Ohioans don't seek help they're due

$1.5 billion goes unclaimed yearly

Barb Galbincea

Plain Dealer Reporter

About $1.5 billion in public benefits goes unclaimed by eligible Ohioans every year.

That includes everything from tax credits to food stamps, according to the man appointed by Gov. Ted Strickland to help more low- and moderate-income residents get the help they're due.

Ralph Gildehaus, director of the Ohio Benefit Bank, said many people aren't aware they qualify for help; others are turned off by exhaustive paperwork, confusing terminology, long lines at public agencies or the prospect of visiting multiple offices to assemble needed benefits.

As a result, they may miss out on thousands of dollars in additional income from such sources as tax refunds, home energy as sistance, child-care subsidies and medical aid. In the eight states, plus the District of Columbia, where the Benefit Bank now operates, counselors identified an average $6,450 more in annual benefits for each client.

Strickland and Gildehaus both were at the Cleveland Foodbank on Friday for the local launch of the Benefit Bank, a free, Web- based program to help people apply for an array of assistance, file tax returns and even register to vote.

"We don't have to look very hard to see Ohioans who are struggling," said Strickland, who estimated that 80 percent of the unclaimed benefits are from federal sources.

That means that, in addition to helping Ohio families, drawing on those benefits would bring more money into the state's economy.

But as the governor was touting the Benefit Bank in Cleveland, the $770,000 he had recommended for the program over the next two years seemed to be in jeopardy Friday as House members worked through the budget proposal.

A spokesman for the governor said in an e-mail that the state money would draw an equal federal match and he reiterated Strickland's support for the Benefit Bank as "an example of the power of partnership between the religious community, private citizens and the state to assist the neediest Ohioans."

Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director of the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks, said that about 500,000 Ohioans whose incomes make them eligible for food stamps -- a federal program -- are not collecting. She said the notion that money intended to help low-income Ohioans access such benefits could be stripped from the state budget "makes me sick."

The association of 12 food banks, including those in Northeast Ohio, is helping to implement the Benefit Bank statewide. Begun in Ohio last fall as a pilot program, it already has linked people to more than $4.5 million in assistance, Gildehaus said.

"I think this is really going to be a great thing for the state of Ohio," said Anne Goodman, executive director of the Cleveland Foodbank, noting that the George Gund Foundation provided a grant to help with the local effort.

There are now more than 200 Benefit Bank sites statewide and Strickland appealed to his audience -- many representing community, social service or faith- based organizations -- to help the program spread.

Participating groups agree to have staff or volunteer counselors trained to use the online program. The training is free.

The counselor then works with a client to key in personal and financial information. The software identifies potential benefits and fills out the appropriate application.

Hamler-Fugitt said that by offering the service at community sites "wherever people live, work, play and pray," they are more likely to seek help.