Benefits Data Trust

Happy #Pride Month! This month and always, we celebrate and support the amazing spectrum of genders and sexualities that make up not only the ecosystem of BDT, but also the households we serve, and the fabric of our nation. LGbdtQ+ is an employee resource group at BDT that strives to be a resource for clients, staff, and organizational goals; and to positively influence BDT's environment and promote an inclusive community. Learn more about LGbdtQ+ and other amazing employee resource groups at BDT: https://hubs.li/Q02CJ6wZ0

#Juneteenth is a day of remembrance, great joy, and reflection of the work we still have ahead of us in advancing racial equity. Today, our offices are closed for staff in honor and observance of this celebration of freedom! Throughout this month, our In Living Color employee resource group, a staff-led space dedicated to the development of Black employees and promotion of cultural awareness through the organization, has hosted a series of activities for fun and education. This included a lunch and learn on Black trivia, highlighting Black pop culture and history. 🎥📚🔍 Picture featured below: Philadelphia, BDT's home city, gained its first-ever Juneteenth mural last year, created by Keisha Whatley. Source: Mural Arts Philadelphia

A great read for insights on higher ed this year from the GitLab Foundation. Here’s our quick breakdown of two big problems (and their solutions) brought up in the article: 🤔 The problem: Delays in FAFSA filings mean over 43% of students are worried about having enough money for the fall semester, according to a survey from Last Mile Education Fund. 💡 The solution? Harnessing AI in chatbots like Wyatt and creating tools that help students navigate filing and completing forms. 🤔 The problem: Increased economic uncertainty from a combination of slowdown, inflation and mass layoffs makes it difficult for students to feel confident about job prospects, as well as finding summer research and internships that are often needed for job placement. 💡The solution? Focused support funds for students from underrepresented backgrounds, like the support offered from Benefits Data Trust and Last Mile, plus additional state-specific online resources students can access. Full article here: https://lnkd.in/eRZdbFYA Stephen Rockwell Ruthe Farmer

I am so proud to have helped bring this collaboration to fruition alongside such an amazing team at IBX and partners at BDT! Benefits Data Trust has best-in-class service and a proven model. Connecting our members with their personal navigation of the public benefits system will help families better manage the many stresses they are under, and ultimately help them improve their health.

Enrollment in programs like SNAP are tied to better health outcomes and reduced health care costs — yet many eligible people are not enrolled and miss out on these critical benefits. Accelerate Health Equity discusses a study conducted by Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System and BDT to examine how emergency rooms may be an effective place to connect with patients likely eligible for public assistance. "Working with the Accelerate Health Equity team has enabled BDT to interact with people at a key life event when they may be more motivated to apply for benefit programs. Visits to the emergency department can impose financial stresses on top of the health issues that led patients to seek care." - Conor Carroll, Senior Engagement Manager at BDT. Read more: https://lnkd.in/e6ckFtxe #Healthcare #HealthEquity #Research

America deserves a better, more effective social safety net. That’s why we’re embarking on a 10-year moonshot to ensure that by 2033, everyone can quickly and easily receive the benefits they’re eligible for, when they need them.     Here’s how we’re improving benefit programs like SNAP and Medicaid to serve people better today, while modernizing systems for tomorrow: https://lnkd.in/eCqB7dbr #BDTrust #Moonshot #SafetyNet #SocialSafetyNet #CivicTech #GovernmentInnovation 

We are excited to launch a collaboration with Independence Blue Cross, a leader in promoting health equity through innovative approaches to addressing the social drivers of health for their members. Together we are reaching out to IBX members in the Philadelphia region who have state marketplace plans and may be eligible for multiple public benefits like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and Property Tax/Rent Rebate (PTRR). In particular, IBX and BDT are focused on serving low-income members who have prediabetes to improve their food and nutrition security through increasing their ability to afford the fruits, vegetables, healthy proteins, and whole grains necessary to prevent diabetes and thrive. Read more: https://lnkd.in/em4u4dFH

Our BDT team was at the Food Research & Action Center's #HungerPC24 this week! Policy Manager Jillian Humphries and Associate Director of Research Alexis Lee Clark presented a session titled "How Telephonic Signatures Can Reduce Barriers in Accessing SNAP". They discussed how implementing signatures for SNAP enrollment over the phone can reduce administrative burdens for program staff and get families their grocery benefits faster. BDT is currently working with a cohort of six states to help them implement telephonic signatures for their SNAP programs. Senior Healthcare Policy Manager Jamila McLean joined leaders from UnidosUS (@WeAreUnidosUS) and Hispanic Services Council on a panel to discuss Latinx community participation in federal nutrition programs. Thank you to FRAC for having us! It was a great week full of impactful conversations with anti-hunger and equity advocates from across the country. #SNAP #Nutrition #HealthEquity

A new rule from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services takes effect today. BDT’s Jamila McLean shares an analysis on how the changes will modernize these critical programs to make it easier for kids, older adults, and people with disabilities to access health coverage. 🏥🩺 Read more: https://lnkd.in/eHHVVVKd   #Medicaid #Healthcare #HealthcareInnovation  

Our 2023 Impact Report is here! Americans collectively spend 9 billion hours a year applying for government services. And still every year, billions of dollars in available help for food, healthcare, and other needs go untapped. The benefits gap is a solvable problem – and in this past year through modernizing government programs, BDT made $13 billion in public assistance more accessible, helping 3.5 million people. 🎯🙌💙    We’re excited to share our progress made towards making the nation’s social safety net smarter, more efficient, and more equitable! Read the full impact report: https://lnkd.in/eCqB7dbr     This work would not be possible without support from partners across sectors, including government, philanthropy, higher education, healthcare, and civic tech. We look forward to continuing work together towards a moonshot of solving the benefits gap in the next 10 years! #BDTrust #SafetyNet #SocialSafetyNet #CivicTech #GovernmentInnovation