I hope this email finds you well. Things are busy here at NCOA as we gear up for our Age + Action Conference, which will be held May 6-8 in Arlington, Virginia. We look forward to meeting many of you in person!

1. Promoting the Benefits Enrollment Center on your organization's website is a great way to spread the word about the impactful services you provide. We have developed some language that you can use to promote the program on your website. Attached is a JPG of the NCOA logo, which you can include to highlight our partnership in this critical work. Please note that NCOA has updated our logo and would ask that you use the attached one. Please note that any materials that use the NCOA logo must be reviewed by NCOA before sharing. The language below has already been approved, so you are welcome to use it as you see fit:

"[BEC name] is a Benefits Enrollment Center designated by the National Council on Aging and can help older adults and people with disabilities learn about public benefits programs, be screened for eligibility, and receive assistance in enrolling at community-based locations.

If you are using BEC funding to produce materials or update your website, you must also include the following, making sure to update the highlighted sections:

"This publication is supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $x with x% funding by ACL/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACL/HHS, or the U.S. Government.”

2. Success stories play an important role in NCOA's advocacy work and are a requirement under the BEC grant. Because these stories will be shared externally, please be sure to change the client's name or use their initials when submitting. If you do choose to change the name, please make sure that the chosen alias is appropriate (not a character's name, pun, etc.)

To help you get a sense of what we are looking for, here are a few examples of strong success stories that we have used in our advocacy work:

Staying enrolled in public benefits while battling life's twists and turns can be a difficult process. Larry — a 68-year-old resident of Baltimore, Maryland — ran into that struggle; after a four-month hospital stay, he was having a hard time re-enrolling in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid.

Larry called into the Maryland Benefits Center and explained to the trained benefits outreach specialist, “I’ve been in the hospital for four months and I need certain things that I’m having a hard time getting, I’ve had someone who was trying to get me food stamps and Medicaid but they haven't done anything. So, I’m calling you out of desperation to get help getting my food stamps and Medicaid started...what do I do?”

Luckily, the benefits outreach specialist was able to help walk him through the cumbersome application process over the phone. Through asking a series of questions about Larry’s household, financial responsibilities, and income, the benefits outreach specialist was able to submit his SNAP application within 45-minutes without Larry having to leave the comfort of his home.

“Thank you, thank you. I’m in such pain, I have medications I can’t afford to get, I just need to get Medicaid.”

The Maryland Benefits Center’s mission is to connect eligible people in need to vital assistance programs that can help them pay for their basic needs.

Carol, 74, a loving grandmother with a disability, had been taken advantage of by her family when she reached out to Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee. Her 26-year-old grandson, whom she had raised since birth, had wiped out her entire savings and stolen and sold everything of value from her home. Her powerful love for him kept her from pressing charges or telling family members, but it became obvious that something was terribly wrong when she could no longer pay her bills.

Carol agreed to let her sister take over her finances in an attempt to keep her grandson from stealing anymore from her. Carol's sister heard about Knoxville-Knox’s Savings Check-Up program and called to see if her sister might be eligible for any benefits; the BEC staff were able to assist with LIHEAP (energy assistance) and SNAP applications.

In a follow-up phone call, Carol’s sister thanked the BEC repeatedly for helping her sister to boost her savings account. When the BEC first spoke to her, Carol had $100 to her name. After assistance with LIHEAP, the family was able to stash away another $350 since Carol did not need to use that for her utilities. At that time, she was also approved for $15/month in SNAP benefits, for which she was exceedingly grateful. Carol and her sister have since called many times to inquire about services, always thanking the BEC for all they can benefit from.

We thank you for your work in getting us stories that help demonstrate the immense impact that benefits programs can have on an individual's life so that we can advocate for increased support of these programs.

Feel free to reach out to centerforbenefits@ncoa.org or to your NCOA Point of Contact with any questions.

Center for Benefits Access Team
Phone: 571-527-3900

www.ncoa.org | @NCOAging

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