The County That Says No
8 in 10 people who apply for benefits in Monroe County are denied.
I’ve spent the past several months digging into how Monroe County administers public assistance. The result is a new report: Access Denied, which looks at denial rates, case closures, sanctions, delays, and the County’s own data and pilot programs.
Monroe County is wildly different from nearly every other county in the state. From the number of people applying, to how many are denied, to how many are cut off for paperwork issues, the data shows a system that’s fundamentally out of step with how public assistance is administered elsewhere in New York.
Here are some toplines:
81.5% of applicants were denied in 2024.
Monroe County closes more cases for compliance issues than nearly any other county.
Thousands wait longer than legally allowed to receive a decision.
And even after spending $2.8 million to study the problem, the County hasn’t implemented any real changes.
One big takeaway: Monroe County says it wants to fix access—but it has strong financial incentives not to. The County saves money when fewer people are on benefits. And it appears to be defining "improving access" not by how many people actually get help, but by how people feel about the process.
This system is functioning exactly as designed—for cost containment, not community need.
They stole an extra 110 a month from my social security. finally had lifespan make them admit that—but instead of giving me back 333 for 3 months overpayment they sent a notice to a years old address a deadline for signing off on getting a 111 dollar check. I walked in to object in October. they said i had to file an appeal with the staff. they are still over billing me and sending refund checks to the wrong address