TO:  Commissioners; Food Stamp Directors; Temporary Assistance Directors, Employment Coordinators  

FROM:  Russell Sykes, Deputy Commissioner, Center for Employment and Economic Supports	

SUBJECT:  Working Families Food Stamp Initiative Conference Informational Calls December 20, 2007

EFFECTIVE DATE:  December 20, 2007 for Conference Call, in preparation for implementation of Working Families on January 1st, 2008.	

CONTACT PERSON:  Food Stamp Bureau (518) 473-1469

The purpose of this GIS message is to inform all local districts that OTDA will conduct Informational and Question/Answer Conference Calls on the Working Families Food Stamp Initiative (WFFSI).  Please review the soon to be released Working Families ADM.  It will explain the phased implementation of this initiative which must begin in all local social services districts on January 1st, 2008.

Three conference calls have been scheduled on Thursday, December 20th, 2007, for the following districts: 

E-Applications Pilots (9:30a.m.-10:30a.m.): Chautauqua, Dutchess, Erie, Jefferson, Onondaga, Orange, Suffolk, Tompkins, Westchester, and Ulster

Telephone Interview Counties (11:00a.m. - 12:00p.m.):   Cayuga, Delaware, Franklin, Greene, Herkimer, Madison, Monroe, Nassau, Oneida, Orleans, Oswego, St. Lawrence, Schenectady, Tioga, Washington, Wayne, and NYC/HRA

All Other Districts (1:30p.m. – 2:30p.m.):  Albany, Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Chemung, Chenango, Clinton, Columbia, Cortland, Essex, Fulton, Genesee, Hamilton, Lewis, Livingston, Montgomery, Niagara, Ontario, Otsego, Putnam, Rensselaer, Rockland, Saratoga, Schoharie, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Sullivan, Warren, Wyoming, and Yates

The conferee code for all three calls is 9948044.
The conference toll-free call-in number is 866-266-3697.  The local number is 518-408-1500.
 
To give all districts an opportunity to ask questions, 32 lines are available for each of the conference calls. The content of the conference calls will vary according to scheduled implementation, so we ask that each district call only during their designated time.  If the time assigned to a local district is inconvenient for critical staff, please contact the Food Stamp Bureau at 518-473-1469.  We recommend that each district have the designees who are involved with planning and training for the implementation of the Working Families Initiative attend the call. If you have multiple staff attending, due to the limited number of lines available, please call from a phone with conference call capabilities.

We invite you to submit questions prior to the call.  Questions may be e-mailed in advance to Kimberly.Henry@otda.state.ny.us before December 19, 2007.

Attachments:  DRAFT Working Families Food Stamp Initiative ADM
	           Working Families Food Stamp Initiative Screening Sheet