Res. No. 864
Resolution opposing Governor Pataki’s decision to move the Jamaica office of the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, Division of Disability Determinations, and up to 200 vital jobs, from its current location in downtown Jamaica, Queens.
By Council Members Gennaro, Comrie, Addabbo Jr., Avella, Jennings, Monserrate, Sanders Jr., Sears, Weprin, Fidler, Gerson, Gonzalez, Katz, Stewart and Quinn
Whereas, Over the past thirty years, the City and State of New York have been working tirelessly to revitalize downtown Jamaica as a business, commercial and residential hub, including building and replacing vital infrastructure, creating York College, enhancing cultural institutions and completing the Jamaica AirTrain hub; and
Whereas, The Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) Jamaica Office opened in 1985 as part of New York State’s decentralization efforts and with the express purpose of bringing government services and employment to economically distressed areas, such as downtown Jamaica; and
Whereas, As part of the OTDA, the Division of Disability Determinations makes medical determinations on disability claims filed with the Social Security Administration for individuals living with a disability in Queens, Long Island and Brooklyn; and
Whereas, The community has come to rely on the services the Jamaica office provides, with more than 27,000 applications for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) filed in 2003, and more than 150 local residents seeking assistance at this location each month; and
Whereas, State workers were notified in 2004 of plans to transfer the OTDA Division of Disability Determinations from the Jamaica site to lower Manhattan, relocating approximately 200 jobs; and
Whereas, A great burden will be created for some local clients, especially those in the disabled community, who depend on the convenience and closeness of the Jamaica office to provide vital services and assist them with obtaining critical benefits; and
Whereas, The impact on local businesses will also be significant, since the payroll staff of the Division of Disability Determinations in Jamaica is nearly $9 million annually, and the presence of these workers in the heart of Jamaica has been a catalyst to businesses and revitalization; and
Whereas, Losing such a substantial number of OTDA jobs will have a highly detrimental impact on the local community, dramatically set back the revitalization efforts of downtown Jamaica and ultimately represents a disinvestment -not an investment- in the future of this area; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York opposes Governor Pataki’s decision to move the Jamaica office of the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, Division of Disability Determinations, and up to 200 vital jobs, from its current location in downtown Jamaica, Queens.
LS# 2487
JC
02/24/2005