Food & Nutrition · Surprise rank #20
SNAP or Medicaid Cut Off? Appeal in 10 Days and Keep Your Benefits During the Fight
If you request a Fair Hearing within 10 days of an adverse notice, "Aid Continuing" rules force the state to keep your benefits active while your appeal is pending.
Who
Applicants and recipients affected by a local social-services decision.
What to do
Start here: Call OTDA Fair Hearings at 1-800-342-3334 or request online immediately and ask specifically for aid continuing.
Eligibility: Appealable agency action and a timely request; continuation usually requires action within the notice's short deadline.
What you get
A person can challenge many SNAP, Medicaid and cash-assistance denials or reductions, and a fast request may preserve benefits while the appeal is pending.
Benefit: Independent administrative review and, when timely requested, continuation of existing aid.
Possible value: Potential preservation or restoration of months of food, health or cash benefits.
Good to know
Important: If the person loses, continued benefits can sometimes become an overpayment; deadlines vary by program.
Availability: Often 60 days to appeal; commonly 10 days or before the action date to continue benefits—follow the notice.
Why people miss it: Notices are dense and people focus on the 60-day appeal period while missing the much shorter aid-continuing deadline.
Sources reviewed: Aug 2, 2026