child support payments, or voluntarily decided to go off assistance.

2 You have a child under the age of 13 in your home

3 You have received public assistance for three out of the six months immediately before your case was closed, and

4 you have an income up to 200% of the state income standard.

THE COST OF TCC:

1 TCC is provided on a sliding fee basis, according to your income. Your fee can be as low as $1.00 per week. DSS will tell you how much you must pay. There may be a fee for each child.

2 If you don't pay your weekly fee, you will lose TCC. However, you can get it back by paying the money you owe or making arrangements to pay it back.

IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT TCC:

1 You are allowed to receive TCC for up to one year, beginning the first month that you stop getting family assistance.

2 TCC is available for almost any type of child care you choose: licensed center-based care, family day care, or a friend or relative. (Note: If you use a friend or relative, HRA will have them fill out a form every six months to get approved.)

3 HRA is supposed to recognize the need for consistent child care and cannot move your child from one center to another unless you say it is okay.

APPLYING FOR TCC:

1 Upon receipt of your first paycheck, tell your caseworker to budget your income and close your public assistance case, if you are no longer eligible, because of your employment . Ask her to put the "employment code" in the computer.

2 Obtain a "Notification of Employment" form from your worker or from the Office of Employment Services. Call 212-835-8761 to obtain a form.

3 Attach a copy of your first pay-stub to the completed "Notification of Employment" form and give it to your worker. Keep copies of your paperwork.

4 After completing the steps above, you should receive a transitional benefits package in the mail. If you do not, go down to the Transitional Benefits office at 109 East 16^th Street in Manhattan, show them copies of your paperwork and ask them for the package.

5 Complete the "Application for Transitional Child Care Payments" form (Form W-560). Fill in the information on the other documents. Make copies of all the forms for your files.

6 Mail the originals included in the packet to the address provided on the application by certified mail. If you do not hear from the Transitional Benefits Office of the Office of Employment Services within two weeks of the mailing date, visit the Transitional Benefits Office at 109 East 16^th Street and speak to someone there in person. Their phone number is 212-835-8761.

7 Once you get accepted, you should be reimbursed for the expenses you have paid since getting off public assistance.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS WITH TCC:

HRA must process your application for TCC. Ask for a Fair Hearing if HRA fails to process your TCC application.

HRA cannot reduce or stop your TCC or make you change your child care arrangements without a 10-day notice. If you request a hearing within this 10-day period, you will continue receiving your TCC until after your fair hearing.

You can ask for a fair hearing by:
                                            1 calling (212) 417-6550, or
                                            2 visiting the Fair Hearing Office at
                                               14 Boerum Place (Brooklyn), 1^st Floor

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