For many people, navigating public benefits can feel overwhelming or even impossible. Confusing applications, language barriers, technology challenges and life crises often stand between individuals and the support they urgently need. That is where Benefits in Action (BIA) steps in.
BIA is a Colorado-based nonprofit that has spent more than a decade helping individuals and families access essential public benefits. Unlike organizations that focus on a single program, BIA provides comprehensive, hands-on assistance across a wide range of services, including SNAP, Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security disability, low-income energy assistance, transportation support, and other financial assistance programs. Their navigators do more than provide information—they apply for benefits on behalf of clients, using secure access to Colorado’s PEAK system to guide people through multiple applications at once.
This approach is especially critical for people facing compounded challenges. Many clients are seniors, individuals with disabilities, people experiencing food insecurity, or those encountering the benefits system for the first time.
BIA’s team speaks approximately 13 languages internally and uses interpretation services to ensure language is never a barrier to care. Their work frequently involves cultural navigation and education, helping people understand not only what they are eligible for, but why enrolling in benefits is both appropriate and necessary.
Intermountain Health Lutheran Hospital’s partnership with BIA plays a key role in ensuring patients do not fall through the cracks after they leave the hospital. Through referrals and warm handoffs, patients can be connected directly to BIA navigators who continue the work beyond the walls of our healthcare system.
“This partnership addresses one of the most persistent challenges identified in community health needs assessments: access to care,” said Chuck Ault, Intermountain Health Community Health program manager. “Access often begins with having health insurance, stable food resources and basic financial support. Without these foundations, individuals are more likely to rely on emergency departments for care instead of preventive or primary services. BIA helps interrupt that cycle by ensuring patients gain and maintain coverage and support.”
Data shows an increase in primary care utilization and a reduction in emergency department visits among those who received BIA’s services.
For Lutheran Hospital, the partnership also helps relieve the burden on clinical teams who may not have the time or specialized knowledge to manage complex Medicaid waivers, Medicare transitions, or disability applications. BIA’s navigators bring deep expertise, particularly for clients with long-term care needs or complicated benefit situations.
“Beyond metrics, the true impact of the partnership is reflected in the stories we encounter every day,” said Cari Frank, Benefits in Action president & CEO. “Many clients reach out during moments of crisis—after losing a job, facing a medical transition, or coping with the unexpected death of a loved one. In a recent case, a woman was left as the sole caregiver for multiple children after her husband died suddenly. With no immediate income, access to food assistance became critical. We helped her secure the benefits her family needed to stabilize during an incredibly difficult time.”
Another example is a client who was an older adult navigating a sudden transition from employer-sponsored insurance to Medicare while managing multiple chronic conditions. Confusion around enrollment timelines and coverage options put his access to care at risk, but a BIA navigator helped complete Medicare enrollment, apply for supplemental assistance, and connect him to ongoing coverage that supported continuity of care.
In another case, a working parent faced reduced hours and mounting utility and food costs following an unexpected life disruption. Through coordinated support, BIA assisted with SNAP enrollment, energy assistance, and transportation resources, helping stabilize the household during a period of financial uncertainty.
These stories illustrate a broader goal shared by BIA and Intermountain Health: supporting whole-person health. While hospitals focus on clinical care, both organizations recognize that health is deeply connected to social determinants such as food security, housing stability, energy assistance, and income support. By working together, we help patients move from crisis toward stability, ensuring that care continues long after a hospital visit ends.
Through sustained collaboration and grant funding, Intermountain Health has helped expand the reach of BIA’s services, supporting thousands of individuals each year. This year, Lutheran gave approximately $33,000, matched by the same contributions of two other Intermountain Health hospitals, Good Samaritan and Saint Joseph, for a total of $100,000.
The partnership remains rooted in a shared commitment to improving access, reducing unnecessary emergency care, and connecting patients to the resources they need to thrive.
Together, BIA and Lutheran Hospital demonstrate what is possible when healthcare systems and community nonprofits align around a common goal: making it easier for people to access care, understand their options, and receive support at the right time, in the right place.
For more information about BIA, visit www.benefitsinaction.org or call 720-221-8354.
