Patent Application
20080300893
The present invention relates to the field of assistance programs. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method which may be implemented within a computing environment for facilitating the enrollment of a client in an assistance program.
Households in poverty spend a disproportionately high percentage of their annual income on energy and telephone bills to maintain their modest levels of usage relative to middle- and high-income households. Moreover, in recent years, energy costs have been rapidly rising, thus placing even greater financial pressure on low- and moderate-income consumers.
An array of social benefit programs is available to qualified citizens, resident aliens, foreign nationals, and undocumented persons residing in the United States of America. One social benefit program intended to assist households with heating and cooling costs is a federally funded Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). LIHEAP provides funds to states, Indian tribes or tribal organizations, and insular areas who administer the funds to help low-income households pay home energy expenses. LIHEAP funds may be used to assist households with heating and cooling costs, provide crisis assistance, and pay for weatherization projects.
The various social benefit programs, including LIHEAP, are generally need based and means tested to ensure that only those who are deserving and qualify for the benefits receive them. That is, a needy household fills out an application, which is then verified for accuracy, in order to qualify for the program. Various social service agencies and nonprofit organizations assist the needy in identifying the appropriate social benefit programs, in obtaining funds from such programs, and in applying those funds in accordance with program rules.
Many service providers, such as utility companies and cooperatives, additionally have utility assistance programs to allow low-income households an opportunity to obtain a discount on their utility and/or telephone bills. Unfortunately, knowledge of these utility assistance programs, sometimes referred to as low-income discount programs, is not always disseminated effectively to those who are most in need. Consequently, enrollment in such utility assistance programs offered by service providers may be undesirably low.
In many instances, in order to enroll in a utility assistance program, a potential client is obligated to fill out an application. The process of applying for the utility assistance program may be insurmountable due to poor or nonexistent English language skills within a household. For other individuals, filling out and mailing in the required forms may be too much trouble. Still other individuals may resist anything that looks like welfare, and others may fear that the discounted rate would count against them in applying for other social service benefits.
Another problem that can arise is that the information provided by the potential client in an assistance program enrollment application is not typically verified by an independent authority. Consequently, a large potential exists for fraudulent applications.
Accordingly, what is needed is a technique for making an assistance program, such as a low-income discount program, offered by a service provider available to those households most in need of the assistance. What is further needed is a technique for largely limiting the number of fraudulent users of such an assistance program.
Accordingly, it is an advantage of the present invention that a method and computer readable code are provided for making an assistance program offered by a provider available to individuals.
It is another advantage of the present invention that a method and computer readable code are provided that effectively disseminate enrollment information regarding a provider offered assistance program to those who are most in need.
Another advantage of the present invention is that a method and computer readable code are provided for facilitating enrollment of individuals in an assistance program that largely limits the number of fraudulent users of such an assistance program.
The above and other advantages of the present invention are carried out in one form in a computing environment, by a method of making an assistance program offered by a provider available to a client. The method calls for receiving, at the computing environment, client information pertaining to a social benefit program for which the client qualifies from an organization that administers the social benefit program. The client information is compared with eligibility requirements for the assistance program. When the client information meets the eligibility requirements, the organization is notified of an eligibility of the client to enroll in the assistance program. Enrollment of the client in the assistance program is facilitated in response to the notifying operation.
The above and other advantages of the present invention are carried out in another form by a computer-readable storage medium containing executable code for instructing a processor to make a low-income discount program offered by a provider available to a client. The executable code instructs the processor to perform operations that include receiving client information pertaining to a social benefit program for which the client qualifies from an organization that administers the social benefit program. The client information includes verified income information for the client that is commonly required by both the social benefit program and the low-income discount program. The client information is compared with eligibility requirements for the low-income discount program. When the client information meets the eligibility requirements, the organization is notified of an eligibility of the client to enroll in the low-income discount program and enrollment of the client in the low-income discount program is facilitated in response to the notifying operation.
A more complete understanding of the present invention may be derived by referring to the detailed description and claims when considered in connection with the Figures, wherein like reference numbers refer to similar items throughout the Figures, and:
The present invention provides methodology and computer readable code for making an assistance program offered by a provider available to a qualified client. The present invention verifies a client's eligibility for the assistance program and enables efficient notification to an administering organization of a client's eligibility for the assistance program. In addition, the present invention enables the organization to enroll the client in the assistance program.
An assistance program may be a low-income discount program offered by a utility service provider such as an electric company, a gas company, a telephone company, and the like. The low-income discount program is a need based program that allows low-income households an opportunity to obtain discounts on their utility and/or telephone bills. However, the present invention need not be limited to use in conjunction with services and products provided by utility service providers. In addition, the present invention may be adapted for use in conjunction with a number of need based programs offered by other providers in which eligibility for the programs should be verified prior to obtaining benefits from these need based programs.
