CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More

Financial/Expense Assistance

    Results: 18

  • Automobile Repair Loans (1)
    BT-8300.0870-060

    Automobile Repair Loans

    BT-8300.0870-060

    Programs that provide or arrange for financing for individuals who need to repair their automobile or other means of transportation. In some cases, the individual must require the vehicle to access employment, educational classes, job training or other similar services in order to be eligible for the loan. Included are programs that provide or arrange for low interest or interest free automobile repair loans as well as those that provide access to loans at market rates.
  • Benefits Assistance (2)
    FT-1000

    Benefits Assistance

    FT-1000

    Programs that provide assistance for people who are having difficulty understanding and/or obtaining grants, payments, services or other benefits for which they are eligible. The programs may help people understand the eligibility criteria for benefits, the benefits provided by the program, the payment process and the rights of beneficiaries; provide consultation and advice; help them complete benefits application forms; negotiate on their behalf with benefits administration staff; and/or represent them in administrative processes or judicial litigation. Included are benefits counseling organizations that offer a range of advocacy services and legal aid programs that offer more formalized legal assistance.
  • Child Care Expense Assistance (2)
    NL-3000.1500

    Child Care Expense Assistance

    NL-3000.1500

    Programs that cover all or part of the cost of child care in public and licensed private child care centers or private family child care homes, usually for low-income families or families which include children with disabilities in situations where parents are working, in school or in a training program. Also included are programs that pay the costs of in-home or out-of-home child care when the parent is receiving diagnostic tests, undergoing medical treatment, is hospitalized or needs to be out of the house for other reasons; and those that provide financial assistance to families with young children to help cover some of the costs of a parent staying home to care for their child.
  • Child Support Assistance/Enforcement (1)
    FT-3000.1600

    Child Support Assistance/Enforcement

    FT-3000.1600

    Programs that provide assistance which helps to ensure that parents fulfill their mutual obligation to financially support and provide health care for their children. Included are services for people who want to locate an absent parent; establish paternity; establish a child support order; request that the non-custodial parent provide health insurance for a child in conjunction with a child support order; change the amount of a child support award; dispute a child support award; or enforce payment of child support monies in cases where the supporting parent is delinquent in paying or refuses to pay or make health insurance arrangements altogether. Child support is money paid by one parent to another for the maintenance, including the education, of their children following the dissolution of their marriage or other relationship. Non-custodial parents enrolled in an insurance plan at work may be required to include the child under this coverage while those not covered by any insurance plan may be required to obtain medical coverage, if available at a reasonable cost. Child support assistance/enforcement may be provided by private attorneys, legal clinics, family law facilitators' offices or child support enforcement programs which are available in all states, often as a component of the district attorney's office.
  • Credit Counseling (5)
    DM-1500.1500

    Credit Counseling

    DM-1500.1500

    Programs that provide assistance for people who want to improve their understanding of the consumer credit lending and collections systems, and maximize their skill in using credit. Services may include help in completing credit application forms, understanding how credit information is analyzed, choosing the best credit cards and/or interest rates available, determining how many credit cards can be managed, protecting one's credit information, communicating with creditors, improving poor credit reports and associated credit scores, eliminating credit card debt and dealing with other credit card issues.
  • Discounted Telephone Service (1)
    BV-8900.1700-850

    Discounted Telephone Service

    BV-8900.1700-850

    Telephone companies and wireless service providers that offer their services at below normal rates for people who meet age, disability, income, need or other requirements. Telephone equipment and/or cell phones may also be provided.
  • Food Stamps/SNAP (3)
    NL-6000.2000

    Food Stamps/SNAP

    NL-6000.2000

    A federally-funded program administered locally by the county or the state that enables low-income and indigent households to obtain an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card similar to a bank debit card which can be used in most grocery stores to purchase food. Approved households are entitled to purchase a designated amount of food utilizing their cards based on net income and household size. Benefits are generally available in an EBT account within 30 days from the date an application was filed. Expedited food stamps are available within seven days for people who are in an emergency situation and whose income and spendable resources for that month are within specified limits.
  • Housing Expense Assistance (3)
    BH-3800

    Housing Expense Assistance

    BH-3800

    Programs that pay current housing bills or finance new living accommodations for people who are otherwise unable to provide for their housing needs. Housing expense assistance programs may have age, income, disability, need or other eligibility requirements.
  • Medicaid (2)
    NL-5000.5000

    Medicaid

    NL-5000.5000

    A combined federal and state program administered by the state that provides medical benefits for individuals and families with limited incomes who fit into an eligibility group that is recognized by federal and state law. Each state sets its own guidelines regarding eligibility and services within parameters established at the federal level. Many people are covered by Medicaid, though within these groups, certain additional requirements must be met. Eligibility factors include people's age, whether they are pregnant, have a disability, are blind, or aged; their income and resources (like bank accounts, real property or other items that can be sold for cash); and whether they are U.S. citizens or lawfully admitted immigrants. Families who are receiving benefits through TANF and individuals who receive SSI as aged, blind and disabled are categorically eligible groups. The rules for counting a person's income and resources vary from state to state and from group to group. There are special rules for those who live in nursing homes, for people served under the Medicaid Waiver program, for people served by Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) programs and for children with disabilities living at home. Medicaid makes payments directly to a person's health care provider; and some recipients may be asked to pay a small part of the cost (co-payment) for some medical services. Most states have additional "state-only" programs to provide medical assistance for specified low-income persons who do not qualify for the Medicaid program.
  • Medical Expense Assistance (1)
    LH-5100

