CSS Wishes Amsterdam News Readers All the Best for 2025!
David R. Jones, The Urban Agenda
On behalf of the Community Service Society of New York (CSS), I want to wish Amsterdam News readers a Happy New Year and best wishes for 2025!
And if you or anyone you know are experiencing issues related to health care affordability and denials of care, student loan debt, access to services for people with developmental disabilities, or discrimination due to a criminal history, please contact CSS. We operate several consumer assistance programs designed to help New Yorkers enroll in health care coverage, dispute insurance denials, manage their student loan debt, navigate the state’s service network for develop-mental disabilities, and understand their rights and criminal records, fix errors, and apply for sealing under the new Clean Slate NY law. Here are some of the ways we can help:
Community Health Advocates (CHA)
CHA is a health care consumer assistance program that helps New Yorkers enroll in and use health insurance, deal with medical debt, and otherwise access healthcare. CHA operates a live-answer helpline and also works through a network of community-based organizations throughout the state. Our services are free and are offered in over 35 languages. To learn more about CHA, please visit communityhealthadvocates.org or call the CHA Helpline at: 888-614-5400.
IDDO (Independent Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Ombudsman Program)
IDDO provides individualized consumer assistance to individuals, families and caregivers, and providers who need help navigating the NYS Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD). IDDO’s mission is to act as a resource and advocate for individuals and families as they navigate OPWDD’s programs and services. CSS operates IDDO in partnership with one specialist agency, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI) that provides technical assistance and training and a Regional Outreach Network of CBOs and parent led groups conducting outreach on this new program. To learn about these services please contact IDDO’s toll-free and confidential helpline (800-762-9290) or email iddo@cssny.org.
Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program (EDCAP)
EDCAP is New York State’s designated education debt consumer assistance program, providing comprehensive support to New Yorkers navigating all types of education debt, whether federal or private. As a one-stop shop, EDCAP offers financial guidance across the entire higher education continuum, assisting individuals in accessing financial aid and effectively managing existing student loans. For immediate support, borrowers can reach our live-answer helpline at 888-614-5004 (Monday to Friday, 9 am – 4 pm), email edcap@cssny.org, or visit our website at edcapny.org.
Next Door Project (NDP)
NDP helps New Yorkers understand their rights and criminal records, fix errors on their RAP sheets, apply for sealing under the Clean Slate NY law, apply for certificates to demonstrate rehabilitation and remove legal barriers to getting work, and provide help to challenge illegal job, license and housing denials. Please call (212) 614-5441 to make an appointment anytime or to join one of our monthly group intake sessions. Intake sessions begin with a know-your-rights training followed by completing the paperwork necessary to request a person’s criminal record. We can request records from all states and the federal government, not just New York.
David R. Jones, Esq., is President and CEO of the Community Service Society of New York (CSS), the leading voice on behalf of low-income New Yorkers for more than 175 years. The views expressed in this column are solely those of the writer. The Urban Agenda is available on CSS’s website: www.cssny.org.