Statement from New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Commissioner Daniel W. Tietz: “Today, with a heavy heart, I announce that I am resigning as Commissioner of the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, effective July 25, 2023, for personal reasons.

“I am forever grateful to Governor Hochul for having provided me the opportunity to lead this vital agency and wish her and the administration continued success.

“During my time at OTDA, and under Governor Hochul’s leadership, we distributed several billion dollars in pandemic relief to help struggling New Yorkers remain stably-housed and feed themselves and their families; we invested tens of millions of dollars in capital funding to construct supportive housing for formerly homeless individuals and families; and we began the work of the Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council, which is charged with developing recommendations for reducing child poverty in New York State by 50 percent over the next ten years; and so much more. The FY 2024 State Budget included several important investments relevant to OTDA, including a measure to ensure recipients of assistance who had their benefits stolen through card skimming can receive replacement benefits; expansion of the Empire State Child Credit to include children under four years old; measures to ease the effects of the “benefits cliff” on Public Assistance recipients when they become employed; and support for New York City to manage an unprecedented influx of asylum seekers with a commitment of $1 billion in assistance.

“I am tremendously proud of the important work OTDA’s dedicated leadership and staff do every day to assist New Yorkers in need and have no doubt that work will continue in earnest with Governor Hochul’s steadfast leadership.”