What the loss of Benefits Data Trust means for two government agencies in Harrisburg and Philly
The nationally acclaimed nonprofit abruptly announced its closure in June, and failed to turn its operations over to a successor.
Since 2006, Philadelphia’s Benefits Data Trust has helped people who depend on the services of the Pennsylvania Department of Aging to file applications for pharmaceutical and other benefits. The result last year was nearly 48,000 benefits applications from 27,018 households.
Now BDT is shutting down, leaving the agency looking for new partners.
BDT’s wind-down this week — abruptly announced two months ago amid a cash crunch — is ending its numerous long-term partnerships. BDT worked to help people connect with government benefits through contracts with wide-ranging partners, from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services to the City of Philadelphia, Independence Blue Cross to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. It also worked nationally, with its model considered so successful that BDT received a $20 million no-strings-attached grant from MacKenzie Scott in 2022.
The nonprofit’s official closure date is Saturday, according to the notice to the state that it was laying off 273 people. BDT’s call center in Philadelphia took its last call on July 25, according to an op-ed in The Inquirer by Kristin Romens, director of the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Fund for Health and Human Services in Philadelphia.
To make up for the loss of BDT, Magellan, a call-center operator that had subcontracted with BDT, has added resources, the Department of Aging said in an email. The Pennsylvania pharmacy benefit program, called the Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly, “is also in the process of exploring other partnerships to assist with this work,” the department said.
In addition to helping people 65 and older submit nearly 9,000 applications for the pharmacy program, BDT helped residents file an additional 23,000 applications for a federal low-income subsidy for Medicare drug coverage, and thousands more for food assistance, property tax or rent rebates, help with energy bills, and health coverage.
Another example of its impact: In Philadelphia, BDT had a call-center contract since 2008 to help city residents apply for government benefits. BDT exceeded its requirements under the program for the period from Jan. 1 through June 30, Beth McConnell, interim deputy executive director for policy and programs in the Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity, said in an email.
The program, called BenePhilly, continues to operate through other partners, McConnell said. They include Catholic Social Services, PA CareerLink Philadelphia, and Impact Services, according to the BenePhilly website, which lists a total of six agencies.
Philadelphia residents who call BDT should hear a message that directs them to call BenePhilly at (215) 685-3654, McConnell said. “Our BenePhilly team is working hard to return every one of those calls.”