Mayor Newsom Launches New Online Resource for San Franciscans in Need of Medi-Cal and Food Stamps
California Desk
July 03, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Today Mayor Gavin Newsom launched an innovative new online resource, www.benefitsSF.org that allows San Francisco residents to use an online application, electronic signature, and webcam to see if they´re eligible for Medi-Cal and Food Stamps. The resource allows applicants to apply for assistance from the comfort of their home, without having to setup an office interview.
"With the technology that exists today, there is no reason that people should still have to dedicate an entire day and suffer through long lines just to access government services," said Mayor Newsom. "This is a way to streamline government by eliminating waste, becoming more efficient, and making it easier for those in need to get help."
In late 2006, the San Francisco Human Services Agency (HSA) was awarded a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop a public website where people can check for Food Stamps eligibility and apply for benefits 24 hours a day/7 days a week through the internet. The website is designed to be used by the general public from home or a public access computer, such as at a library or resource center, or the expanding network of registered Community Based Organizations (CBO´s).
The website, which went live on June 3rd, supports English, Spanish and
Chinese languages, and allows:
Residents to see if they are eligible for Food Stamps,
Expedited Food Stamps and Medi-Cal;
An online application incorporating electronic signature for
Food Stamps with the ability to electronically attach
supporting documents;
A phone or webcam interview so eligibility determination can
be made for Food Stamps without an office interview;
Receipt and processing of applications and verification
documents on a real-time basis.
Since June 3rd, over 63 percent of applications have been done via webcam or over the phone (essentially avoiding having to come into the HSA Food Stamp Office).
The planned next phase of the www.benefitsSF.org website will include eligibility assessment and applications for school lunches, Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), San Francisco Working Families Credit (WFC), and Food Stamp quarterly reporting and annual recertification (to again avoid returning to the Food Stamp Office to process paperwork).
The Human Services Agency is now in the process of working with the San Francisco Food Bank to increase the number of Community Based Organizations making this website available to their customers for self service or assisted application.
San Francisco is also partnering with the State Dept of Social Services and 17 other counties (Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, San Diego, Orange, Santa Barbara, Fresno, Solano, Sonoma, Santa Cruz, among others) to use federal stimulus funding to replicate www.benefitsSF.org, which would allow full integration with the state welfare automation system and would allow clients in these other large counties to access the Food Stamp and Medi-Cal benefits to which they are entitled.
"With the technology that exists today, there is no reason that people should still have to dedicate an entire day and suffer through long lines just to access government services," said Mayor Newsom. "This is a way to streamline government by eliminating waste, becoming more efficient, and making it easier for those in need to get help."
In late 2006, the San Francisco Human Services Agency (HSA) was awarded a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop a public website where people can check for Food Stamps eligibility and apply for benefits 24 hours a day/7 days a week through the internet. The website is designed to be used by the general public from home or a public access computer, such as at a library or resource center, or the expanding network of registered Community Based Organizations (CBO´s).
The website, which went live on June 3rd, supports English, Spanish and
Chinese languages, and allows:
Residents to see if they are eligible for Food Stamps,
Expedited Food Stamps and Medi-Cal;
An online application incorporating electronic signature for
Food Stamps with the ability to electronically attach
supporting documents;
A phone or webcam interview so eligibility determination can
be made for Food Stamps without an office interview;
Receipt and processing of applications and verification
documents on a real-time basis.
Since June 3rd, over 63 percent of applications have been done via webcam or over the phone (essentially avoiding having to come into the HSA Food Stamp Office).
The planned next phase of the www.benefitsSF.org website will include eligibility assessment and applications for school lunches, Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), San Francisco Working Families Credit (WFC), and Food Stamp quarterly reporting and annual recertification (to again avoid returning to the Food Stamp Office to process paperwork).
The Human Services Agency is now in the process of working with the San Francisco Food Bank to increase the number of Community Based Organizations making this website available to their customers for self service or assisted application.
San Francisco is also partnering with the State Dept of Social Services and 17 other counties (Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, San Diego, Orange, Santa Barbara, Fresno, Solano, Sonoma, Santa Cruz, among others) to use federal stimulus funding to replicate www.benefitsSF.org, which would allow full integration with the state welfare automation system and would allow clients in these other large counties to access the Food Stamp and Medi-Cal benefits to which they are entitled.
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