IN THE MATTER OF DANIEL HERNANDEZ, APPELLANT, AND JAMES BYNUM, ET AL.,
INTERVENORS-PETITIONERS, v. LILLIAM BARRIOS-PAOLI, &C., ET AL., RESPONDENTS.
93 N.Y.2d 781 (1999).
October 19, 1999
1 No. 146
(99 NY Int. 0132)
Decided October 19, 1999
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This opinion is uncorrected and subject to revision before publication
in the New York Reports.
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Armen H. Merjian, for appellant.
Kristin M. Helmers, for respondents.
SMITH, J.:
At issue in this appeal is whether Local Law 49, codified in the
Administrative Code of the City of New York § 21-126 et seq., is
contravened by the Eligibility Verification Review (EVR) procedure for
AIDS and clinical/symptomatic HIVclients served by the Division of
AIDS Services Income Support (DASIS) of the Human Resources
Administration (HRA). For the reasons set forth below, we conclude
that it does, and that the order of the Appellate Division should be
reversed.
I.
In July 1997, petitioner, who suffers from clinical/symptomatic HIV,
applied to DASIS for public benefits and services. He was subsequently
interviewed at the Manhattan DASIS office, where he completed an
application and submitted all necessary documents needed to receive
public benefits. Thereafter, petitioner was informed that he was
scheduled for an EVR investigation at HRA%s Brooklyn office. In
response to an inquiry, HRA advised him that without an EVR interview,
he would not receive public assistance.
Petitioner commenced this CPLR article 78 proceeding challenging HRA%s
requirement that he submit to an EVR investigation. (n.1) Supreme
Court granted the petition, concluding that the Administrative Code of
the City of New York did not permit the additional investigation for
establishing eligibility for public benefits and services. The
SNIPPETS:
This opinion is uncorrected and subject to revision before publication in the New York
Kristin M. Helmers, for respondents.
AIDS Services Income Support of the Human Resources
For the reasons set forth below, we conclude that it does, and that the order of the
In July 1997, petitioner, who suffers from clinical/symptomatic HIV, applied to DASIS for
petitioner was informed that he was scheduled for an EVR investigation at HRA%s Brooklyn
In response to an inquiry, HRA advised him that without an EVR interview, he would not
concluding that the Administrative Code of the City of New York did not permit the additional
DASIS is an agency within the Department of Social Services established administratively by
Local Law 49, which was signed into law in 1997, mandates that the staff of DASIS "provide
The requirements with respect to such access to and eligibility for benefits and services
Accordingly, when an individual suffering from either clinical/symptomatic HIV illness or
The DASIS staff member conducts a field visit and a public assistance interview to establish
According to HRA%s Policies and Procedures Manual, DASIS clients are interviewed by EVR staff
EVR investigators "specially trained in eligibility verification * * * provide intensive
Moreover, EVR investigators may contact other individuals and organizations to obtain
Your failure to report for the interview or to respond to notices left at your home by EVR
Thus, notwithstanding that DASIS has already determined an applicant's eligibility for public
While the foregoing provisions mandate that Social Service officials conduct investigations
Construing Local Law 49 as eliminating EVR investigations for DASIS clients is consistent
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