QUESTION
Is the current participation rate for benefits typical, and how is awareness raised?
5:34:42
·
101 sec
Preston Niblack highlights that the current benefits participation rate is a result of years of effort to increase it, contrasting with lower rates decades ago.
- Niblack recalls the participation rate being in the thirties twenty years ago, showcasing an increase over time.
- The Department of Finance (DAF) collaborates with the mayor's public engagement unit and other organizations to promote benefit awareness.
- A record number of outreach events and mailings are deployed to inform the public about available benefits.
- These efforts are part of a broader strategy to ensure that more people sign up for the benefits they are entitled to.
Justin L. Brannan
5:34:42
Is that where it normally hovers?
Preston Niblack
5:34:44
You know, it's so this is where I'm going to draw in my great many years in city government.
5:34:51
I mean, I certainly remember 20 years ago was in the thirties.
5:34:55
So I think the continued push that everybody has made has helped drive the participation rate up.
5:35:03
We do a tremendous amount.
5:35:05
At DAF, we work a lot with the mayor's public engagement unit.
5:35:09
With Ziffer and with others to make people aware of the availability of these benefits.
5:35:15
As I said, we've done a record number of outreach events this year.
5:35:21
We've done mailings to make people aware of the availability of benefits.
5:35:24
We do a lot of we make a lot of effort And we hope that people will hear us and sign up.
5:35:33
The other thing that most significant, I think, from last year was the legislation that simplified the definition that we used for income for eligibility.
5:35:42
So that has really made a difference.
5:35:44
First of all, we think that, you know, upwards of 50,000 additional households could be eligible for a greater degree under that legislation.
5:35:53
The other goal of it was to simplify the application process by having a simpler income definition and we have seen the number of applications that have gaps in the income information fall off quite a bit because we have this simpler definition now.
5:36:09
So, you know, it makes it easier for people to apply.
5:36:12
We sent letters recently to people who may have been turned down for she he or de he in the past, but who we think might be eligible based on the new income definition to to encourage people to apply.