ONLINE SERVICES FOR KEY LOW-INCOME BENEFIT PROGRAMS What States Provide Online with Respect to SNAP, TANF, Child Care Assistance, Medicaid, and CHIP

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1 820 First Street NE, Suite 510 Washington, DC Tel: Fax: Updated June 8, 2011 ONLINE SERVICES FOR KEY LOW-INCOME BENEFIT PROGRAMS What States Provide Online with Respect to SNAP,,,, and CHIP Virtually all states have made basic program information on the five main state-administered lowincome benefit programs SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as Food Stamps),, CHIP (Children s Health Insurance Program), (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), and child care assistance available to the public via the Internet. Many, however, go much further, providing information such as application forms and data on the number of participants. A number of states allow individuals to apply for benefits and transact certain related business online. This paper provides links to state information available online for these benefit programs. Individuals seeking information about eligibility and benefits in a particular state will find these links a useful place to start. Most state human service agencies also provide phone numbers for families to seek additional information. In addition, individuals in most states (as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico) can call on any type of telephone for help finding out about many kinds of assistance, including emergency help with food, housing, or clothing, physical or mental health treatment, and assistance for the aged, people with disabilities, and families with children. Overview of Findings Many states now provide a variety of information and services on their agency websites regarding SNAP,, CHIP,, and child care assistance. Some states provide online as well as printable applications, pre-screening tools, and the policy and procedure manuals that state agency eligibility workers use. Table 1 below shows which states offer online applications for the five main state-administered low-income benefit programs. Some websites also allow applicants and recipients to check their application status, renew benefits, update family information, and even review benefit information online. By making all of these materials and services readily accessible to the public, states can make their low-income benefit programs more transparent and accessible. Table 2 below summarizes which states offer various online services.

2 Table 1: ONLINE APPLICATIONS State Y/N SNAP 1 Separate CHIP Child Care AL Y x x AK N AZ Y x x x x AR Y x x x x CA Y x x x x CO Y x CT N DE Y x x x x x DC N FL Y x x x x GA Y x x x x HI N ID N IL Y x x x x IN Y x x x IA Y x x x x x KS Y x x x KY N LA Y x x x x x ME N MD Y x x x x MA Y x MI Y x x x MN N MS N MO Y x x MT Y x x x x NE Y x x x x NV Y x NH N NJ Y x x x x NM N NY Y x NC N ND Y x x x x x OH Y x x x OK Y x OR Y x x PA Y x x x x x RI Y x SC Y x x SD Y x TN Y x x x x TX Y x x x x UT Y x x x x x VT Y x x x x VA Y x x x WA Y x x x x x WV Y x x x WI Y x x x WY Y x x TOTAL x = state provides an online application for this program. 1 AK, AR, DC, HI, MD, MN, NE, NM, OH, OK, RI, SC and WI provide all of their CHIP coverage through a CHIP funded expansion. 2

3 Online applications allow individuals to complete and submit an application over the Internet. They are a promising option to facilitate enrollment by enabling individuals to apply for benefits at a convenient time and place. They also can facilitate community groups work to provide application assistance by allowing those groups to automatically transmit electronic applications. Thirty-nine states offer online applications for at least one of the five public benefit programs. Ten of those states have online applications for all five programs: Arkansas, Delaware, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Nebraska, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Washington. Thirteen states provide their online application in Spanish as well as English: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Utah. Online policy manuals appear on all state websites for individual low-income public benefit programs; 19 of these states have the policy manuals for all five programs on their websites. The state policy manual is the handbook for agency workers and contains the rules, regulations, and procedures of the various benefit programs. Some states have one policy manual that includes the policies for all public benefit programs; others have separate manuals for each program. For purposes of Table 2, policy manual includes the manual that state agency caseworkers use to administer the program and also state statutes, administrative codes, or state plans pertaining to these programs. Some states have web-based policy manuals in the form of a searchable database. Providing a searchable manual helps to make state policies easy to locate and transparent to the public. For example, Oregon s policy manual includes a list of all of the benefit programs, an easyto-use search engine that provides clear and detailed search results, and links to recent changes in the state s policy manual so that users can see when policy changes were made and why. Twenty of the states that post the policy manuals also provide policy memoranda or transmittals to caseworkers describing recent changes in law or policy: Alaska, Arizona, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Printable applications for the various low-income benefit programs are available on all state websites except Vermont s. A printable application allows applicants to complete the form and familiarize themselves with the application process at home, before visiting the state agency office. This simple step can help to make the process more transparent and less daunting to potential applicants. Thirty-nine states make some of their printable applications available in languages other than English. Twenty-eight of those states have printable applications in Spanish as well as English: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wyoming. The other 11 states have printable applications in English plus one or more foreign languages other than Spanish: California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin. Save and return to complete application later, a function offered on 32 state websites, allows users to complete an application in multiple computer sessions without having to start each time from the beginning. In order to provide this capability, online applications must ask users to set up a username and password or create an account so they can come back to work on their applications. Although this is a useful feature, it is critical that such applications inform applicants of the 3

