- What can I do if I don't receive
my monthly pension check?
If you believe your monthly benefits
allowance is lost in the mail, or you haven't received
it by the 10th day of the month, you should alert
your pension system. In the case of the New York
City Employees' Retirement System (NYCERS), you
can contact the Comptroller's Office to file a Lost
Check Affidavit on your behalf. Once you receive
the Affidavit from NYCERS, and you complete it and
return it to the pension system, you should expect
to receive a replacement check in approximately
two to three weeks.
Alternatively, to avoid future
late or lost checks, you may choose Electronic
Fund Transfer (EFT) which will wire your monies
directly into your bank account each month. This
is done by filling out an Electronic
Fund Transfer (EFT) authorization form. Each
of the five retirement systems have their own EFT
applications. It takes approximately 60 to
90 days for your EFT to be activated. In
the interim, you will still receive your checks
via the mail. Once you have EFT, you will
receive quarterly statements.
Click
here to receive an application, or obtain
additional information.
NYCERS
Contact: (347) 643-3000 or (877) 669-2377
Website: www.nycers.org
Teachers Retirement System
Contact: (888) 869-2877
Website: www.trs.nyc.ny.us
Police Pension Fund
Contact: (212) 693-5100 or (866) 692-7733
Website: www.nyc.gov/nycppf
Board of Education Retirement System
Contact: (718) 935-5400 or (800) 843-5575
Website: www.nycbers.org
Fire Department Pension Fund
Contact: (718) 999-2327, 2328 or 2329
Website: www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/home2.shtml
- What is Medicare reimbursement
and how do I apply for it?
During the latter part of August and the beginning
of September, Medicare premium reimbursements, currently
at the rate of $93.50 per month per person, are available
for those retirees who are enrolled in a City health
plan as the contract holder and are also enrolled
in and paying premiums for Medicare Medical Insurance
Part B.
Active City employees and their dependents covered
by Medicare have identical benefits to those provided
to employees and their dependents under the age
of 65. However, unless Medicare has been elected
as primary coverage, the City does not reimburse
employees or their dependents for their Medicare
Part B premiums..
If you're eligible, you can apply for a Medicare
reimbursement, by submitting your Medicare card
to the Health Benefits Program of the NYC Office
of Labor Relations (OLR), 40 Rector Street, Attn: Medicare Unit - 3rd
Floor, New York, NY 10006. Applications usually
take between four and six months to process;
checks are mailed to the same address as your pension
check. For more information, please call the
OLR at (212) 513-0470, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
- My car hit a pothole. What
agency do I notify to get the street repaired?
The City Department of Transportation (DOT) is
responsible for correcting all roadway and street
deficiencies, such as potholes. To report such problems,
contact Diane Poland, DOT Director of Litigation
Support, at the agency's headquarters, at 40 Worth
Street, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10013, or call 311. To file a claim for
damages to your vehicle, download
the Automobile Property Damage Claim Form and fact
sheets.
DOT is also the place to report a traffic light
that isn't functioning properly. If you are aware
of such a problem, call 311.
- I want to dispute my water bill.
What do I do?
Excessive water and sewer charges could be attributable
to a variety of factors. Your meter could have been
read incorrectly, the device itself could be faulty
or there might be a leak somewhere in your building.
If you've got a question concerning your water
bill or if you want to report a water main break
or sewer backup, contact the New York City Department
of Environmental Protection (DEP). Its Bureau of
Customer and Conservation Services can be reached
at (718) 595-7000. If the problem
is not resolved, call or email
CAC to look into the matter.
- What do I do if my landlord
isn't supplying me with heat and hot water?
As a matter of law, heat must be provided during
the eight-month cycle starting with the 1st of
October through the 31st of May.
Landlords and building owners must adhere to minimum
standards in order to satisfy this statute. For
instance, if the outside temperature is 55 degrees
or below, during the hours of 6 a.m. through 10
p.m. the inside temperature must be at least 68
degrees. Similarly, if the outside temperature during
the hours of 10 p.m. through 6 a.m. is 40 degrees
or below, landlords have to ensure that it's at
least 55 degrees inside for all occupants.
