Larimer County rolls out My Friend Ben benefits screener; officials cite faster, anonymous access and local data for outreach

Larimer County human services officials on May 5 demonstrated a new online benefits-screener called My Friend Ben and said the free tool can help residents find federal, state and local benefits more quickly and anonymously than the state’s PEAK application portal.

Heather O'Hare, human services director, and Jill Mosch, division manager for operations and organizational development, showed the tool at a Board of Social Services meeting and described how residents can use it from home or in county welcome centers. "This is a completely free tool to us," Mosch said. She demonstrated that the screener takes “about 6 minutes versus about 45 minutes to complete something through PEAK.”

County officials said My Friend Ben lists programs (federal and local), gives estimated dollar values and provides direct application links. Mosch walked the commissioners through a demonstration household that produced 14 matching programs, an "estimated monthly savings of $3,450" and an "annual tax credit of about $21,000" in the test results. The results page shows program-specific links and a short checklist of documents applicants should gather before applying, Mosch said.

The county emphasized two practical features: anonymous use and easy sharing. Users may decline to give identifying information and can email themselves the results, Mosch said. Heather O'Hare added: "It's being funded by their foundation," referring to Gary Community Ventures, and said the foundation’s stated goal is to help people navigate resources.

Laurie Metz, division manager, said the county is expanding the tool’s database to include older-adult services and local Larimer-specific programs, including voucher programs and resources maintained by the Area Agency on Aging. Metz said Erin Ault (Area Agency on Aging supervisor) and Gary’s staff are adding older-adult resources to the platform and that the county will use the tool at upcoming resource fairs and through the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC).

Officials described outreach plans and early usage data. Mosch showed a dashboard with time-windowed metrics. For a seven-day sample logged in mid‑April, the dashboard recorded 104 people who reached the results page and 30 outbound clicks to resource links. County referral sources included the Larimer County website (195 clicks in the dashboard sample) and partner codes that agencies can distribute. The dashboard also reported a median annual benefit estimate of about $9,500 and a median monthly benefit of $791 for users who completed the screener; preferred language was 97.2% English and the remainder Spanish, according to the dashboard screenshots Mosch presented.

Commissioners asked how the tool connects to existing application systems and local services. Mosch said My Friend Ben is a screening and navigation resource and does not replace PEAK: "They still have to use PEAK" to apply for state-managed benefits such as Medicaid or SNAP. The platform can be customized; Mosch showed a county-specific note explaining that CCAP (child care assistance) was on an "enrollment freeze" so users would not be misled into thinking they could immediately enroll.

Commissioners and staff discussed practical rollout steps. The county has printed QR-code cards for distribution at community events and said staff who visit clients will have county phones capable of running the site. O'Hare said the county is also exploring kiosks or tablets for welcome centers. Commissioners asked for cards to distribute during upcoming community visits; staff agreed to interoffice the cards and to follow up with county communications to place the screener on Larimer County web pages and social media.

County staff underscored that My Friend Ben is also intended as an internal tool for staff triage and outreach planning. Mosch said the dashboard can show ZIP-code-level usage and program searches so the county can target outreach to rural areas or neighborhoods with lower uptake.

The county intends to monitor and report usage and impact at future meetings. Mosch said the platform’s dashboard was delivered at no extra cost and that Gary Community Ventures has been responsive in adding local resources. Commissioners welcomed the tool and encouraged further outreach to older adults, students and community partners, including Colorado State University.