The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) today announced that New Yorkers can now check their eligibility and apply for certain benefits in eight different languages at myBenefits.ny.gov. In addition to English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Haitian Creole and Russian, OTDA has now made the myBenefits site available in Italian and Korean.

“Every New Yorker who is in need of work supports should be able to easily obtain information about what assistance is available and how to access it,” said OTDA Acting Commissioner Kristin M. Proud. “Governor Cuomo has made it a priority for New York State to have crucial documents and resources available to New York State residents in languages other than English.”

In October 2011, Governor Cuomo issued Executive Order No. 26 requiring that “vital documents” be translated into the “six most common non-English languages spoken by individuals with limited English proficiency in the State of New York.”

The myBenefits website serves as an Internet portal for New York State’s families and community partners to connect with benefits, services and work supports. Anyone can quickly and easily check potential eligibility for a number of work supports and other programs, by providing basic household information. Since 2008, more than 900,000 myBenefits pre-screenings have been completed. myBenefits offers access to 17 programs, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps, Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), Temporary Assistance, and Medicaid.

Anyone can apply electronically for SNAP through myBenefits. To date, over 330,000 SNAP applications have been submitted via myBenefits.

myBenefits can be accessed by clicking here. www.mybenefits.ny.gov/