Provider Tools and Supports

Provider tools on this page:

Assist clients in managing their cases

The ACCESS HRA Provider Portal is a user-friendly website that, with client consent, functions like a dashboard with client case status and upcoming case due dates. This new functionality provides access to real-time case information, giving partners, like you, the ability to:

View a client’s case status and case details, such as case members
Make updates to a client’s contact preferences, such as a telephone number or mailing address
Read agency notices posted to your client’s account
View a client’s appointment details
See recent documents HRA has recently received for a client’s case
Request budget letters
Receive notifications about an applicant or participant’s case, including when their recertification period begins
View a client’s account balances or recent payments made on their behalf, such as payments made to a landlord or utility company

Partner organizations can enroll to use the Provider Portal by contacting DSS' Community Engagement Unit at dssoutreach@dss.nyc.gov. Read the user guide. Read FAQ.

Help clients submit documents

Clients can use their smartphones or mobile devices with cameras to upload photos of their eligibility documentation for submission directly to HRA. We make two apps available to clients submitting eligibility documents:

The NYC HRA Document Upload App can be used without logging into an ACCESS HRA account, allowing providers to help clients with document submission.
The ACCESS HRA Mobile App gives clients the ability to use their mobile devices to log into their ACCESS HRA account and submit documents.

Both apps are available on Android and Apple devices.

Tell (and teach) clients about ACCESS HRA

HRA has developed marketing materials to highlight the ACCESS HRA website and mobile app, including:

Posters
Palm cards
Brochures
Table tent cards
How-to videos

Our partners can now order ACCESS HRA materials directly; it’s easy!

Set up an account by sending an email to CIWSCustomerServices@dss.nyc.gov that includes this information for each user:

Name of organization
Address
Full name
Email address
Phone number

Train your providers

Attend one of our in-person ACCESS HRA training presentations to observe ACCESS HRA for Cash Assistance and SNAP clients in action. Sign up for a training today.
Each training covers:

ACCESS HRA accounts
Connecting to SNAP or Cash Assistance on ACCESS HRA
On-Demand
SNAP applications and re-certifications
Provider Portal
Mobile app
Viewing submitted documents and agency notices

Each session also includes a question and answer (Q&A) session.

We offer trainings in multiple formats:

Seminar style trainings are held monthly at 4 World Trade Center in Manhattan.
Computer-based trainings are held every Friday at 4 MetroTech in Brooklyn. Accommodating 15-30 participants each session allows for a hands-on approach.
On a limited basis, HRA, can provide 1-2 hour on-site training sessions for non-profit organizations and government agencies to accommodate 15-30 participant sessions for those who cannot attend trainings at MetroTech or 4 World Trade Center. Email dssoutreach@dss.nyc.gov to inquire about availability.
HRA, in partnership with Single Stop, is developing online self-guided video tutorials and facilitated webinars to provide additional guidance on how to use ACCESS HRA for SNAP enrollment, the Provider Portal, and the ACCESS HRA Mobile App.

Sign up for a training today.

Sign up for our newsletters

Sign up for our quarterly e-newsletter to get updated information on the Department of Social Services (DSS). Email advocatescorner@dss.nyc.gov to sign up for the Advocate’s Corner newsletter and learn about new programs and services, upcoming trainings, updates about our Center, and important policy information.

Email dssoutreach@dss.nyc.gov and opt in for ACCESS HRA Release Updates and be the first to get news about the latest developments and new features of ACCESS HRA as they are released.

Assist clients manage their Child Support Cases

Tens of thousands of mothers, fathers, and guardians visit New York City child support offices every year for information and guidance. Yet tens of thousands more never do. Too often the result is a negative cycle. The barriers that keep parents from being able to resolve their child support issues go unaddressed.

You can be the critical link because your clients trust you, even with a topic as sensitive as child support. Here is what the Child Support Snapshot provides:

The last 5 payments on the case
How much money is owed and to whom
What kinds of enforcement actions, if any, have been taken on the case
A list of recommended next steps that are generated in response to specific details about a given case
Links to forms, brochures, and videos that you can send directly to your client

To sign up for the Child Support Snapshot and learn more, email OCSSinfo@dfa.state.ny.us. Watch a video about getting started with Snapshot: https://youtu.be/tuUq1217pp4.