    Medical Expense Assistance

    LH-5100

    Programs that pay the health care expenses of people who are unable to obtain necessary care without assistance. Medical expense assistance programs may have age, income, disability, need or other eligibility requirements.
  • Personal Financial Counseling (3)
    DM-6500

    Personal Financial Counseling

    DM-6500

    Programs that help people who are having difficulty paying their monthly bills gain control of their finances. The process generally involves analysis of the individual's income, expenses, debts, taxes and other factors to create a personal financial assessment; development of a budget for basic living expenses; and agreement on a short-term plan for repayment of creditors which may include debt consolidation or other strategies and a longer term plan for realizing personal financial goals.
  • Prescription Drug Discount Cards (5)
    LH-6700.6250

    Prescription Drug Discount Cards

    LH-6700.6250

    Private organizations that issue cards that offer discounts on prescriptions at participating network pharmacies including chain and independent retail outlets, generally for an annual enrollment fee. Also included are programs that maintain lists of these types of programs for referral purposes.
  • Prescription Drug Patient Assistance Programs (2)
    LH-6700.6300

    Prescription Drug Patient Assistance Programs

    LH-6700.6300

    Pharmaceutical companies or pharmacies that make brand name or generic prescription drugs available to patients who are uninsured or underinsured or, for other reasons, cannot afford to pay the market price. Also included are organizations that help qualifying patients complete and file paperwork for submission to drug manufacturers to request such medication or which maintain lists of these types of programs for referral purposes.
  • Representative Payee Services (2)
    DM-7000

    Representative Payee Services

    DM-7000

    Public agencies, nonprofit organizations, banks, relatives or other individuals who have been appointed under federal law to act as a surrogate in situations where a cognitive impairment makes it impossible for beneficiaries to manage their own Social Security and SSI/SSD payments. Representative payees are chosen and designated by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to act on behalf of financially incapable SS or SSI beneficiaries. The individuals and organizations selected by the SSA may also manage waiver funding, consumer or family support grants or other types of benefits when chosen and designated by the administrating entity to act on behalf of beneficiaries who are incapable of managing their finances.
  • Social Security Retirement Benefits (1)
    NS-7000.8000

    Social Security Retirement Benefits

    NS-7000.8000

    A program administered by the Social Security Administration that provides monthly cash payments (sometimes called old-age insurance benefits) for people age 62 and older who are fully insured. Workers may retire at age 62 and receive a reduced benefit or may wait until age 65 and receive a full benefit. Benefit amounts depend upon wages earned and the number of quarters of coverage credited to the individual's Social Security record.
  • TANF (1)
    NL-1000.8500

    TANF

    NL-1000.8500

    A state program with matching federal block grant funds administered by the county or the state under state guidelines that provides time-limited cash assistance for needy families with (or expecting) children as well as job preparation, work opportunities and access to supportive services such as child care which enable parents receiving assistance to leave the program and become self-sufficient. TANF, which ends the federal entitlement known as AFDC, creates a five-year lifetime limit on cash assistance for most adult recipients; requires that recipients be working or participating in a work-related activity within two years and cooperate with comprehensive child support enforcement efforts including paternity establishment; and contains special live at home and stay in school provisions for teenage parents. States have wide latitude in structuring their TANF programs and may obtain waivers which exempt them from specific federal requirements. Recipients may receive monthly checks or be given electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards which allow them to access their cash benefits at automated teller machines (ATMs) or point of sale (POS) equipment that is located in grocery stores, banks and other commercial locations.
  • Utility Assistance (9)
    BV-8900

    Utility Assistance

    BV-8900

    Programs that provide financial assistance for people who are at risk for having their utilities shut off; offer discounted utility services; provide disconnection protection; arrange for notification regarding pending disconnection; make available special services such as large print utility bills or levalized energy bill payment arrangements which support people's ability to make their payments; or supply wood, propane, butane or other fuel for heating or cooking purposes in situations where people have no other means of acquiring them. Utility assistance programs may have age, income, disability, need or other eligibility requirements.
  • Veteran Benefits Assistance (12)
    FT-1000.9000

    Veteran Benefits Assistance

    FT-1000.9000

    Programs that provide assistance for veterans who are having difficulty understanding and/or obtaining the full benefits and services to which they are entitled by law based on service to their country. The programs may help veterans understand the eligibility criteria for benefits, the benefits provided by the program, the payment process and the rights of beneficiaries; provide consultation and advice; help them complete benefits application forms; negotiate on their behalf with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs staff; and/or represent them in administrative processes or judicial litigation. Included are Veteran Services Officers (VSOs) who are trained and accredited by the Veteran's Administration (VA) and can be found in offices specific to each state, the county courthouse, the local VA office and local veteran's rights organizations; as well as legal aid programs that offer more formalized legal assistance.