§ 132. Investigation of applications. 1. When an application for\nassistance or care is received, or a social services official is\ninformed that a person is in need of public assistance and care, an\ninvestigation and record shall be made of the circumstances of such\nperson. The object of such investigations shall be to secure the facts\nnecessary to determine whether such person is in need of public\nassistance or care and what form thereof and service he or she should\nreceive. Information shall be sought as to the residence of such person,\nthe name, age, religious faith, physical condition, earnings or other\nincome, and ability to work of all members of the family, the cause of\nthe person's condition, the ability and willingness of the family,\nrelatives, friends and church to assist, and such other facts as may be\nuseful in determining the treatment which will be helpful to such\nperson. However, nothing in this subdivision or elsewhere in this\nchapter contained shall be construed to require a social services\nofficial to communicate with or require assistance from any person or\npersons liable by law to contribute to the support of a woman pregnant\nwith, or the mother of, an out of wedlock child, in need of care away\nfrom home during pregnancy and during and after delivery, in the case\nwhere the surrender of the child to the social services official is\nunder consideration, for such period as may be necessary for such mother\nand official to decide whether the child will be surrendered for\nadoption to such official, which period shall not extend beyond ninety\ndays after birth of the child. Except where the welfare official is in\npossession of positive proof that the applicant is receiving or is\neligible to receive unemployment insurance benefits and the amount\nthereof such investigations shall include written request to the\ncommissioner of labor or his or her duly authorized officer charged with\nadministration of the unemployment insurance law for information as to\nthe status of such person in respect to unemployment insurance benefits.\n 2. (a) All applications received by a town social services officer\nshall be forwarded to the county commissioner immediately and all such\napplications shall be investigated by the staff of the county\ncommissioner. After investigation the county commissioner shall return\nto the town social services officer every application for safety net\nassistance made by a person residing or found in such town, together\nwith his or her recommendation as to the eligibility of the applicant\nand the amount of assistance to be granted, if any. In addition thereto,\nthe county commissioner shall keep the town social services officer\ncurrently informed of persons residing in his or her town who are\nreceiving any form of public assistance and care other than safety net\nassistance.\n (b) In a city social services district, investigation of applications\nshall be made by the city commissioner of social services and his staff.\n (c) In a city which is functioning under section seventy-four-a of\nthis chapter, investigation shall be made by the county commissioner of\nsocial services and his staff.\n 3. The commissioner of the department of family assistance shall\nprovide by regulation for methods of determining eligibility for public\nassistance and care, other than medical assistance, to be utilized by\nall social services officials. Such regulations shall provide for\nmethods of verifying information supplied by or about recipients with\ninformation contained in the wage reporting system established pursuant\nto section one hundred seventy-one-a of the tax law and similar systems\nin other geographically contiguous states, and, to the degree mandated\nby federal law with the non-wage income file maintained by the United\nStates internal revenue service, with the benefits and earnings data\nexchange maintained by the United States department of health and human\nservices, and wi
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