N.Y. Election Law § 8-404
1. After entering upon the registration records, the application for registration of an inmate or patient of a veterans' administration hospital as to whom the medical superintendent or medical head of such hospital has attested that he expects that he will not be discharged prior to the day following the next general or special village, primary, special, general or New York city community school board district or city of Buffalo school district election, and the application for registration by the spouse, parent or child of such inmate or patient, accompanying or being with him or her, if a qualified voter and a resident of the same election district, the board of elections, without further investigation and without further application by the applicant, shall send to him at such hospital an absentee ballot and shall record in the signature column on the back of his permanent personal registration poll record that such ballot has been sent.