4 4 Table 2 SERVICES AVAILABLE ONLINE Eligibility Screener/ Calculator Check Application Status State Policy Manual Printable Application Save & Return to Complete Later Renew Benefits Update Information View Benefit Information Program Data AL x x x x AK x x x AZ x x x x x x x x AR x x x x x x x x CA x x x x x x x x x CO x x Child Care x Child Care Child Care x x CT x x DE x x x x DC x x x FL x x x x x x x x x GA x x x x x x x HI x x ID x x x IL x x x x x x IN x x x x x x x x IA x x x x CHIP x KS x x x x KY x x x LA x x x SNAP x x x x ME x x x MD x x x x x x x MA x x SNAP x x x MI x x x x x x x MN x x x MS x x x MO x x x SNAP x x x MT x x x x x NE x x x x x x x x NV x x x NH x x x NJ x x x x x x NM x x x x NY x x SNAP x SNAP x x NC x x x x ND x x x x CHIP x OH x x x x x x x OK x x x x x x x OR x x SNAP x PA x x x x x x x RI x x x x SC x x SNAP SNAP x SD x x x TN x x x x x x x x TX x x x x x CHIP x x UT x x x VT x x x x x x VA x x x SNAP CHIP x WA x x x x x x x WV x x x x x x x WI x x x x x x x x WY x x x x CHIP TOTAL Note: "x" means this feature is available online for more than one of the programs. When a single program is noted the online service is only available for that program.

5 importance of filing their application without delay. For example, SNAP households receive benefits back to their date of application. Eligibility screener/calculators are available for SNAP,,, CHIP, and child care assistance on ten state websites: Delaware, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington. Seven states have benefit screeners/calculators for SNAP,,, and CHIP: Colorado, Florida, Montana, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia. Benefit screeners ask users several questions about their income and household circumstances and, based on the responses, inform them of their potential eligibility for public benefits. Benefit calculators are similar to screeners but also provide users with an estimate of the amount of benefits for which they might qualify; they typically ask more questions than screening tools in order to generate that estimate. Both screeners and calculators are useful tools for individuals who do not know or believe that they qualify for public benefits. They are most effective if questions are limited to the most pertinent eligibility issues and are not so detailed as to bog down users. New Mexico s benefit calculator does a good job of asking for needed information using graphics and simple language to help users understand the process. The final results include an estimated benefit amount for SNAP and links to online applications for the other benefit programs. In addition to SNAP,,, CHIP, and child care assistance, the program also screens for eligibility for energy assistance and WIC. Iowa s benefit screener is shorter and only screens for SNAP,,, CHIP, and child care assistance. Both New Mexico s calculator and Iowa s screener avoid being overly cumbersome by not asking about all eligibility information (such as household financial assets); instead they include general language warning that applicants must satisfy other eligibility criteria to receive benefits. Check application status is a convenient tool offered on 16 state websites that enables applicants to check on the status of their application after they have submitted it. Applicants can see which office received their application and whether it was approved (along with the effective date) or denied (along with the reason for denial). This not only provides applicants with important information but also reduces the time that caseworkers spend handling questions regarding the status of submitted applications. Renew benefits, a new option that 15 states with online applications offer, allows program recipients to update their information online, fill out a renewal form, and sometimes even submit updated verifications. Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin enable program recipients to renew benefits in one or more public benefit programs. Most participants in low-income benefit programs must renew their eligibility at least once every 12 months in order to ensure that they still meet all program rules and their benefit amount is correct. If the renewal is not complete, benefits will end. Allowing applicants to renew benefits online speeds up the renewal process and helps to prevent an interruption in benefits for families, which in turn saves time for caseworkers (since renewals takes less time to process than initial applications). Update information/report changes, another useful mechanism on 15 state websites, enables program recipients to notify the state via a web tool about changes in their household between renewal periods, as program rules require. Some of the changes that families can report online are a new job, a pregnancy, or the relocation of a household member. 5