The present invention entails computer-readable assistance program enrollment code, in the form of an assistance program enrollment process, that facilitates the enrollment of clients into a service provider's low-income discount program who have already qualified for a social benefit program through an administering organization or agency. In one embodiment, the assistance program enrollment process is a program code module that is included as part of a payment guarantee process utilized by various organizations, discussed below. However, the assistance program enrollment process need not be limited to such a use, but may instead be implemented as a stand-alone program utilized by the various organizations.
Utility manager 22 is also in communication with a provider 28, which in this exemplary scenario is a provider of electricity 30. Utility manager 22 may be an independent entity from provider 28. Alternatively, utility manager 22 may be a subsidiary of provider 28. Environment 20 may include any number of organizations 24, of which two are shown, that are enrolled in a program managed by utility manager 22, discussed below. Organizations 24 represent any number of organizations, such as social services, community agencies, nonprofit agencies, and the like whose primary involvement may be related to social issues, charities, and so forth.
In the exemplary scenario of
In one function provided in environment 20, organizations 24 administer funds associated with the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). By way of example, for those clients who are qualified for LIHEAP assistance through one of organizations 24, that organization 24 may be authorized to guarantee payment of some or all of a client's electricity bill owed to provider 28 using LIHEAP funding. Utility manager 22 facilitates these guaranteed payments by collecting the guarantees from organizations 24, communicating the guarantee of payments to provider 28, and communicating the payments to provider 28.
Utility manager 22 includes a managing computing system 32 for executing a computer program, in the form of a payment guarantee process 34. A program code module, in the form of an assistance program enrollment process 36, is included in conjunction with payment guarantee process 34. Managing computing system 32 includes a processor 38 on which payment guarantee process 34 along with assistance program enrollment process 36 can be executed. Processor 38 is in communication with an input device 40, an output device 42, a memory system 44, and a computer-readable storage medium 46. These elements are interconnected by a conventional bus structure.
Input device 40 can encompass a keyboard, mouse, pointing device, audio device (e.g., a microphone), and/or any other device providing input to processor 38. Output device 42 can encompass a display, a printer, an audio device (e.g., a speaker), and/or other devices providing output from processor 38.
Computer-readable storage medium 46 may be a magnetic disk, compact disk, or any other volatile or non-volatile mass storage system readable by processor 38. Computer-readable storage medium 46 may also include cooperating or interconnected computer readable media, which exist exclusively on managing computing system 32 or are distributed among multiple interconnected computer systems (not shown) that may be local or remote. Payment guarantee process 34 and assistance program enrollment process 36 are recorded on computer-readable storage medium 46 and encompass executable code for instructing processor 38 to enable organizations 24 to guarantee payments to provider 28 and to make a utility assistance program, such as a low-income discount program, offered by provider 28 available to clients, discussed below.
Each of organizations 24 includes an organization computing system 48 from which payment guarantee process 34 can be accessed via network 26. Organization computing system 48 includes a processor 50. Processor 50 is in communication with an input device 52, an output device 54, a display 56, and a memory system 58. These elements are interconnected by a conventional bus structure.
Input device 52 can encompass a keyboard, mouse, pointing device, audio device (e.g., a microphone), and/or any other device providing input to processor 50. Output device 54 can encompass a display, i.e. display 56, a printer, an audio device (e.g., a speaker), and/or other devices providing output from processor 50. It should be further understood that input devices 40, 52 and output devices 42, 54 can also include network connections, modems, or other devices used for communications with one another via network 26.
Collectively, managing computing system 32 and organization computing systems 48 form a computing environment 60 through which organizations 24 guarantee payments for funds owed by their clients to provider 28 for electricity 30. In accordance with the present invention, computing environment 60 also facilitates enrollment of clients in a low-income discount program offered by provider 28 for electricity 30.
A database 62 of LIHEAP program clients may be included in memory system 58 of organization computing system 48. As briefly mentioned above LIHEAP, or Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, is a federally funded social benefit program that funds states, Indian tribes or tribal organizations, and insular areas so that they may help low-income households pay home energy expenses. In many instances, these localities subcontract with administering organizations 24, typically non-profit agencies, whose function, among other things, is to enroll individuals in LIHEAP in order to obtain LIPEAP assistance.
Database 62 is created and/or updated when an applicant, perhaps with the assistance of organization 24, fills out a LIHEAP application 64. LIHEAP application 64 is utilized to obtain applicant information regarding the potential eligibility for the applicant to obtain LIHEAP assistance. Such applicant information includes, for example, applicant identification, address, household income, quantity and information regarding individuals in the household, and so forth.
