Don't know what the Ohio Benefit Bank is? This powerpoint presentation will give you all the ins & outs of this important organization.

1. www.oashf.org www.ohiobenefits.org Ohio Association of second harvest Foodbanks Introduction to The Ohio Benefit Bank June 2011

2. 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. 2

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

5. 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.

6. Ohio At a Glance 4 Over 400,000 Ohioans are eligible for but do not receive Food Assistance. Over 1.82 million people relied on the Food Assistance Program as of March 2011. 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. Read and learn more at www.paperplateproject.org. 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.

7. ASolution 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. 5

8. What We Offer A potential eligibility indicator An application completion tool A free income tax assistance program An educational outreach program that helps raise awareness of available tax credits and work support programs 6

9. Programs Supported by The OBB 7  *e-submission

11. Data is submitted electronically to the Eligibility Gateway.

12. Data is sent to the relevant County JFS office for review and processing.

14. OBB’s Potential Impact for One Family 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 $ 4,728per 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%! 10 *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.

15. 11

19. 80% for Food Assistance.

20. 30% for Medicaid.

21. 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! 14 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 -

22. Benefits Improve Lives 15 Positive Household Impacts Clients experienced short-term improvements Fewer household hardships were reported at phase 3 of the study:

23. Benefits Improve Lives 16 “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 - 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.

24. OBB Site Models 17

25. OBB Counselor-Assisted 18

27. 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.

28. The program is question-guided and composed in simple, easy to understand language.

29. The program serves as the expert and calculates and/or evaluates with each answer you provide. Accurate responses are critical.19

31. 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.

33. Child Tax Credit

34. Additional Child Tax Credit

35. Child and Dependent Care Credit

36. Education Credits

37. State AND Federal Back Taxes20

39. Detailed reporting of client use at the site available

40. Less training needed to become a site21

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

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

44. OBB Pro counselors must be authorized representatives for all of their clients.22

46. Is based on the size, income and expenses of the household.

47. 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.

48. Go to www.ohiobenefits.organd click “Apply Now”. 23 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?

49. Helpful Tools - Benefit Bank Site Locator 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”. 24 A map and detail list of OBB sites will be displayed.

50. The Ohio Benefit Bank Regional Coordinators and Service Areas 50 VISTA/AmeriCorps Members are assigned to OBB sites. 25

51. 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. 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. 26 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.

52. 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. 27

53. 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 28

54. OBB Self-Serve 29 Ohioans have the option to complete applications for a variety of work support programs by going to www.ohiobenefits.org.

55. OBB’s Free Tax Self-Serve Anyone in Ohio with a household income of $60,000 or less can self-file their income taxes for free! 30 Visit www.ohiobenefits.org. Click “Available Programs. Click “File Your Federal and State Application”. Students can also complete the FAFSA.

56. Questions? Thank you very much! 31 Jason Elchert Deputy Director jason@oashf.org 614-221-4336 ext. 224 Maryjo Mace Woodburn Director of Work Support Initiatives maryjo@oashf.org 614-221-4336 ext. 268 General Information: 614-221-4336 OBB Hotline: 1-800-648-1176 www.ohiobenefits.org www.oashf.org