6 View account information is a feature of 16 state agency websites. State online websites vary, but the kinds of benefit information a family can view online include benefit amounts, renewal dates, verifications needed, and other household information. In Florida, for example, families can see if their verification has been received, what their monthly SNAP benefit amount is, or when their next renewal is due. This function provides recipients with information regarding their case so they don t have to contact the agency. Program data are included on 45 state agency websites. States provide program data and statistics, such as the number of individuals or households in each county or city that participate in public benefit programs. States vary in how frequently they post this information and how much detail they provide. For example, Oregon breaks out SNAP caseloads by local jurisdictions and types of households, while Pennsylvania just provides aggregate state-level data. A few states provide additional data, such as information on how quickly they determine eligibility and issue benefits (often called timeliness ) and average amounts of benefits. These kinds of data can be very helpful to researchers, advocates, and others who want to know more about program participation and customer service. In most cases, these states make information available by city and county and update it monthly. Online Links The links below may be particularly useful to those researching basic information about each state s programs or variations across states with respect to policies or applications. There are several caveats to consider when using these resources, however. First, information may be presented differently across states and states may use different terminology to represent similar concepts or terms. Second, this list was not developed via a comprehensive survey of states and may not be complete. Third, in some cases it was unclear whether an application for multiple programs, including, also served as an application for CHIP; when it was unclear whether the application served as a CHIP application, this document does not show the application as including CHIP. Finally, only a limited number of states provide CHIP policy manuals on their websites; in most cases, up-to-date CHIP state plans can be found using this link on the Centers for Medicare and Services site: Please notify jones@cbpp.org at the Center to update or revise this listing. ALABAMA (Administrative Code) SNAP 6

7 CHIP px SNAP (English) (Spanish) (families and children) and CHIP (English) (Spanish) (English) (Spanish) Online Application (families and children) and CHIP SNAP,, and CHIP ALASKA Alaska provides CHIP through a expansion. SNAP SNAP

8 (children) SNAP,, and (children) _0808.pdf Benefit Screener/Calculator SNAP ARIZONA (State Plan) CHIP SNAP,, and (Form FA-001-FF) (families and children) and CHIP Online Application SNAP,, and CHIP (English and Spanish) Monthly Statistical Data (w/district totals) 8

9 ARKANSAS Arkansas provides CHIP through a expansion. SNAP,, and SNAP,, and CHIP (English) (Spanish) (children) and CHIP (English) (Spanish) Online Application SNAP,, (children) and CHIP, and Child Care Monthly Statistical Data (w/county totals) CALIFORNIA SNAP and Chapter through SNAP CHIP 9

10 SNAP (Application in four languages) (a combined application in two parts: SAWS 1 is application cover sheet and SAWS 2 is the rest of the application ) (English) (Cambodian) (Chinese) (Russian) (Spanish) (Vietnamese) (children) and CHIP (Application in 12 languages) Online Applications (each online application serves specific localities in the state) English and Spanish) SNAP and CHIP SNAP Monthly Statistical Data (w/county totals) Annual Statistical Data (w/county totals) Annual Statistical Data (w/county totals) COLORADO 10 SNAP,, and

11 (State Regulations) FHCPFLayout (State Plan) (State Plan) SNAP (families and children) CHIP (English) (Spanish) (families and children) and CHIP (English and Spanish) (download Word document application from here) Benefit Screener CHIP CONNECTICUT 11

12 Jobs First Program Employment Services Policy and Procedures Manual SNAP CHIP (Adults only) (Adults w/dependents) SNAP (English) (Spanish) and CHIP (English) (Spanish) (children) and CHIP: DELAWARE SNAP (State Code) SNAP (Program Regulations) (State Code) (State Code) (State Plan) 12

13 SNAP, and CHIP SNAP,, and (English) (Spanish) and CHIP (English) (Spanish) Benefits Screener/Calculator and Online Application SNAP,, and DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA The District of Columbia provides CHIP through a expansion (English and Spanish) FLORIDA (State Plan) CHIP 13

14 (ACCESS Florida Application). (children) and CHIP (Ages 5-18) Benefit Screener/Calculator and Online Applications and CHIP (Online Application) Monthly Statistical Data (w/regional totals) CHIP GEORGIA SNAP (searchable) DFCS_CommonFiles/ Georgia Plan.pdf (State Plan) (Policy Manual) (State Plan) DFCS/menuitem.83054cda1a084d2f7da1df8dda1010a0/?vgnextoid=b70b2b48d9a4ff00Vgn VCM100000bf01010aRCRD (State Plan) SNAP,, and DFCS/menuitem.5d32235bb09bde9a50c8798dd03036a0/?vgnextoid=17e92b48d9a4ff00Vg nvcm100000bf01010arcrd SNAP georgia.gov -- Division of Children and Family Services (DFCS) (SNAP eligibility information in 11 languages) CHIP DFCS/menuitem.5d32235bb09bde9a50c8798dd03036a0/?vgnextoid=024a2b48d9a4ff00Vg nvcm100000bf01010arcrd (Application in 11 languages) 14

