Webinar Training for the Benefit Access Application

(BAA)State of IllinoisPat Quinn, Governor

Illinois Department on AgingJohn Holton, Director

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Effective July 1, 2012, Illinois Cares Rx was terminated and the Circuit Breaker Property Tax Relief Grant was defunded.

The benefits now available are:• Seniors Free Transit Ride Benefit• Persons with Disabilities Free Transit Ride Benefit • Secretary of State License Plate Discount

Benefit Eligibility can be determined by filing a Benefit Access Application

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Benefit, Eligibility, Assistance and Monitoring (BEAM)Formerly Circuit Breaker and IL Cares Rx

Process online applications and determine eligibility for the following benefits:

Provide eligibility information to the Secretary of State and the Transit Districts

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Filing for Benefits

Go to our website at www.state.il.us/Aging and click on the Benefit Access Tab on the top of the screen.

Applications can only be filed on the internet.

There are no paper applications.

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Eligibility

• At the time you file you must be:

• Age 65 or older in the current year or

• Age 16 - 64 andtotally disabled and

• A resident of Illinois

• Household INCOME less than:

• $27,610 (1)• $36,635 (2)• $45,657 (3)

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Applicants will need:

Income SourcesWages Railroad retirement

Social Security benefits Civil service

Medicare deductions Annuities

SSI benefits (SSA-1099) Interest , dividends

Veterans - taxable amount only Other income

Pension- taxable amount only Loss (1040) (no carryover allowed)

Claimant & Spouse will both need:Social security numberAmount of social security or SSI receivedDate of birth

The preferred verification for the above income sources are a US 1040, or if they did not file a US 1040, the 1099 or W-2 should be attached to the application for each source. 6

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Welcome Page cont’d

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Welcome Page with View/Edit link (for User(s) who want to return to an application already

started or to check the status)

The button under the word “action” may say “view” or “edit”.

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Pre-Qualification Screen

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Pre-Qualification Denial

If a person does not meet pre-qualification requirements they will be stopped and not allowed tocontinue with the application.

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Claimant Page

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Claimant Page cont’d

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Spouse Page

Spouse Page – with Schedule A questions

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Verifying Disability

BENEFIT ACCESS APPLICATION (BAA) will attempt to verify all claimant and spouse information

• Verification of Social Security information could take up to 48 hours to verify.

• If the person has requests for attachments or there is a discrepancy between the information on the Social Security database and what was filled out on the application, processing of the application will take longer. Each attachment has to be manually looked at and approved as valid by staff. Discrepancies will require the filer to add more attachments.

• If a request for a spouse or claimant disability comes up on the attachment page while you are filing or right after you have submitted, attaching the information at that time will not allow the file to go to SSA. Please do not attach disability information until after 48 hours has passed. We can often get the information from Social Security and approve the application without theattachment.

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Qualified Additional Resident(s) QAR

What is a QAR?

• A QAR is a person that lived in your home during the previous year, that you provided at least 50% of their financial support

Additional Information Regarding QAR(s)

• A QAR may not receive benefits of the Benefit Access Program and may not file as a claimant or spouse on another application.

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QAR (Qualified Additional Resident)with “None” selected – Default

QARs are not eligible to receive any benefits and must not have filed an application for themselves. The income of a QAR is not considered when listing income amounts.

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QAR (Qualified Additional Resident)with “One” selected

Option for Married/Civil Union (living together)

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Income Page

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Income Page (with Other Income options)

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Attachments

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Attachments con’t

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Attachments Page (with Add button)

A document must be added to each item –it may have several pages to it. Additional items should be added as a generic attachment. If you add a generic attachment please send an email to aging.advisor@illinois.gov letting us know that you did so. 24

Attachments Page (with add attachment option)

When you click on the “Add Attachment” button the screen will show as above.

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View Attachments (with View button and View Attachment option image)

Once the document has been uploaded you can click the view attachment button and the lower part of the screen will come up. If you click the yellow “View Attachment Image” You will be able to see the attachment you uploaded. 26

Submit Page (when other than the applicant filed)

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Submit Page

You may print a summary page or look at it before or after submitting an application.

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Renewal ApplicationsApplications filed in January of 2013 will begin being able to file for renewal of their eligibility on Friday, October 3 ( exactly 90 days before expiration of their current application). Below is an example of what the person will see when they go into the Benefit Access application if they are eligible to file for a renewal.

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Renewal Applications (cont’d)Once they have filed a renewal but their eligibility on the application they filed in 2013 has not yet expired they will see this:

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Renewal Applications (cont’d)

• If a person renews and is approved previous to the expiration of eligibility on the application filed in 2013, their eligibility on the renewal application will begin on the day their previous eligibility terms. If the renewal has not been approved or filed when their previous application terms they will have a lapse in eligibility. The renewal begin date will be the actual date of approval in those cases. Once the renewal application goes into effect, the old application will drop off and the new application will show as the eligible application.

