OHIO ASSOCIATION OF SECOND HARVEST FOODBANKS

Introduction to The Ohio Benefit Bank June 2011

www.ohiobenefits.org

www.oashf.org

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Who We Are

The Ohio Benefit Bank is

implemented through a public-

private partnership between the

Ohio Association of Second Harvest

Foodbanks, 9 state agencies and 4

federal agencies, and 1,133 faith-

based and community

organizations across Ohio.

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Ohio’s Unclaimed Funds

SNAP Benefit Value

$1,276,485,620

$258,369,407

$87,518,891

$65,146,199

$272,255,780

$289,983,397

SNAP Benefit Value

EITC Value

Children's Medicaid Benefit Value

Children's Health Insurance Program Benefit Value

Medicare Part D Value

Pell Grants Value

Nationally over $67.7 billion Federal dollars provided to help stabilize low-to-moderate income families go unclaimed each year, more than half of which are available through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

In Ohio, more than $2.24 billion Federal dollars in tax credits and work support programs go unclaimed by Ohio citizens each year; 57% is unclaimed SNAP funding.

Unclaimed Federal dollars must be returned each year for re-allocation to other states or other Federal programs.

The Ohio Benefit Bank strives to assist Ohioans to access these unclaimed funds which in turn provide revenue for our local Ohio economies.

*Sources for unclaimed fund data include: the USDA, the IRS, the Annie E Casey Foundation, the Kaiser Family Foundation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Census, statehealthfacts.org, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and finaid.org.

Over 400,000 Ohioans are eligible for but do not receive Food Assistance.

Ohio At a Glance

A recent survey conducted by the Health Policy Institute of Ohio estimated that over 1 million adults and over 100,000 children are currently without health insurance.

Over 1.82 million people relied on the Food Assistance Program as of March 2011.

The survey also reported that over 150,000 Seniors say they cannot afford their health care costs due to other living expenses and in some cases, must choose between the two.

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Read and learn more at www.paperplateproject.org.

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The Benefit Bank Online Services are offered free of charge to organizations seeking to better serve the citizens of Ohio.

The program is Internet-based, multi-lingual and accessible from any computer with internet access and a printer.

The program serves as a tool to stimulate local economies, for income enhancement, application completion, and potential eligibility calculation for over 20 benefits and programs.

A Solution

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1. A potential eligibility indicator

2. An application completion tool

3. A free income tax assistance program

4. An educational outreach program that helps raise awareness of available tax credits and work support programs

What We Offer

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Programs Supported by The OBB

*e-submission

Eligibility Screening and Application Completion:Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) Food Assistance Program (FAP)* Health Care Programs for Families and Children* Child Care AssistanceOhio’s Best Rx* USDA Child Nutrition ProgramsExtra Help for Medicare Part D* The Golden Buckeye program*Medicare Premium Assistance*

Application Completion:Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)* Ohio Cash Assistance (OWF)*

Big Brothers Big Sisters “Amachi” Women Infants and Children (WIC)

Bureau for Children with Medical Handicaps (BCMH) Child and Family Health Services

Ohio Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP)

OASHF, ODJFS and The Governor’s Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives have developed a software bridge from The Benefit Bank to the ODJFS eligibility system. Electronic submission and signature are currently available for Food Assistance and Medicaid applications as well as The Medicare Savings Program. How it Works:

Electronic Submission and Signature of Benefits Applications

Clients electronically sign their applications using their OBB password.Data is submitted electronically to the Eligibility Gateway.Data is sent to the relevant County JFS office for review and processing.JFS caseworkers make all eligibility determinations.

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Results are current as of June 31, 2011.

Current Results

To Date, The OBB has potentially returned to Ohioans more than $500 Million! This money goes directly to local economies through medical expenditures, food purchases, and a variety of areas through income tax refunds.

Currently the OBB has: 3,799 trained counselors 1,133 sites statewide Assisted over 245,459 individuals

within all households served.

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Below are the estimated amounts for one adult with 2 children and an earned income of $15,600 a year (gross)*. This represents an individual earning $10 an hour for 30 hours a week.

