Benefits Enrollment Center

Presented ByAgeOptions

Maribeth Steinmaribeth.stein@ageoptions.org

800-789-0003

The AgeOptions Proposal• Service area is suburban Cook County

(area surrounding Chicago)• Capitalize on our strengths

– Red Tape Cutters (RTC)– Make Medicare Work Coalition (MMW)– Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs)

• Partner with local agencies to target underserved populations – Limited English speaking– People with mental illness– People facing new challenges-1st time benefit clients

• Focus on people with disabilities and ethnic populations

Who are the BEC partners?

• Arab American Family Services• Bloom Township Senior Citizen’s

Services• CEDA-Bloom-Rich• CJE SeniorLife• Des Plaines Community Senior Center• Evanston Commission on Aging• Hanul Family Alliance • Illinois Welcoming Center• Progress Center for Independent Living• Solutions for Care• Urhai Community Service Center

Key Messaging

• Money saving programs• Not all programs require very low

income and assets to qualify• The MSPs are a perfect

introduction to benefits. They show an immediate $1200 savings

• “You paid for these programs and are entitled to them”

Effective Outreach Strategies

• Ethnic radio-interviews and PSA’s• Partnerships with faith based

organizations• Meet with the local church leaders• Consumer Advisory Groups• Peer counselors- builds trust• Home Visits• Translated materials

Effective Outreach Strategies (cont.)

• Partnership with Social Security offices

• Partnership with local health care facilities

• Enlist volunteers to assist in outreach

• Meetings with local church leaders

Statistics from March-October

• 198 outreach events with 16,123 attendees

• 3,878 one-on-one counseling sessions

• 2,110 screenings for programs• 1,977 eligible for at least one

program• $5,553,058 in leveraged benefits

Challenges

• Program eligibility based on citizenship requirements

• Keeping clients engaged through the screening process.

• Partnering with state entities who are often overworked and under staffed

• Materials, including BCU are not translated

Challenges (cont.)

• Reporting- keeping track of data• Making sure that all partners have

thorough knowledge about program eligibility and application processes

Lessons Learned

• Train the group on program coverage and eligibility early in the process

• Hold smaller trainings for program application completion

• Faith based organizations are key in finding the underserved

• Translated materials are essential to ethnic populations

• Ethnic radio stations are a key link to homebound

Thank you for your timeMaribeth Stein