State of Ohio American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Individuals

If you are an individual seeking Recovery Act funding for yourself or your family, please see the information below.

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What is the Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program?

The Program will disperse over $10,000,000 in rebates to help Ohioans save money by encouraging the replacement of old inefficient appliances (clothes washers, dishwashers, electric heat pump water heaters, high-efficiency gas storage water heaters, and refrigerators) with new qualified energy efficient Energy Star® appliances.

Ohio residents who purchase a qualified Energy Star® appliance from an Ohio retail location (online purchases are not eligible for a rebate) while the program is active and funds are available will be eligible for the rebate.

The program is expected to start in the first quarter of 2010. Rebates are limited to one rebate per appliance type per household and will be awarded through a mail-in rebate process.

Full details of the program will be announced in Early 2010, including the following:

• Terms & Conditions
• Rules of Eligibility rules, and
• A list of qualified appliances

Over 89,000 rebates will be offered for qualified Energy Star® appliances to Ohio consumer.

More program information can be found at: www.development.ohio.gov/recovery/EnergyStarProgram.htm

How will Federal Tax Benefits be affected?

A number of new federal tax benefits are available, including an immediate reduction in payroll taxes for most workers, increases in the Earned Income and Child Tax Credits, as well as benefits for retirees, parents, people saving for college, first-time homebuyers, car buyers, and more. For example:

Under the Making Work Pay Tax Credit, Ohioans will receive an $800.00 tax credit for joint and $400.00 tax credit for individual tax filers for 2009 and 2010. This tax credit applies to individuals making less than $75,000/year or married couples making less than $150,000/year. The average family will take home about $65.00 more every month (about $780.00 annually). The average individual will take home about 33.00 more per month (about $396.00 annually).

I am a senior citizen on a fixed income. Can I get assistance with food, medical care, or part-time employment?

Low-income seniors can apply for food assistance at the Ohio Department of Aging at www.aging.ohio.gov or through Area Agencies on Aging at 1-866-243-5678. You may be eligible for Meals on Wheels delivered to your home or to your local senior center.

If you need help with paying for your medical care, find out if you are eligible for Medicaid. Applications are available online at www.jfs.ohio.gov or call the Medicaid Consumer Hotline at 1-800-324-8680. If you have a hearing impairment, use the TDD number at 1-800-292-3572.

If you over 55 years of age and have poor employment prospects, you may qualify for a community service job for up to 20 hours/week. Contact www.jfs.ohio.gov/workforce.

I receive food stamps – are there any changes in the program to help me feed my family?

If you receive food assistance (formerly called food stamps), the stimulus bill provides a 13% increase in the monthly benefit. If you are currently enrolled in the program, you will automatically receive this increase. It will be added to your monthly benefit allowance on your EBT card beginning on April 1, 2009. If you are not currently receiving food assistance and believe you may be eligible, please see the link below to contact your county job and family services agency.

How are the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income affected by the Recovery Act?

Recipients of Social Security and Supplemental Security Income will receive a one-time payment of $250. If you are currently a recipient, you do not need to do anything to receive this payment. It is expected to be available in late May. This federal program is administered by the Social Security Administration, and not the State of Ohio. For more information or to see if you are eligible for benefits, see www.ssa.gov/payment/.

How will Medicaid Benefits, Cash Assistance, Child Care, or Health Care be affected?

If you would like to find out if you are eligible for cash assistance, child care assistance, or health care assistance, please contact your county department of job and family services. You can locate your county JFS at: jfs.ohio.gov/County/cntydir.stm

What help is available to Ohioans who have faced/or are facing foreclosure on their home?

Please contact the Save the Dream project at www.savethedream.ohio.gov for information, or call the toll free hot line at 888-404-4674. The Save the Dream Web site provides information on the foreclosure process, available resources in each county (provided in a downloadable tri-fold brochure for each county), tips on avoiding "rescue" scams, information on legal assistance, and answers to frequently asked questions. Ohioans who call the hotline are asked a series of questions to identify their needs. Some calls will be forwarded to a housing counselor. Some homeowners who have had a foreclosure case filed against them will be referred for legal assistance. Save the Dream housing counselors can also determine if a caller qualifies for foreclosure rescue grants or loans.

I would like to weatherize/insulate my home. How do I apply for assistance?

The Recovery Act does include help for low income Ohioans to reduce their energy costs by weatherizing their homes. Residents who qualify can receive insulation, furnace and other types of assistance. To find out if you are eligible and to apply, visit development.ohio.gov/cdd/ocs/hwap.htm.

I would like to apply for funds to make my home more "green." What type of assistance can I receive to purchase and install solar panels, upgrade my heating/air conditioning units, etc.?

There is help for low income Ohioans to weatherize/insulate their homes. However, the Recovery Act did not include dollars for individuals to buy solar panels or other "green" technologies for their homes. Please see the weatherization answer above for information about how to help make your home more energy efficient.

My child will go to college in September. What kind of financial assistance is available to help pay the costs of tuition, books, and housing?

The federal government is the single largest source of information about financial help for college students and their families. Find information online at www.ED.gov and click on the "money for college" button. Please also contact the Ohio Benefit Bank to learn more about accessing federal student loan programs (1-800-648-1176).

I have been laid off or lost my job. What training and services are available to help me find a job?

Contact your local Workforce Investment Act program or One-Stop Center for help with job training and availability at www.jfs.ohio.gov/workforce. Also, go online to Ohio Means Jobs, www.ohiomeansjobs.com/, Ohio's new Web site that helps connect Ohio's employers and job seekers to tens of thousands of job openings. These job openings include every skill level, occupation, and salary. If you have a severe disability and need vocational rehabilitation services, you may be eligible for personalized services to help you find and keep a job. For more information go online to www.rsc.ohio.gov.

How will Unemployment Compensation Benefits be affected?

Governor Strickland signed legislation to increase unemployment compensation benefits. Eligible recipients of unemployment compensation benefits can now receive up to 79 weeks of unemployment benefits.

In addition, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act increases the weekly benefit by $25.

Eligible individuals will automatically receive payments retroactive to the week of February 21-28, 2009, as soon as the system is updated. The bill also suspends the first $2,400 paid in unemployment benefits from federal income tax for tax year 2009 only. This adjustment will be made when you file your 2009 federal tax forms.

If you are not receiving unemployment benefits and believe you may be eligible, please see the answer under the question: "I lost my job, what help is available to me?"

What impact does the Recovery Act have on COBRA Health Insurance?

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act subsidizes 65% of eligible individuals' COBRA health insurance and other state group continuation coverage for workers who lose their jobs.

To qualify for COBRA, a worker must have been involuntarily separated between September 1, 2008, and December 31, 2009. Workers who lost their jobs between September 1, 2008 and February 17, 2009 but failed to initially elect COBRA because it was unaffordable, will have an additional 60 days to elect COBRA and receive the subsidy.

This subsidy phases out for individuals whose modified adjusted gross income exceeds $125,000, or $250,000 for those filing joint returns. Taxpayers with modified adjusted gross income exceeding $145,000, or $290,000 for those filing joint returns, do not qualify for the subsidy.

Please see http://www.insurance.ohio.gov/Consumer/Pages/COBRA.aspx for more information about health insurance continuation.

I own a small business and would like assistance in paying my loans or applying for loans.

Small businesses with fewer than 500 employees can apply for new or re-structured loans. Contact the Ohio Small Business Development Center at the Ohio Department of Development at 1-800-248-4040 with questions or go online at www.odod.state.oh.us.