Don't have any trained OBB counselors on hand?

It can be hard to have an OBB counselor available, especially if your organization is small or your OBB counselors only come in a few days a week or you haven't yet figured out how to warp the space-time continuum to get everything on your to-do list done (I know I haven't).  Here are some things you can do when you don't have an OBB counselor to address a client's need immediately:

Ohio Benefit Bank Self-Serve

If clients are comfortable using computers and have access to the internet, they can now access their OBB account and old OBB records, create an OBB account, or fill out tax and benefits forms without a counselor on the Ohio Benefit Bank website.   

www.ohiobenefits.org

Check for Eligibility

The Ohio Benefit Bank offers a quick, online eligibility checker for tax and benefits programs.  For its calculations The Quick Check asks for three things: number of people in the household, average household income, and average household expenses.  Once all the information is entered, The Quick Check will rate the tax and benefit programs available through OBB from one to five stars.  A rating or three or more stars means the client is probably eligible for the program; a rating of two or below stars means the client is probably not eligible for the program.  Once you have checked for eligibility, you may schedule an appointment with the client to fill out the selected tax and benefits forms or you can direct them to another OBB site that can help them using the OBB Site Locator described below.  Clients can use The Quick Check themselves or you can guide them through it.

The Quick Check is located on the bottom of www.ohiobenefits.org or at https://secure.thebenefitbank.com/ums?task=quick_check

Locate another Benefit Bank Site

If you don’t have an OBB counselor available or a client cannot travel to your location, you can find another Benefit Bank site to help your client. After entering the address of the person who wishes to use the Benefit Bank, the Site Locator will show you the locations of nearby sites, directions on how to get there, contact information for those sites, and what OBB services those sites offer.

The OBB Site Locator can be found through The Quick Check at www.ohiobenefits.org or at https://secure.thebenefitbank.com/ums?task=locator