§ 131-s. Payments made for utility service for recipients of public\nassistance benefits, supplemental security income benefits or additional\nstate payments. 1. In the case of a person applying for public\nassistance, supplemental security income benefits or additional state\npayments pursuant to this chapter, the social services official of the\nsocial services district in which such person resides shall, unless\nalternative payment or living arrangements can be made, make a payment\nto a gas corporation, electric corporation or municipality for services\nprovided to such person during a period of up to, but not exceeding,\nfour months immediately preceding the month of application for such\nassistance or benefits if such payment is needed to prevent shut-off or\nto restore service. Persons whose gross household income exceeds the\npublic assistance standard of need for the same size household must sign\na repayment agreement to repay the assistance within two years of the\ndate of payment as a condition of receiving assistance, in accordance\nwith regulations established by the department. Such repayment agreement\nmay be enforced in any manner available to a creditor, in addition to\nany rights the district may have pursuant to this chapter.\n 2. In the case of a person receiving public assistance, supplemental\nsecurity income benefits or additional state payments pursuant to this\nchapter, the social services official of the social services district in\nwhich such person resides shall, unless alternative payment or living\narrangements can be made, make a payment to a gas corporation, electric\ncorporation or municipality for services provided to such person for the\nmost recent four months in which service was rendered prior to the\napplication for a utility payment pursuant to this section, provided\nthat no such payment shall be made for services rendered more than ten\nmonths prior to the application for such a payment, and provided further\nthat:\n (a) such person does not have any funds to pay for such service and\nsuch payment is needed to prevent termination or to restore service and\nsuch person has fully applied his public assistance grant, if any, to\npurposes intended to be included in such grant, or\n (b) such person in receipt of public assistance has made a written\nrequest of such official for an advance allowance for utility services\nalready received pursuant to department regulations and has also made a\nwritten request that his monthly assistance grant be reduced by a\nportion of the amount of the advanced allowance, in such amounts as not\nto cause undue hardship. Such payment shall be in addition to any direct\npayment or any guarantee of payment for utility service for the month\nfor which timely payment may still be made. In no event may any part of\nsuch payment subject to recoupment be made unless the social services\nofficial first determines under the particular circumstances that the\nrecipient is not entitled, at the time of requesting such payment, to a\ngrant pursuant to titles one, three, eight or ten of this article or any\nother provision of this chapter which could be utilized to cover all or\na portion to be advanced. If during the period of recoupment, the\nrecipient becomes entitled to a grant, pursuant to titles one, three,\neight or ten of this article or any other provision of this chapter,\nwhich could be utilized to cover all or a portion of the amount to be\nrecovered, such grant shall be so utilized.\n 3. If and for so long as a person who has received a grant pursuant to\nsubdivision two of this section continues to receive public assistance\nbenefits, supplemental security income benefits or additional state\npayments, the social services official shall, to the extent authorized\nby applicable provisions of this chapter and regulations promulgated\nthereto, either:\n (a) make payments directly to the gas corporation, electric\ncorporation or municipality for utility se
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