SNAP Screening, Talk On Mastering The Medicare Maze Set

SOUTHBURY — To help area residents in these difficult economic times, Brownstein Jewish Family Service has teamed up with the Connecticut Association for Human Services (CAHS) to continue offering free monthly social service screenings for a dozen work support/ basic needs programs, including SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly food stamps), energy assistance, HUSKY, Medicaid, and Charter Oak insurance.

The next screening is scheduled from 10 am to 3 pm on Wednesday, December 1, at the Jewish Federation, 444 Main Street North. Reservations are required.

“At our last screening, 21 people were found to be eligible for SNAP, ranging from a toddler to a centenarian” said JFS Director Debby Horowitz. “We’ve been helping people who are falling through the cracks and really having a tough time making ends meet. They come from all the towns around here. We’re seeing unemployed single people, families where one or both parents have recently lost their jobs and health insurance, and seniors from Heritage Village, too. If anyone wants to call, we can give them the income guidelines over the phone for SNAP.”

Whether a friend, a neighbor, or a relative is unemployed, uninsured, living on a fixed income or just having difficulty putting enough food on the table or paying for medicine, this screening may offer some solutions for those who are struggling to make ends meet.

A family of two with a gross monthly income of $2,246 could be eligible for SNAP, which uses a debit, or EBT card, to make grocery purchases. The gross monthly income for a single person is $1,671. Ownership of a home or a car is not counted as an asset.

Reservations are required for the 30-minute screening, which is given by Nera Clemente of the Connecticut Association for Human Services.

In other news, those who have questions about changes in 2011 in Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Coverage or Medicare Advantage Plans, or federal and state “wraparound” aid programs that help with Medicare expenses can bring concerns to the library of the Jewish Federation on Thursday, December 2, at 10 am.

Presenter Eric H. Freedman will address these subjects and also speak about preventing identity theft and fraud. This free program is open to the public and is sponsored by the Western CT Area Agency on Aging and Brownstein Jewish Family Service.

Seating is limited. To RSVP, call Debby Horowitz at 203-267-3177, extension 105.