06/23/10 – Colorado PEAK Removes Barriers to Applying for Public Health Benefits
by Dawn JoyceIntergovernmental Policy & Program Manager, Boulder County Housing & Human Services
Many Coloradans living in poverty are eligible to receive food stamps, health services and other assistance, yet they go without. It may be because their work schedules won't allow them to get to a county office between 9 am and 5 pm, or perhaps they don't have transportation or child care.
Consequently, applying for public benefits can be difficult, and the associated social, emotional and financial burdens can seem impossible to overcome.
The Program Eligibility and Application Kit (PEAK) – Colorado's new online benefit application – is designed to remove some of the barriers to applying for public benefits by allowing people to initiate their applications anytime, any day of the week and anywhere with Internet access. Counties, community-based organizations (CBOs), the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, the Department of Human Services and the Governor's Office of Information Technology will establish PEAK access points throughout the state, located both in the lobbies of county offices and within CBOs.
Other states' experiences with online benefit applications have shown that community involvement and an effective outreach plan are essential to success. With support from several funders, including The Colorado Trust, the PEAK Toolkit and Training Initiative will train county and CBO staff to help families complete the online application and submit all necessary documentation to ensure that they receive the health, nutrition and financial benefits they need.
The PEAK outreach team, housed within the Self-Sufficiency Division of the Boulder County Department of Housing and Human Services, works closely with Arapahoe, Boulder, Larimer and Weld counties as pilot sites to determine the most efficient means of integrating PEAK into existing business processes in order to have the greatest positive impact on our clients.
In addition to preparing counties, the initiative has convened a CBO workgroup with organizations that serve a range of populations across our state. The workgroup is currently reviewing the training materials and planning regional trainings for CBO partners to become PEAK application assistants.
In addition to The Colorado Trust, this project is supported by Colorado Health Foundation, The Denver Foundation, Daniels Fund, Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, Colorado Department of Human Services and Boulder County Housing and Human Services.
TOP Comments (0)
