Benefit Screener
 FOR ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS IN MASSACHUSETTS

  Begin the Benefit Screener.

Important!  If you have not used the MassResources.org Benefit Screener before, please read the questions and answers below before you begin. Also, please note that this screener is not official and is not an application for benefits.

Please read carefully.

What does the Benefit Screener do?

This is a good place to begin to find out what benefits and assistance programs you might be eligible for in Massachusetts. We will first ask you a set of questions about yourself, your household, and your current situation, followed by a set of questions about your financial status. Before you start, you may want to gather information about your household's income and financial assets so that you can more easily answer some of the questions in the Benefit Screener. After you have responded to all of the questions, we will provide you with a list of programs for which you could be eligible. You will see the results right away, on your computer screen.

What programs and benefits are covered by this screener?

The programs or benefits that are currently covered by the Benefit Screener are the following:

After completing the Benefit Screener, what do I do next?

Completing this Benefit Screener is a useful first step as it will give you a good idea of a broad range of programs for which you may be eligible. For any that are of interest, you should then read the information provided on this (or a similar) web site that describes each program. Some benefits have complicated rules for who is eligible and for these programs (e.g., food stamps), you can also complete a specific Eligibility Check. This is something you should do if you are interested in the benefit, and the results from the Benefit Screener suggest you could be eligible. For more information, see the full list of specific Eligibility Checks that are available on this web site. If you are very interested in only one particular benefit which has a specific Eligibility Check, you could choose to proceed directly to this Eligibility Check (i.e., skip the Benefit Screener) to get a more definite (but unofficial) answer as to whether or not you are eligible. But, if you have the time and interest, we recommend you start with the Benefit Screener.

Can the results from the Benefit Screener be wrong?

Yes, this is something that can't be avoided when asking you a limited number of questions about benefits that have very complicated eligibility criteria. The Benefit Screener is less accurate about who is eligible for a specific program and who is not than are our specific Eligibility Checks The advantage to the Benefit Screener is that, with responses to a fairly short list of questions, it gives users a general idea of the range of programs for which they might be eligible. However, for benefits with complicated criteria, we leave it to the specific Eligibility Checks to make a more accurate (although still unofficial) determination. The Benefit Screener has been developed in such a way so as to minimize the number of people who are not told they are eligible for a program, when in fact they are eligible. By designing it this way, people may sometimes get results that suggest they could be eligible for a program, which upon further questioning turns out they are not actually eligible. By choosing to err in this latter manner, we reduce the chance that you do not learn of a program for which you are eligible. On a positive note, if the results you receive from both the Benefit Screener and the specific Eligibility Check indicate that you are eligible for a benefit, it is very likely that you do, in fact, meet all the eligibility criteria.

Is completing this Benefit Screener private?

Filling out this Benefit Screener is intended to be totally private and confidential. Only you (and anyone else that can also read the display screen you are using) will see the results. No information is asked that could be used to specifically identify you as an individual (such as your name or Social Security number). Also, the information that you enter is not permanently saved in any way. If you are at a computer or Internet access device used by other people, we suggest, that when you are finished with the Benefit Screener or specific Eligibility Check, you leave the web site and/or close the browser. This will prevent someone who follows you in using the computer (or Internet access device) from reading your responses or the results. Lastly, should you stop filling out the eligibility check part way through, we recommend that you close the browser so that another person cannot scroll back and read your answers. Following these recommendations should ensure that your answers and results are kept completely private.

Remember that this Benefit Screener is unofficial. By answering the questions contained in the Benefit Screener you are not actually applying for any programs or benefits. Also, while we make every effort to provide accurate feedback, we do not guarantee that the results we provide you will always be valid. Errors on your part in answering the questions, errors on our part, or recent changes to eligibility rules for various programs could lead to receiving results that are incorrect for you.

By clicking below and using this Benefit Screener you acknowledge that you have read and understood this introduction and agree to the Terms and Conditions of using this web site.

Begin the Benefit Screener.