If you live in either a private home or an apartment
house and your landlord isn't providing you with
the proper amount of heat, you should call 311 where your complaint will be forwarded to the
New York City Department of Housing Preservation
and Development (HPD) 24-hours, seven-days a week
all year round; (212) 863-5504 TTY, for hearing-impaired
tenants. For residents of New York City Housing
Authority (NYCHA) facilities who want to report
heat problems, call (212) 306-3270, Monday through
Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and after 5 p.m.
and on weekends, call (212) 289-8000.
Once you report your complaint, you will be issued
a log or complaint number. It is vital that
you keep this number handy, because your complaint
has been automatically forwarded to the code enforcement
offices of HPD for investigation and action.
If your landlord doesn't rectify the situation
quickly, contact your borough Code Enforcement
Office and make reference to your complaint number.
In Manhattan and Staten Island, call (212) 234-2541;
Queens, (718) 286-0800; Brooklyn, (718) 827-1942;
and the Bronx, (718) 579-6772.
If your complaint is about commercial building,
or the exterior/structural integrity of any building,
then make your complaint to the Department of Buildings
at the Central Complaint Center at (212) 227-7000.
If you live in a City-owned building not managed
by NYCHA, call the Department of Buildings at (212) 566-5000 or 311.
- Where do I get a certificate of
residence?
If you are a college student attending a two-year
community college outside the five boroughs, you
may require proof of residency to comply with the
State Education law, which defines a resident as
a person who has lived in the state for a period
of at least one year and in the county, city, town,
intermediate school district or school district
for at least six months. If you require such
proof, you must apply to the Office of the City
Comptroller by submitting a notarized affidavit
and two proofs of identification. Acceptable forms
of identification include your voter registration
card, copies of both your State and City tax returns
and an envelope mailed to you, postmarked within
the last six months which proves you reside at your
current address.
To download a Certificate of Residence click here. For more information, please call (212) 669-2784,
or visit Room 703 of the Office of the Comptroller,
One Centre Street, New York, New York 10007.
-
Where can lesbian and gay New
Yorkers find information about services and resources
especially for them?
Each year, the Comptroller's Office publishes
a guide that provides a comprehensive listing of the wide range of organizations, agencies and programs
serving the lesbian and gay community. With more
than 500 entries from the entire New York metropolitan
area, the Comptroller's Lesbian and Gay Directory
of Services and Resources is an important reference
tool, especially since more groups are using the
internet to make valuable contacts and access news
and information. The latest edition contains e-mail
and World Wide Web addresses as well as locations,
phone and fax numbers.
| Comptroller's
Lesbian and Gay Directory of Services
and Resources |
 LGBT Guide |
|
Call (212) 669-3089 or
E-mail CAC for more details about this directory.
- How can I find out if I'm owed
any unclaimed funds?
Each year, the New York State Comptroller's Office
processes thousands of requests from people who
believe they are rightfully entitled to unclaimed
monies that have been held by the government. As
of March 2002, the agency reported that it had approximately
$5 billion to disburse.
Inquiries are handled on a strict first-come, first-served
basis by the Claimant Services Unit of the Comptroller's
Office of Unclaimed Funds. New Yorkers can contact
this department by calling (800) 221-9311; otherwise,
all out-of-state residents should call (518) 474-4038
or (518) 474-8263. The State Comptroller can also
be reached online at www.osc.state.ny.us
- I've fallen on hard times and
need financial assistance. What can the city do for
me?
The New York City Human Resources Administration
(HRA)/ Department of Social Services (DSS) coordinates
and supervises safety net programs operated in the
City for many of New York's neediest people. Below
is a partial listing of the services HRA offers
to help you meet the challenges of day-to-day living:
- Provide public assistance, such as food stamps
and other income support
services through Aid to Dependent Children (ADC),
Home Relief, Veterans Assistance and Emergency Assistance
to Adults
- Determine Medicaid eligibility for City residents
who don't receive Public Assistance or Supplemental
Security Income
- Provide home care services through contracted
vendor agencies
- Provide emergency support to families affected
by large-scale disasters, such as fires
- Offer assistance with rent and heat arrears
- Offer medical support and services to victims
of domestic violence and to people living with AIDS
To find out more about how HRA can help you become
more self-sufficient, call (877) 472-8411. An automated
attendant will guide you through an array of options
so that you can choose which best suits your
particular problem.
