Council advances "Receipts Act" to require application confirmations and document receipts for benefit applicants

The City Council on May 28 advanced Intro 11-48A, the "Receipts Act," which would require agencies that process public benefits to provide application confirmation notices and detailed receipts documenting submitted documents and the status of an application.

Council Member Caban, sponsor of the bill, said the measure "ensures that applicants for key benefits like cash assistance, one shot deals, and food stamps receive an application confirmation notice when they apply. This notice will indicate whether the application is complete and if not, what steps remain." She said the bill also requires that applicants receive a detailed receipt after submitting documents, including the date, type of documents, and the purpose of submission.

Supporters framed the bill as a practical step to reduce administrative errors and help New Yorkers track benefit applications and appeals. Caban said the law was crafted with input from constituent service teams and advocates and noted chronic underfunding and understaffing at agencies such as the Department of Social Services (DSS) and Human Resources Administration (HRA) have left applicants without documentation or clarity.

The committee report placed Intro 11-48A on the general orders calendar (amended and coupled). The transcript records the bill on the general orders calendar and the council’s final adoption of the general orders agenda later in the meeting.

The measure would require interagency implementation steps with DSS and HRA; no implementation timetable was provided in the meeting remarks.