$ 5,028 in Earned Income Tax Credit $ 4,728 per year in potential Food Assistance $ 175 per year in Home Energy Assistance

= $9,931 potential income enhancement

Adding healthcare such as Healthy Families or Healthy Start would drastically increase this amount. The Estimated Benefits and EITC Credit alone would provide a potential increase in annual income of more than 64%!

OBB’s Potential Impact for One Family

*According to the recent statewide Ohio Hunger study by Mathematica Inc., the average annual income for households accessing the emergency food assistance network was $11,590. 75% of households had incomes below the federal poverty level.

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Tax Assistance105788650

21.15%

Food Assistance121635968

24.31%

Child Care Assistance1671472.21608225

0.33%

Health Coverage262717071.551213

52.51%

Prescription Assistance2336272

0.47%

Energy Assistance1996480.24

0.40%

Senior Employment Assistance4135040

0.83%

Value of Tax Credits & Potential Value of Work Supports

Brought to Local Communities Since Inception in 2006

$500,280,954

From 2006 - June 2011 Households Served: 163,336Individuals Served in All Households: 245,459Current Number of Counselors: 3,799Current Number of Sites: 1,133

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Study on the Impact of the Ohio Benefit Bank

In 2010, OASHF commissioned a study*, focusing on the impact of the OBB, in particular:

the OBB experience who accesses services, and short term impacts.

A Study on the Impact of The OBB

Ohioans are seeding services.

Many respondents experienced multiple hardships in the past 3 months, including: substantial food needs, unemployment, unstable housing and high stress levels meeting basic needs.

* The study took place in three phases over a six to eight month period of time. It was funded by The Columbus Foundation and designed, conducted and analyzed by Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs at Ohio University.

82% were seeking help with food assistance.

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51% of respondents said they would have been unlikely or very unlikely to apply for benefits without OBB.

More than 48% of clients participating had completed the application process with CDJFS and an additional 40.5% planned to go within 12 – 35 days of visiting an OBB site.

OBB Increases Access to Benefits

Follow-Through was High

Study on the Impact of the Ohio Benefit Bank

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72% who completed the process reported being approved for benefits. 80% for Food Assistance. 30% for Medicaid.

By Phase 2, 55% of respondents who completed the process reported their food situation as much better or better.

The OBB experience was positive, helpful and easy to access.

83% of OBB client respondents rated their OBB experience as excellent or good.

Clients Obtain Needed Benefits

Positive Experience!

Study on the Impact of the Ohio Benefit Bank

“The Benefit Bank provided a wonderful service. Very convenient and the lady was really respectful and compassionate.” - Ohio Benefit Bank Client -

Benefits Improve Lives15

Positive Household Impacts

In the Prior 3 Months… Phase 1Phase 3

"Often" ran out of food 46% 28%Used food pantry 44% 28%Moved at least once 30% 12%Missed utility payment 42% 36%"Very often" felt stressed 62% 54%Experienced two or more hardships 68% 62%

Clients experienced short-term improvements

Fewer household hardships were reported at phase 3 of the study:

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Benefits Improve Lives

Despite all of the help received, hardships still persist.

…Nearly two-thirds of clients reported having two or more hardships at the end of the survey.

“Food Stamps definitely changed things and helped.”

“Before I’d get canned goods from the food pantry that were hard to cobble together into a real meal. Now I can eat decent meals.”

“Having benefits just puts it to where you’re not taking money out of what you need to survive. It helps out.”

“The benefits make life not so bad. They make the difference between having and not having food, but don’t address the other daily stressors of whether to pay bills or buy gas or to look for work.”

- Shared by OBB study respondents -

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OBB Site Models

Counselor Assisted Edition

Self-Serve Edition

Professional Edition

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OBB Counselor-Assisted

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New Counselors attend a training, offered at many convenient locations. The trained counselor can assist clients in preparing their application

packages for state agencies who administer the work support programs, and also educate them on the application completion process. The application(s) may take 1-2 hours.

The program is question-guided and composed

in simple, easy to understand language. The program serves as the expert and

calculates and/or evaluates with each answer you provide. Accurate responses are critical.

