Screening is used to establish a person's potential eligibility for particular programs. For example, a person may be potentially eligible for Food Stamps benefits based on his or her answers to the screening questions. The difference between triage and screening is that triage directs a person to screen for programs, it does not identify if the person is potentially eligible. Screening determines a person's potential eligibility for one or more programs. Examples of screenings include Cash Assistance and Food Stamps. A person may choose to be screened for eligibility after completing the agency's triage process or may choose to screen independently of triage.
During the screening process, a person is asked more complex questions about their life and their answers are recorded and stored on the system. For example, personal details such as the person's name, date of birth, address, living arrangements, and family relationships are recorded. The answers recorded are used to establish if the person is potentially eligible for benefit-based programs and if he or she has already been registered on the system as a client of the agency. Family relationships that are recorded are also automatically stored on the system.
Depending on the type of screening, answers to more complex questions may also be recorded. For example, some questions may relate to the client's resources, income, or household circumstances. When all of the screening questions have been answered and the screening is completed, the system determines the programs for which the person is potentially eligible by running screening rules against the answers to the various questions.
Based on the screening results, the client can submit an application for the programs identified. Alternatively clients can apply for programs independent of the screening process.