Except as otherwise directed by the department or required by law, reimbursement for assistance provided to refugees, entrants and other persons not currently citizens of New York shall be claimed in a manner that results in the least cost to the State, except when the department approves alternate means of reimbursement for the assistance provided to such individuals.
N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. Tit. 18 § 616.2