Information and Assistance

Results: 15

• Benefits Assistance (41)
  FT-1000

  Benefits Assistance

  FT-1000
  
  Programs that provide assistance for people who are having difficulty understanding and/or obtaining grants, payments, services or other benefits for which they are eligible. The programs may help people understand the eligibility criteria for benefits, the benefits provided by the program, the payment process and the rights of beneficiaries; provide consultation and advice; help them complete benefits application forms; negotiate on their behalf with benefits administration staff; and/or represent them in administrative processes or judicial litigation. Included are benefits counseling organizations that offer a range of advocacy services and legal aid programs that offer more formalized legal assistance.
• Better Business Bureaus (1)
  DD-2100.1000

  Better Business Bureaus

  DD-2100.1000
  
  Nonprofit organizations sponsored by private, local businesses which provide general information about products or services, reliability reports, background information regarding local businesses and records of the companies' complaint handling performances. Most Better Business Bureaus accept complaints against businesses and help to resolve disputes through mediation or binding arbitration utilizing volunteer arbitration panels.
• Comprehensive Information and Referral (1)
  TJ-3000.1500

  Comprehensive Information and Referral

  TJ-3000.1500
  
  Programs that maintain information about the full range of human services and which function as the primary source of information about and linkage to human service providers in the community.
• Consumer Assistance and Protection (1)
  DD

  Consumer Assistance and Protection

  DD
  
  Programs that provide information and guidance for consumers who need assistance in managing their financial resources, evaluating competitive products and services and choosing the most favorable option, understanding their rights as consumers and seeking redress when they believe their rights have been violated.
• Disaster Preparedness Information (1)
  TH-1700.1800

  Disaster Preparedness Information

  TH-1700.1800
  
  Programs that increase public awareness of the measures that people can take before, during and after a major disaster or wide-scale emergency to reduce loss of life and property and improve their chances for survival. Included are programs that inspect the homes of individual residents and give them a report which suggests ways to enhance their safety and reduce the risk of property damage or loss, as well as those that deal with disaster preparedness in a more general way. Also included are programs that provide fact sheets, hazard maps and other types of technical information about natural disasters that individuals and communities can review and evaluate to see if their area is at risk.
• Disease/Disability Information (3)
  LH-2700.1700

  Disease/Disability Information

  LH-2700.1700
  
  Programs that provide information about the causes and origins, preventive measures, symptoms, screening/diagnostic procedures, and/or methods of treatment or management including the latest research for specific illnesses or disabling conditions.
• Information and Referral (31)
  TJ-3000

  Information and Referral

  TJ-3000
  
  Programs whose primary purpose is to maintain information about human service resources in the community and to link people who need assistance with appropriate service providers and/or to supply descriptive information about the agencies or organizations which offer services. The information and referral process involves establishing contact with the individual, assessing the individual's long and short-term needs, identifying resources to meet those needs, providing a referral to identified resources, and, where appropriate, following up to ensure that the individual's needs have been met.
• Legal Information Services (1)
  TJ-3200.4500

  Legal Information Services

  TJ-3200.4500
  
  Programs that provide information about specific legal problems and procedures that interested individuals can access on a website or in person, or by telephone, email, chat, text or other communication channel. Information may be in a self-serve, browsable format (for example a web resource directory or library of audio recordings) or provided by live agents with expertise in the field. Also included are legal aid services, bar associations and other programs that provide basic information about family law, landlord/tenant law, immigration law, consumer law, elder law, patient rights, the rights of persons with disabilities, the criminal justice system, the civil court system and other legal topics via workshops, classes, speaking engagements, printed materials, video tutorials, websites and other similar educational avenues.
• Medical Information Services (1)
  TJ-3200.5000

  Medical Information Services

  TJ-3200.5000
  
  Programs that provide information about specific health and health-related topics including diseases and conditions, birth control, alcohol and drug abuse, mental health, safety and other similar topics that interested individuals can access on a website or in person, or by telephone, email, chat, text or other communication channel. Information may be in a self-serve, browsable format (for example a web resource directory or library of audio recordings) or provided by live agents with expertise in the field.
• Patient Rights Assistance (1)
  FT-6200

  Patient Rights Assistance

  FT-6200
  
  Programs that provide information, education, advocacy and/or other forms of legal assistance which relate to the rights of people who are patients in a health or mental health care facility, who are residents of convalescent or other long or short-term care facilities including adult residential care homes, or who are incapacitated and are being cared for at home by family members. Services may also be available to significant others of these individuals.
• Protection and Advocacy for Individuals With Disabilities (7)
  FT-1000.6600

  Protection and Advocacy for Individuals With Disabilities

  FT-1000.6600
  
  Programs that provide assistance for individuals with disabilities who are having difficulty understanding and/or obtaining the full benefits and services to which they are entitled by law. Included are federally mandated programs that are part of the formal protection and advocacy system which includes Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PADD), Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI), Protection and Advocacy for Individual Rights (PAIR) and the Client Assistance Program (CAP); and independent organizations that provide the same types of services. Protection and advocacy programs provide legal representation and other advocacy services, under federal and state laws, for all people with disabilities and endeavor to ensure full access to inclusive educational programs, financial entitlements, health care, accessible housing and productive employment opportunities. The programs maintain a presence in facilities that care for people with disabilities where they monitor, investigate and attempt to remedy adverse conditions. CAP agencies (many of which are housed within protection and advocacy offices) provide information and assistance for individuals seeking or receiving vocational rehabilitation services under the Rehabilitation Act, including assistance in pursuing administrative, legal and other appropriate remedies.
• Specialized Information and Referral (18)
  TJ-3000.8000

  Specialized Information and Referral

  TJ-3000.8000
  
  Programs that maintain information about community resources that are appropriate for a specific target group or human services sector (for example, youth programs or addiction services) and which link individuals who are in need of specialized services with appropriate resources and/or which provide information about community agencies and organizations that offer specialized services.
• Tax Preparation Assistance (1)
  DT-8800

  Tax Preparation Assistance

  DT-8800
  
  Programs that help eligible individuals (including older adults, people with disabilities and people with low incomes) prepare their tax returns or complete paperwork to apply for tax relief in the form of tax credit, rebate, exemption or postponement programs. Included are programs staffed by volunteers or others who provide this service without charge and professional tax preparation services. Most tax preparation assistance sites allow the people they assist to file their tax return information electronically.
• Veteran Benefits Assistance (46)
  FT-1000.9000

  Veteran Benefits Assistance

  FT-1000.9000
  
  Programs that provide assistance for veterans who are having difficulty understanding and/or obtaining the full benefits and services to which they are entitled by law based on service to their country. The programs may help veterans understand the eligibility criteria for benefits, the benefits provided by the program, the payment process and the rights of beneficiaries; provide consultation and advice; help them complete benefits application forms; negotiate on their behalf with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs staff; and/or represent them in administrative processes or judicial litigation. Included are Veteran Services Officers (VSOs) who are trained and accredited by the Veteran's Administration (VA) and can be found in offices specific to each state, the county courthouse, the local VA office and local veteran's rights organizations; as well as legal aid programs that offer more formalized legal assistance.
• Will Preparation Assistance (1)
  FT-2700.9500

  Will Preparation Assistance

  FT-2700.9500
  
  Programs that provide assistance on an individual or group basis for people who want to draft a Last Will and Testament which leaves instructions for the disposition of their property following their death and need assistance in ensuring that the document is properly written. Also included are programs that provide copies of the Last Will and Testament form that is valid in their jurisdiction.