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- I've noticed a child in my neighborhood
with a lot of welts and bruises on his or her arms and
legs. What should I do?
If you even have the suspicion that a child is a victim
of abuse, call the New York State Central Registry's
toll-free hotline number at (800) 635-1522.
- Where do I get assistance for someone
who has Alzheimer's disease or another long-term illness?
Your local Office of the Aging is a primary resource
for obtaining help in the community. Specialists are
available to help you one-on-one with a range of services
that can ease the burden of care by counseling, educating,
assisting and, when necessary, referring you to appropriate
agencies and programs that will meet your needs. Contact
Alzheimer's Center and Long-Term Care Department for
the Aging at (212) 442-3086. Additional resources may also be available by contacting the Central Intake Unit of Adult Protective Service at (212) 630-1853 or 311.
- How can I find information about
the HEAP Program?
The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) provides
regular or emergency help to low-income families with
heating bills. If you received an application last
year you will receive another one automatically this
year. If you are on public assistance or food stamps
and have someone under the age of 6 or over the age
of 60 in your house, and if your case was NOT active
as of December 31, 1996, then you should apply at
your local HEAP office. The same applies if you are
under 60, on Social Security or are disabled and are
head of household, or if you are over the age of 60.
If you are under 60 years old contact: (877) 472-8411 for the HRA Infoline. Over 60 years old contact: (212) 442-1000
Department for the Aging.
- Where can I get help setting up
my business?
The City of New York is committed to making it easy
to do business in New York. The Department of Business
Services offers free consultant services for new and
existing businesses. Together with the Economic Development
Corporation it offer programs that cover financing,
energy-cost reductions, tax abatements, real estate
relocation, employment assistance, business assistance,
and international business assistance. It also provides
information on commercial revitalization programs
and zones in the City, and Business Improvement Districts.
Contact the Department of Business Services at
(212) NY-MAGIC or (212) 696-2442; Economic Development
Corporation at (212) 619-5000.
- How do I buy or lease City-owned
property?
For various reasons, the City has ended up owning
property that it is dedicated to returning into private
hands. The Department of Housing Preservation and
Development provides a number of programs for selling
City-owned homes and apartment houses to private citizens,
while the Economic Development Corporations wants
to help businesses find the premises they need in
New York City. The Department of Citywide Administrative
Services owns non-residential property, which from
time to time is available for sale or lease. Finally,
we provide phone numbers for people to redeem property
taken for non-payment of taxes as well as the number
to check for upcoming auctions.
Home ownership programs at the Department of
Housing Preservation and Development: (212) 863-8000
Economic Development Corporation: (212) 619-5000
Information on leasing: (212) 669-4241
Redemptions: (212) 669-7232
Real Estate Auctions for Commercial Property:
(212) 669-8888
- How do we get married in New York
City?
First you need to get a marriage license. You don't
need an appointment (except for Staten Island where
you need to make an appointment) and you don't need
a blood test. Both the man and the woman must appear
in person at one of the borough offices of the City
Clerk of New York (sited in Borough Halls in each
borough), bringing proof of identification (either
original or certified copies of passport, driver's
license or non-driver ID, military ID, visa or green
card) and a money order payable to the "City
Clerk of New York" for $30. No cash or personal
checks will be accepted. All documents must be in
English or accompanied by a certified English translation.
If either person was married before, he or she must
name the earlier spouse together with the date and
place the marriage was finally dissolved. The papers
will be prepared while you are in the office. You
must wait 24 hours before getting married, and the
license is good for 60 days. If the marriage does
not take place within 60 days the license expires
and another license must be obtained. The license
can only be used in the State of New York. If one
or both of the applicants is 16 or 17, both parents
must be present with original or certified copies
of proof of ID mentioned above, and the applicant's
proof must include the date of birth. You can be married
at 14 or 15, but only with a court order as well as
both parents' permission.
The marriage ceremony itself costs $25 (money order
only payable to the "City Clerk of New York")
and takes place only in the office. Only the Staten
Island office requires an appointment. You should
have one witness unless one of the applicants is
under 18, in which case both parents should also
be present.