15 CHIP Online Applications CHIP Annual Statistical Data (w/county totals) (2007 data) HAWAII Hawaii provides CHIP through a expansion. SNAP,, and (State Plan) SNAP and SNAP and px IDAHO SNAP,, and SNAP,, and (children) and CHIP 219/Default.aspx SNAP,,, CHIP, and (English) 15

16 739&mid=4151 (Spanish) and ILLINOIS SNAP,, and CHIP SNAP, and (Families and children) CHIP SNAP,, and CHIP CHIP Benefit Screener/Calculator and Online Applications SNAP (Benefit Calculator) SNAP,, and CHIP (Online Application) and CHIP (Online Application) (Benefit Calculator) Monthly Statistical Data (as of July 2009)

17 INDIANA SNAP,, and CHIP (Administrative Code) (English and Spanish) CHIP (Administrative Code) SNAP,,, CHIP and (English and Spanish) (children) and CHIP (Printable Application) Benefit Screener/Calculator and Online Application (Benefit Screener) (Online Application) SNAP and Monthly Statistical Data (Statewide w/county reports accessible) IOWA SNAP,,, CHIP and 0Stamps (Child Care found under Other IM Programs ) SNAP mentprogram.html 17

18 CHIP SNAP,, and / pdf (English) SNAP pdf (English) pdf (Spanish) MS/ PDF (English) MS/ S.pdf (Spanish) (children) and CHIP / pdf (English) s.pdf (Spanish) Benefit Screener/Calculator and Online Applications SNAP,, and CHIP (Online Application) SNAP Monthly Statistical Data (w/county totals) urrent.html CHIP KANSAS SNAP, and 18

19 (children and pregnant women) and CHIP SNAP,, and and CHIP CHIP _families.html (Application in 10 languages) Benefit Screener/Calculator and Online Application SNAP, and SNAP, and Annual Statistical Data (w/county totals) KENTUCKY SNAP,,, CHIP and SNAP CHIP SNAP,, and CHIP CHIP SNAP and 19

20 and CHIP LOUISIANA SNAP, and SNAP CHIP SNAP, and tion_rev0210.pdf (English) tion_spanish_rev0210.pdf (Spanish) pdf CHIP Online Application SNAP, and and CHIP SNAP and Annual Statistical Data (w/monthly breakdowns and parish/region totals) =252&catid=0 CHIP 20

21 MAINE SNAP Aspire ( employment and training) Program Rules SNAP and and CHIP (families and children) and CHIP SNAP and Monthly Statistical Data (w/county totals) MARYLAND Maryland provides CHIP through a expansion Policy SNAP C5641F978/22597/COMAR13A1406_Subsidy_eff pdf (English, Spanish and Russian) 21

22 (families and children) (English) (Spanish) Online Application SNAP,, and Annual Statistical Data (w/monthly breakdowns and county totals) MASSACHUSETTS 22 SNAP and =Laws%2c+Regulations+and+Policies&L3=Department+of+Transitional+Assistance+Re gulations+and+legal+notices&sid=eeohhs2 =Laws%2c+Regulations+and+Policies&L3=MassHealth+Regulations+and+Other+Public ations&l4=masshealth+regulations&sid=eeohhs2 General Laws: SNAP and CHIP overnment&l2=departments+and+divisions&l3=masshealth&sid=eeohhs2&b=termina lcontent&f=masshealth_government_about_programs&csid=eeohhs2 amily+services&l3=child+care+and+support&sid=eeohhs2&b=terminalcontent&f=dta _c_childcare_tafdc&csid=eeohhs2 SNAP (English) (Spanish) and CHIP nsurance+(including+masshealth)&l3=apply+for+masshealth+coverage&sid=eeohhs2