Counselor Assisted

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The OBB trains volunteers on how to help clients file their income tax returns online.

Tax training covers the basics of what is required to complete an income tax return and how to utilize the program as a question-guided tool to screen for various tax credits and to simplify the process of completing a return.

The program offers the option to e-File both state and federal tax returns.

The OBB software screens for the credits below, which are often missed otherwise:

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Child Tax Credit Additional Child Tax Credit Child and Dependent Care Credit Education Credits State AND Federal Back Taxes

Free Counselor-Assisted Tax Service

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OBB Self-Serve Site Model

• Clients use the software on their own vs. one-on-one with an OBB Counselor

• Detailed reporting of client use at the site available

• Less training needed to become a site

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OBB Pro

• For agencies with staff that provide more extensive case management services to their clients.

• Combines the traditional, easy-to-use Benefit Bank software with additional case management tools.

• OBB Pro counselors are able to work on client applications without the client present.

• OBB Pro counselors must be authorized representatives for all of their clients.

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Quick Check Helps to check potential eligibility for various benefits and work support programs. Is based on the size, income and expenses of the household. Uses a 5 star rating to indicate how likely a person is to be eligible for the credit or

program based on the information provided. Go to www.ohiobenefits.org and click “Apply Now”.

Helpful Tools – Quick Check

Household size. Information for each person living in the household is entered.

Household income. How much earned and unearned income was there for the tax year?

Household expenses. How much is the person’s cost of living? What are their expenses?

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The Benefit Bank Site Locator provides information for the OBB locations nearby. Click the Benefit Bank Locator link on www.ohiobenefits.org, enter a zip code and click “Search”.

Helpful Tools - Benefit Bank Site Locator

A map and detail list of OBB sites will be displayed.

2550 VISTA/AmeriCorps Members are assigned to OBB sites.

The Ohio Benefit Bank Regional Coordinators and Service Areas

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To schedule the OBB Express please contact Russell Allen at: 614-221-4336 or rallen@oashf.org. Follow the OBB Express blog: http://obbmobileexpress.blogspot.com/.

The OBB Express is powered by The Columbus Foundation.

Reaching People Where They Live, Work, Play and Pray

The OBB Express travels throughout the state with two OBB Counselors to bring help & hope to low-income Ohioans.

The van is equipped with two workstations, can accommodate up to eight laptops, and can also provide satellite internet service within 50 feet of the van anywhere with a view of the southern sky.

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How Can I Get Involved?

Become an OBB Site Participate in a Pre-Training Orientation, sign an

Organization Agreement and have staff or volunteers trained.

Complete Benefits and/or Tax Training Training consists of 2 parts:

Online training at your own pace (max 1.5 hrs) and In-person training (about 3 hours) offered regionally

Become a Volunteer If you don’t currently have a site to work with, we

can set you up with a site that could use your help by calling the OBB Hotline at 1.800.648.1176.

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How Can I Get Involved?

Spread the word about The Ohio Benefit Bank

You can help us to gain more volunteers and sites while helping people with critical needs to connect with help and hope

Connect clients with The Ohio Benefit Bank Self-Serve

Take advantage of our free marketing even if you are not an OBB site by calling the OBB hotline at 1-800-648-1176

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OBB Self-Serve

Ohioans have the option to complete applications for a variety of

work support programs by going to www.ohiobenefits.org.

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Anyone in Ohio with a household income of $60,000 or less can

self-file their income taxes for free!

OBB’s Free Tax Self-Serve

1. Visit www.ohiobenefits.org.2. Click “Available Programs.3. Click “File Your Federal and State Application”.4. Students can also complete the FAFSA.

Questions? Thank you very much!31

www.oashf.org General Information: 614-221-4336OBB Hotline: 1-800-648-1176

www.ohiobenefits.org

Jason ElchertDeputy Director jason@oashf.org614-221-4336 ext. 224

Maryjo Mace WoodburnDirector of Work Support Initiativesmaryjo@oashf.org614-221-4336 ext. 268