Through organization 24, the applicant information such as residence, employment, income, resources, energy supply and supplier, and so forth included in LIHEAP application 64 is verified for accuracy and a determination is made as to whether the applicant qualifies for LIHEAP assistance. Currently, United States federal law permits household income eligibility to be established at either 150% of the United States Department of Health and Human Service (HHS) poverty income guidelines or 60% of a state's medium income, whichever is higher. Utilizing the HHS poverty income guidelines as a qualification threshold, an applicant can qualify for LIHEAP assistance when household income is at or below 150% of the HHS poverty income guidelines.
Following verification, if an applicant qualifies for LIHEAP assistance, the appropriate client information is entered into database 62. By way of example, database 62 includes a list of clients 65 and their associated client information 66. For purposes of clarity, the terms “client” and “clients” are used to describe those individuals/households who qualify for assistance from a social benefit program, such as LIHEAP, and are thus included in database 62. Client information 66 for each of clients 65 may include a client identifier 68, a household income value 70, a household size value 72, and additional information 74 that may have been provided in LIHEAP application 64. The information provided in database 62 and acquired when applying for LIHEAP funds is advantageously utilized by assistance program enrollment process 36 to determine a client's eligibility for additional help through the assistance program offered by provider 28.
As shown in
For purposes of distinction, the terms “customer” and “customers” are used herein to describe those individuals/households who receive and pay for electricity from provider 28. Customers 78 and 84 may be, but are not necessarily, clients 65 who qualify for LIHEAP assistance. However, those clients 65 who qualify for LIHEAP assistance may be customers 78 on regular energy plan 80 or may be customers 84 on assistance program 86. The present invention identifies clients 65 who qualify for LIHEAP assistance but are currently customers 78 on regular energy plan 80. Once these customers 78 are identified, the present invention facilitates their enrollment in assistance program 86.
Payment guarantee process 34 begins with a task 88. At task 88, managing computing system 32 receives an access request for initiation of payment guarantee process 34 from one of organizations 24 (
In response to task 88, processor 38 (
Following task 90, process control continues with a query task 92. At query task 92, assistance program enrollment process 36 executed by processor 38 (
However, when query task 92 determines that the one of customers 78 and 84 is not currently enrolled in assistance program 86 (
Referring to
In other embodiments, different eligibility requirements 100 then those specified above may be utilized by provider 28 to determine eligibility for enrollment in assistance program 86. However, the previously acquired and verified client information 66 (
With reference back to assistance program enrollment process 36 of
At task 106, managing computing system 32 (
Referring to
In accordance with the present invention, when client 65 is eligible for assistance program 86, an assistance program prompt box 116 will be provided in screen shot 110. In this example, assistance program prompt box 116 allows organization 24 to make a number of choices. For example, organization 24 can select an enroll prompt 118, represented herein by a check box preceding “CLIENT MEETS LIHEAP INCOME ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES. ENROLL CLIENT ON ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.” Enroll prompt 118 will cause the automatic application of client 65 into assistance program 86. Thus, organization 24 can apply for assistance program 86 on behalf of client 65. Alternatively, organization 24 can select a print prompt 120, represented herein by a check box preceding “PRINT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM APPLICATION.” Print prompt 120 will result in the generation of an application for assistance program 86. Thus, organization 24 is prompted about assistance program 86, can print an application on behalf of client 65, and can subsequently share that application to client 65 so that client 65 can decide whether he/she wishes to enroll in assistance program 86.
With reference back to assistance program enrollment process 36 (
At task 122, utility manager 22, via managing computing system 32, or alternatively provider 28 enrolls client 65 into assistance program 86 (
Following task 122, and as mentioned above, when client 65 is already enrolled in assistance program 86 at query task 92, when client 65 is ineligible for enrollment in assistance program 86 at query task 96, or when authorization to enroll client 65 is not received at query task 120, payment guarantee process 34 continues with task 94.
At task 94, payment guarantee process 34 activities are continued. Such activities can include the commitment or guarantee of payment of at least a portion of the cost specified in record 77 (
In summary, the present invention teaches of a method and computer readable code for making an assistance program offered by a provider available to individuals. Enrollment information is effectively disseminated to those who are most in need by coupling notification of eligibility for enrollment in a provider offered assistance program with a payment guarantee process for a social benefit program administered by agencies or organizations. Thus, the agencies or organizations are cognizant of the provider offered assistance program, disseminate that information to their clients, and readily enroll them in the assistance program. Since the clients have previously qualified for a social benefit program, verified income and household size data exists for that client. This verified income and household size data can be used to determine eligibility in the assistance program, thus greatly reducing the potential for fraudulent users of such an assistance program.
Although the preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described in detail, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims. For example, as mentioned above the assistance program enrollment process need not be coupled with a payment guarantee process. In addition, eligibility requirements need not be determined through LIHEAP qualification but can instead be determined from another verifiable data source, such as applications for Earned Income Tax Credit, U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Stamp Program, Children's Health Insurance Program, and other publicly or privately funded and administered programs.