23 Benefit Screener/Calculator and Online Application SNAP &L2=Departments+and+Divisions&L3=Department+of+Transitional+Assistance&sid=E eohhs2&b=terminalcontent&f=dta_c_foodnut_foodstamps&csid=eeohhs2 SNAP and Latest Statistical Data (Statewide) &L2=Departments+and+Divisions&L3=Department+of+Transitional+Assistance&sid=E eohhs2&b=terminalcontent&f=dta_r_finassist_factsfigures&csid=eeohhs2 MICHIGAN SNAP,, and (displays the table of contents click on an item in the PDF to go to that item) SNAP (Spanish) (Work Requirements) (Policy manual) and CHIP (Child eligibility manual) SNAP,,, CHIP and and CHIP SNAP,, and (English and Spanish) (children) and CHIP / l Benefit Screener/Calculator and Online Applications SNAP,, and (Benefit Screener) SNAP (Online Application) (children) and CHIP (Online Application) 23

24 Monthly Statistical Data (w/county totals) MINNESOTA Minnesota provides CHIP through a expansion. SNAP and &RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased&Redirected=true&dDocName=id_ pdf (Employment Services Manual) &RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased&dDocName=dhs16_ SNAP &RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased&dDocName=id_ (Printable Eligibility Screening Tool) &RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased&dDocName=id_ &RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased&dDocName=dhs16_ &RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased&dDocName=id_ (English) (Hmong) (Russian) (Somali) (Spanish) (Vietnamese) &RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased&Redirected=true&dDocName=id_ (statewide w/monthly breakdowns) 24

25 &RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased&dDocName=id_ MISSISSIPPI Mississippi Code [Title 43 Public Welfare] SNAP (Health Benefits Manual) (Eligibility Policy) SNAP and CHIP SNAP and (aged, blind, disabled) (families and children) and CHIP (Parents and adult caretakers may have to submit additional information to complete eligibility process.) SNAP and Monthly Statistical Data (Statewide) MISSOURI SNAP,, and SNAP,, and 25

26 CHIP SNAP (includes prescreening tool) 26 (families and children) Online Application and CHIP Monthly Statistical Data (w/regional/city totals) MONTANA SNAP CHIP SNAP CHIP (English and Spanish) SNAP (children) and CHIP Benefit Screener/Calculator and Online Application SNAP,, and CHIP

27 (children) and CHIP SNAP,, and CHIP Monthly Statistical Data (w/county totals) NEBRASKA Nebraska provides CHIP through a expansion. SNAP and SNAP,, and SNAP,, and (children) Benefit Screener/Calculator and Online Application SNAP,, and NEVADA SNAP,,, CHIP and CHIP

28 28 (children) and CHIP %20Check%20Up%20App% pdf Online Application CHIP (can refer children to ) SNAP,, and CHIP Monthly Statistical Data (Statewide) (CHIP enrollment) NEW HAMPSHIRE SNAP and CHIP SNAP,,, CHIP and (children) and CHIP and CHIP NEW JERSEY New Jersey Permanent Statutes (Search under Title 44) bin/om_isapi.dll?clientid= &depth=4&td=wrap&advquery=%2244%3a10-43%22&headingswithhits=on&infobase=statutes.nfo&rank=&record={123cb}&softpage =Doc_Frame_Pg42&wordsaroundhits=2&x=41&y=15&zz New Jersey Administrative Code SNAP, and

29 CHIP SNAP (Application in eight languages) (families and children) and CHIP Benefit Screener and Online Applications and CHIP CHIP NEW MEXICO New Mexico provides CHIP through a expansion. SNAP and SNAP (Regulations) SNAP and Benefit Screener/Calculator SNAP,, and (English) (Spanish) 07_final.pdf 29

30 Monthly Statistical Data (w/region totals) NEW YORK SNAP SNAP and CHIP SNAP,, and (Common application in six languages) (families and children) and CHIP Benefit Screener/Calculator and Online Application SNAP,,, CHIP and SNAP and Monthly Statistical Data (w/local district totals) NORTH CAROLINA SNAP (State Plan)

31 SNAP and CHIP SNAP and CHIP Benefit Screener/Calculator SNAP SNAP Monthly Statistical Data (w/county totals) and CHIP NORTH DAKOTA SNAP CHIP and SNAP,,, CHIP and SNAP,,, CHIP and (Printable Application) 31

32 and CHIP (Printable Application) Benefit Screener/Calculator and Online Application SNAP,,, CHIP and (Online Application) SNAP (Benefit Calculator) SNAP,,, and (see state fiscal reports by year) OHIO Ohio provides CHIP through a expansion. SNAP, and 100&nodeId=%23node-id%281%29&level=2 SNAP,, and Benefit Screener/Calculator and Online Application SNAP,, and Monthly Statistical Data (w/county totals) (yearly reports and evaluation research) OKLAHOMA Oklahoma provides CHIP through a expansion. SNAP, and