Start to finish
How the check works
A few minutes, no account, and the result is not held behind an email address.
What we ask, and why each question earns its place
Every question has to change at least one answer, or it does not get asked. A form that collects information it never uses is collecting it for someone else's benefit.
- ZIP code. Resolves to a county. Nearly every rule in this field turns on geography, and county is the unit that most programs are administered in.
- Age range. Bands rather than a date of birth. A band is enough to screen an age rule and is far less identifying.
- Household size and income range. Ranges, not figures. Income rules are thresholds, so a range answers them without us holding a number.
- Military service in the household. Optional, and the veterans layer runs whether or not it is answered.
- Insurance, disability, living situation, immediate needs. These decide which programs are even worth screening, and which order the plan is written in.
What we never ask for
Social Security numbers. Medicare numbers. VA file numbers. Bank details. Medical records. Passwords. Not "we ask and protect them", we do not ask. No legitimate screening tool needs any of it, and holding it creates a target.
What happens after you answer
The screen runs
Deterministic, offline, against the rules table. No model is involved in deciding what a household is owed. The same answers always produce the same result, which is what makes it checkable later.
Every link is checked live
We hold a pre-loaded database, and at the moment your result is built we also check the official pages behind it. If a page has moved or is not responding, the result says so rather than sending you to a dead end. A failed check never hides a program: an agency whose website is down at 2am has not stopped running the benefit.
You get the plan
Grouped by need, ordered by urgency, with the rule, the source and the date on every claim. Printable. Savable behind a private link if you want it.