Help someone find and use benefits guides

Helping a relative, a neighbor or someone at a community service? Start with one need and one useful page. These free resources help you read together, share a guide or leave someone with a next step they can return to.

GetBenefits.tools is an independent project by Xavier Carrate. We explain public benefits; we do not receive applications or decide a person's case.

Read together without taking over

1. Ask what would help today. Food, health coverage or an unanswered notice may be a good starting point. Let the person choose the order and the language.
2. Open one guide. Read the section for the task in front of you. Pause after each step and ask, “What would you like to do next?”
3. Keep the person in control. They can read without answering a questionnaire. If they choose a tool, let them enter their own information. Use the official agency route for applications and case questions.

Choose a guide to share

The links below open English guides. Use the Spanish version of this resource page for the corresponding Spanish guides. These selected journeys are available in English and Spanish; this does not mean every page or every external agency service is translated.

When the person knows their state

• Washington: choose a need. Then open the Basic Food preparation guide or the Apple Health guide for that task.
• California: choose a need. Then open the CalFresh preparation guide or the Medi-Cal guide for that task.

When you need a starting point for another state

• SNAP: food assistance guide.
• Medicaid and CHIP: health coverage guide.
• Tax credits: choose the right tax year.
• Energy assistance: find the local route.

For other needs, open the benefits directory. Each guide keeps its own official references, review date and applicable periods. Check those on the guide before using a printed copy or sharing a figure. This page does not replace the program's instructions.

Leave one clear next step

Before you finish, agree on one action the person wants to take. A short note can contain:

• The guide: its title and public address.
• The next action: for example, read the preparation section or ask the agency to explain a notice.
• Where to continue: the official source linked from that guide.
• What to check again: the guide's review date, the program period and any instructions on the person's own notice.

The next-steps page brings selected guides and official routes together. Read the options it offers before using it on a shared computer. A public page link shares guidance, not any information someone may have saved.

Print a guide or reuse its link

1. Open the guide you want to use. Check its source and period first. A page's review date and a rule's effective date may be different.
2. Use your browser's Print option. Review the preview and choose the pages you need. Keep the source, date and qualifications with the explanation. Check paper or PDF for personal information before sharing it.
3. Share the public address. Copy one of the guide links above. They contain no questionnaire answers or list details. Linking to the guide lets the next reader check the current version.

For a handout, newsletter or community resource list, you can use a guide's title and link and credit GetBenefits.tools by Xavier Carrate. Keep third-party agency materials attached to their own source and usage terms. Avoid copying amounts into a separate calculator or an undated table that readers cannot check.

Ask “Would this guide be useful?” rather than telling someone they qualify. If a notice or an instruction is unclear, the agency can explain the next step for that case.

How we review sources · Accessibility and ways to report a problem · Send a correction.