"Every year 103 million Americans leave $80 billion in benefits unclaimed."
The government uses your tax dollars to provides benefits and services. But too often, people are not aware of all the benefits that they are entitled to and never get them. These services help find out about the benefits you might be to and how to apply for them. These benefits range from benefits for healthcare, childcare, high speed internet, school meals and more.
Benefit Kitchen helps individuals check to see if they’re eligible for 18 federal, state, and local benefits.
Benefit Finder is the official benefits website of the U.S. government that helps citizens find benefits they are eligible to get and where to apply for them.
Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool (BEST) helps find out if you are eligible for benefits that Social Security administers, how to qualify and apply.
Benefit Kitchen offers an online screening tool which asks you a series of questions, analyzes your answers and then provides a list of benefits and how to apply for them. The service can be used through a web browser or by texting from a phone. Benefit Kitchen does not ask for personal information such as your name, address or Social Security number.
Data serving people
Benefit Kitchen applies data an analytics to help people improve their lives. It does this by collecting information about benefits from different states, organizing it and making it available in different forms. Their Self Screening tool (above) lets individuals find out about benefits they might be eligible for. Benefit Kitchen also provides data and an interface which helps other nonprofits and agencies use the data they've collected in other apps and services. Please read their Legal Disclaimer.
Some of the states that Benefit Kitchen serves
How to apply for benefit
Benefit Kitchen provides a list of state-specific resources to apply for benefits. Here is a sample list for California.
Documents, Resource Pages & Applications for CA:
- Covered California - Find ACA health insurance that’s right for you.
- Online Applications for CalWORKs, CalFresh, and Medi-Cal
- Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
- Head Start
- School Meals
- Children’s Medicaid (CHIP)
- Home Energy Assistance (HEAP)
- Low Cost Phone Plans (Lifeline)
- GetCalFresh.org
- CalSavers - retirement savings for all Californians
- High Speed Internet Options
- Can I get help paying my phone bill? (Lifeline)
Download PDF Reports:
Other Screening Tools and Referrals:
- Kaiser Family Foundation provides an ACA Premium Calculator (click for results based on your screening).
- MyReps helps you find and contact your federal, state, county and local elected representatives (click for results in your zip).
- View/print SDOH Report
TakeAway: Make sure to take the Federal, State and local benefits that your tax dollars helped pay for.
Deepak
DemLabs
DISCLAIMER: Although the information found in this blog and infographic has been produced from sources believed to be reliable, no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the accuracy, completeness, reliability or legality of any such information. This disclaimer applies to any uses of the information whether isolated or aggregate uses thereof. Democracy Labs disclaims any and all responsibility for uses and misuses of such information by any person.
