Transcript Integrating Public Benefits into Campus Services

Integrating Public Benefits into
Campus Services to Facilitate
College Completion
Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield, BACC Director, CLASP
October 30, 2014
[email protected]
CLASP and the Center for
Postsecondary and Economic Success
• Through careful research and analysis and effective
advocacy, CLASP develops and promotes new ideas,
mobilizes others, and directly assists governments and
advocates to put in place successful strategies that deliver
results that matter to people across America.
• C-PES advocates for better policies, more investment,
and increased political will to increase the number of
low-income adults and disadvantaged youth who earn
postsecondary credentials that are essential to opening
doors to good jobs, career advancement, and economic
mobility.
Who are colleges serving?
Yesterday’s Nontraditional Student
Is Today’s Traditional Student
47%
Independent
23%
Parents
32%
Employed
Full-Time
40% of all students are low-income
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What are the statistics?
Among community college students:
• 40% do not complete any degree in 6 years and are
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not enrolled
31% receive financial aid
50% have unmet need after financial aid
Among all students:
• 66% the proportion of the cost of attendance left after
tuition, fees and books
• 71% said they dropped out to go to make money
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Why holistic support?
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Reasons for Leaving School
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Hypothesis
Providing students who are struggling to make
ends meet with information about public benefits
and assistance in applying for them will improve
student success and
college completion
rates and reduce
material hardship.
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Benefits Access for College
Completion
• An initiative geared toward increasing access to
public benefits for community college students
• Supporting colleges developing sustainable
models that build benefits access into the everyday
activities across the college
• BACC is a partnership between CLASP, the
American Association of Community Colleges and
five foundations
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Participating Colleges
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Cuyahoga Community College (OH)
Gateway Community and Technical College (KY)
LaGuardia Community College (NY)
Lake Michigan College (MI)
Macomb Community College (MI)
Northampton Community College (PA)
Skyline College (CA)
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What are “public benefits”?
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
• Health insurance (Medicaid and CHIP)
• Family programs
 TANF, child care subsidies, Women, Infants and Children
(WIC) food and formula, free and reduced school lunch
• Refundable Tax Credits
 Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) & American Opportunity
Tax Credit (AOTC)
• Special programs
 Disability benefits, Veterans benefits, UI, TAA, WIA ITAs and
other supports
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Why don’t more students access benefits?
• Lack of information, misinformation about eligibility
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Don’t know that programs exist
Think they are not eligible
Do not know how to apply or where to get help
Feel the benefit is not worth the hassle
Do not see themselves as target for public benefit programs
• Applying is often time consuming, frustrating
 Same information collected
multiple times
 Need documentation of income,
family status
• Stigma and other social/cultural
barriers
Low-Income Parents
• Eligible for wide range of programs
– Some programs are limited to families with children
– Others are open to childless adults, but are more
generous or have fewer restrictions for parents
• Few receive all programs they are eligible for:
– Some programs have capped funding
– Eligible individuals may not know about programs, or
may be deterred by the burden of establishing and
maintaining eligibility
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Low-Income Parents
Likely to receive (> 80%)
• EITC
• Health insurance for kids
(and parents in expansion states)
Probably receive (50-80%)
• Health insurance for parents (not expansion states)
• SNAP (Food Stamps) and WIC
Might receive (<50%)
• TANF, child care subsidies, housing subsidies
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Low-Income Childless Adults
(no disability)
Probably receive (50-80%)
• EITC
– Only eligible if aged 25-64
– max of $496 per year
• SNAP (Food Stamps)
– Students are subject to extra rules
Might receive (<50%)
• Housing subsidies
• Public health insurance (depends upon if reside in
expansion state)
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News Flash: Health Exchanges and
Medicaid Eligibility Changes in 2014
• Beginning January 1, 2014, many states expanded
Medicaid to all non-elderly adults and children up to
133% of the federal poverty level
 $14,484 for an individual
 $29,725 for a family of four
• Enrollment for the health insurance
exchanges and Medicaid expansion
fully online
28 States Are Expanding Medicaid
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How are Colleges Helping Students
Access Public Benefits?
• Inform students about the existence of programs
• Help students understand how to apply
• Screen students to determine if they are eligible and assist
them to apply
• Assist students to provide needed documentation and
understand any barriers to eligibility
• Follow-up with benefits programs/local offices to
troubleshoot on behalf of individual students
• Advocate for policy changes that streamline benefits
receipt for students
BACC College Strategy Highlights
• Engage a broad-based team to embed activities
across college
• Cultivate leadership
• Develop a process for engaging students that
includes:
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Reaching out to students in multiple ways
Setting up places to apply depending on student needs
Helping students apply and submit documentation
Providing follow-up assistance to ensure students receive
benefits
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BACC College Strategy Highlights
• Use data to identify students, target services or activities,
and continuously improve
• Integrate benefits discussions/application into financial
aid, career services, support services, advising and
counseling processes
• Integrate a module about benefits in orientation, student
success courses, and other courses
• Use students to help market, do outreach, and serve
students
• Where available, use online eligibility screeners and
online applications to assist students
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Online Access to Public Benefits
• Virtually all states have made basic program info
for the five state-administered, low-income
benefit programs available online:
– SNAP, CHIP, Medicaid, TANF, and child care
assistance
• Many states go further, providing application
forms and allowing individuals to apply online
Getting Started
• Identify the need on your campus
• Seek buy-in from leadership
• Seek out individuals on campus and in the community
already doing this work
• Identify existing resources in your state or county that
could help students (i.e. online screening tools or
applications)
• Form a committed team
• Create an action plan
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Questions for Attendees
Do any of you provide
benefits access on campus?
If not, have you noticed
students expressing needs
you can’t meet? What do
you do in those cases?