Office hours for City Clerk borough offices are
as follows: Monday through Friday from 8:30am to
4:00pm (Manhattan) ad Monday through Friday from
9:00am to 4:00pm (Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten
Island.
- Where can I get a copy of my marriage
certificate?
Copies of marriage certificates are available only
from the Manhattan Office of the City Clerk (except
for marriages in 1996, which are available in the
borough offices where the ceremony took place). If
the marriage took place within the past 50 years,
only the husband or wife or someone with written authorization
from them may apply for certified copies. (Marriages
that took place more than 50 years ago are considered
to be part of the public records.) You may apply in
person or by mail. If you apply by mail (City Clerk,
Municipal Building, New York, NY 10007) include a
short note explaining that you want a certified copy
of your marriage certificate, giving the names of
bride and groom, the date of the marriage, and the
borough office where it was performed. Include the
correct fee as a money order made payable to the "City
Clerk of New York." A one-year search with one
certified copy costs $15, a two-year search $16, a
three-year search $16.50, a four-year search $17,
and a five-year search $17.50. Each additional certified
copy costs an extra $10. Allow four to six weeks.
Marriage certificates earlier than 1929 are kept
by the Municipal Archives located at 31 Chambre Street, Suite 103, New York, NY 10007. More information is available by calling 311 or faxing (212) 788-8583.
- How does the Domestic Partnership
Program work?
The Domestic Partnership program allows a City workers
to register his or her live-in partner as a certified
domestic partner and receive an affidavit. NOTE: This
is just the first step in applying for City benefits
for your partner. You will need to present proof of
a shared life, such as wills, shared bank accounts,
joint lease, and so on to the person responsible for
benefits at your agency. For more information
contact the City Clerk's Office at 141 Worth Street, New York, NY 10013 or 311, or the Office of Labor Relations at 40 Rector Street, New York, NY 10006 or (212) 306-7200.
- I am the complainant (victim) in
a pending criminal case and want to know if the defendant
is still in jail or has been bailed or otherwise released?
The City of New York has established a free 24-hour
hotline that both provides custody status information
about caller-specified inmates in Department of Correction
jails and initiates automated notifications to registered
callers about those inmates' release. Contact: 1-888-VINE4NY
or 1-888-846-3469.
- It's too noisy! Where can I get
help?
Noise in New York City is handled by a number of different
agencies. The Department of Environmental Protection
is one of the first resources for complaints about
many kinds of noise, including noise from:
• construction • nightclub • outside
speakers • barking dogs
• private carters' trucks (Department of
Sanitation trucks should be reported to the agency)
• air conditioners • manufacturing devices
Your local precinct will handle:
• noisy neighbors • boom boxes •
continuing car alarms • loud passersby •
motorcycles without mufflers • noise outside
bars and clubs
Ill-fitting gratings or manhole covers
should be reported to DOT.
For noisy plates (the big removable ones),
it could be one of a number of City departments,
or Con Edison, Keyspan, or the phone company - look
for trucks nearby. Also, look at the plate itself.
"Empire City, for example, contracts for the
telephone company.
Department of Environmental Protection: 311
Department of Transportation Hotline: 311
Department of Sanitation Hotline: (212) 219-8090
Quality of Life Hotline: (212) NEW-YORK or 311
Con Edison: (800) 752-6633
National Grid (formerly known as Keyspan): (718) 643-4050
Empire City Subway Company: (212) 274-0740 or (800) 659-0526
- Where do I file a complaint about
a food business or medical establishment?
- Unsanitary conditions in groceries, bodegas, supermarkets: NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets: (718) 722-2876
- Unsanitary conditions in restaurants and mobile
food vendors: NYC Department of Health: (212) 442-9666 or 311
- Unsanitary conditions or unprofessional conduct
in doctors' offices: NYS Department of Health Office of Professional Medical
Conduct: (800) 663-6114 Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm, or e-mail opmc@health.state.ny.us
- Unsanitary conditions or unprofessional conduct
in hospitals: NYS Department of Health Hospital Complaint Unit:
(800) 804-5447
- Unsanitary conditions or unprofessional conduct
in nursing homes:
NYS Department of Health Systems Management Long-Care
Unit Hotline: (888) 697-7582
- Complaints about hospitals: (800) 804-5447
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