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Things You Need To Know• We can now delete an application if a spouse was not entered or a

wrong Social Security number was used. You just need to call to request that we delete it.

• Any application that is in a status other than eligible or denied can be deleted. Eligible and Denied applications cannot be deleted.

• IDOA will only do a deletion of an application if the item cannot be fixed by us. The main item we cannot correct is social security numbers.

• We can also add a benefit if you forgot to ask for it and the application is already eligible. You will be eligible for the transit ride from the date we add it to the application. The License plate discount has a 10 day waiting period when we add the benefit.

• Expiration of eligibility for either benefit will be 2 years from the dated the application was approved.

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Things You Need To Know• Once you have submitted an application you cannot go back and

change information. If it is not denied or eligible yet, we can change things for you (other than the social security number). You just need to contact us by email.

• There are some things that you won’t be able to change once you have left the page but not submitted yet. Income numbers cannot be changed if you proceed to the next page. However we can correct income figures if you contact us by email.

• If a person filed last year and the application was never approved the same application will come up this year and every year after if it is not approved. The system will not allow you to file another application for the current year. You may use the application that was never approved if you decide you want to file. You just need to add your current information to the attachments and notify us by email that you have done so.

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Things You Need to Know

• If an application was denied last year but the person thinks they may be eligible this year they can add the current information to the attachments and notify us by email. We will reprocess the denied application to see if they are eligible with the new information.

• When an application says just the word Pending in the upper left corner that means the application has not been completed by the filer because they have not yet submitted it. We cannot begin processing until it has been submitted by the filer.

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ELIGIBILITY CERTIFICATE

• When Your Application Says Eligible in the upper left corner this indicates that your eligibility has been approved for the benefits requested.

• Print the ELIGIBILITY CERTIFICATE

• CONTACT OR VISIT YOUR Mass Transit District to find out what you should do next. Program requirements vary by transit district.

• You do not have to have your certificate with you when you visit the transit district.

• Mass Transit Agencies • can verify eligibility by using our transit database

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Eligibility Certificate cont’d

Secretary of State’s (SOS) License Plate Discount

• It is not necessary to present your Eligibility Certificate to the SoS, but you must have a control number to receive your discount. The Secretary of State will not honor the Eligibility Certificate until you have a control number on their files.

• Once you are determined eligible the Secretary of State will not have your information on their files for 10 days. They will not give you a discount until your name shows as eligible on their files.

• You will receive a discount for 2 renewal years. Whether you receive a discount for this year and next, or next year and the following year,c is up to the discretion of the SoS. They administer the program. We only determine eligibility.

• If you have misplaced your discount coupon and need your control number or you have other questions regarding the license plate discount please contact the Illinois Secretary of State’s office at 1-800-252-2904.

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• Applicants need to review their application for: – Needed information– Needed documentation

– At this time (winter of 2015) allow 4-6 weeks for approval of an application. If you added attachments after you filed add 4-6 weeks from the date you added the attachments. We are currently working overtime to process the huge influx of applications.

– Please do not call to see if the information you attached is correct. Allow 4-6 weeks and if the individual is still not eligible then feel free to send an email to aging.advisor@illinois.gov or call us.

– When an attachment is required, please review the attachment guidelines earlier in this presentation. Attaching the correct information is vital to getting the application approved in a timely manner.

– Please avoid sending lists of people to aging advisor email asking us to see if we received what you faxed, mailed or scanned. Allow 4-6 weeks from the date you sent the information. Once that timeline has passed, feel free to contact us.

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When to Reapply Online

• No sooner than 90 days before the current 2 year eligibility expires. Eligibility will expire 2 years from the date of approval.

• Example: Applied 3/15/2013, Approved 4/20/13, Expires 4/20/15You will not be able to enter a new application any sooner

than 1/20/2015.

The Eligibility Certificate indicates the date their eligibility expires.

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HELP FILING BAA APPLICATIONS

A Senior Health Assistance Program (SHAP) counselor:– Will answer questions – Complete your application form– Call first to schedule an appointment at a SHAP site.– Contact the Senior Helpline at 1-800-252-8966 or 1-800-

206-1327 (TTY) for the location nearest you

You may also call the above number if you are filing the application yourself and you have a questionTo find your local Area Agency on Aging office:

www.state.il.us/aging/1directory/SHAP.pdf

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Contact Information

Email: Aging.advisor@illinois.gov

Telefax: (217) 524-9213

Phone Number Senior Helpline: (8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday)1-800-252-89661-888-206-1327 (TTY)

Illinois Department on AgingBenefit Access (for attachments only) One Natural Resources Way, Suite 100Springfield, IL 62702-1271

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