An interventional study of EITC & ACEs Training and EITC Outreach & Screening in Adverse Childhood Experiences, sponsored by University of New Mexico. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-05-08.
Sponsored by University of New Mexico · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
Purpose of the Proposed Project. The literature makes clear that poverty and financial hardship and lack of social support are significant risk factors that create a household environment conducive to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). The purpose of the project is to reduce ACEs-related risk factors that threaten child wellbeing in the homes of low-income families by maximizing Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) claims among populations of focus in Bernalillo County, and disseminating successful strategies for risk-reduction throughout the state. The project team will do this by integrating outreach and education regarding ACEs and EITC benefits across a group of community-based initiatives, training programs, networks, and collaborators that work with frontline health workers [Community Health Workers (CHWs) and Medical Assistants (MAs)].
Goal. The goal of this project is to reduce risk factors and increase protective factors for ACEs by measurably reducing household financial strain, financial insecurity, and economic instability, and increasing social support for low-income populations of focus in Bernalillo County (with an emphasis on designated Economic Opportunity Zones (EOZs) as required by the award) by increasing EITC utilization. The team will accomplish this using an innovative strategy to mobilize frontline health workers to conduct EITC outreach, education, referral, and support across our robust community-based initiatives, collaborations, networks, and training programs, and to disseminate this model for increasing EITC utilization.
Objectives. This project has three objectives.
Outcome and Impact. The outcome of this project will be to create a cadre of trained frontline health workers and community agencies with the knowledge and capacity to provide EITC outreach, information, screening, and referrals to low-income clients to increase utilization of EITC in New Mexico. The anticipated impact of this effort will be that more New Mexicans will file EITC claims and the funds they receive will help to ameliorate the stress of financial hardship and reduce poverty. Furthermore, the experience of working with the frontline health worker will increase social support and utilization of EITC, both of which will reduce negative social determinants of health and risk factors for ACEs and increase preventive factors for ACEs of children who live in some of the most at-risk homes, improving the wellbeing of these children today and creating a foundation for them to have healthier lives as adults.
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Exclusion Criteria
Trainings for frontline health workers about EITC and ACEs.
Other: EITC & ACEs Training
Our partners will implement EITC outreach events and EITC screening with clients.
Other: EITC Outreach & Screening
Our partners will screen clients for EITC and refer those who qualify for free tax preparation assistance and assistance submitting their tax returns.
Other: Assistance with EITC
We will deliver up to 56 trainings to 65 frontline health workers and 25 staff of our partner organizations. The training will include: 1.) Information about what ACEs are, and the risk and protective factors associated with ACEs and 2.) Information regarding EITC benefits, eligibility, application procedure and logistics, referrals for free tax preparation assistance, and use of EITC tools., and 3.) frontline health workers will receive additional training in protocols for reporting to support Objective #2.
Our partners will screen and refer a minimum of 5200 clients (65 CHWs x 10 clients per quarter x 2 years) for EITC. Our evaluation team will track the number of individuals screened, the number found to be eligible/not eligible, the number referred out and to which free tax prep service, and if available, the number who use the free tax prep service, the number who file a tax claim for EITC, the number who receive EITC benefits, and the amount of the benefit. We will conduct community-level EIT outreach by integrating EITC outreach and education into planned community events in the neighborhoods and service areas of our partners. The events will provide information about the EITC to the public. We will have a minimum of 48 events to reach a minimum of 480 potential filers (48 events x 10 participants each).
We will conduct a statistical analysis of the impact of EITC funds on ACEs risk and protective factors in the lives of EITC benefit recipients. Project CHW team members will invite 200 clients who qualify to receive EITC benefits to participate in the study using an approved recruitment script. With those who agree to participate, the CHW team member will obtain consent and administer a baseline survey. A post-survey will be administered at 4 months. In addition, we will gather qualitative data to help us understand impacts of this project. The post-survey will contain an open/qualitative response question asking participants to describe how the EITC benefit impacted them, how they felt when they received it, how important it was, and what they did with the funds. In Y2, the Research Team will conduct interviews with a subset of 20 clients who participated in the pre/post survey.
A: Financial strain and insecurity.
We will measure change in financial strain, financial insecurity, and economic instability among clients who are at high risk for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and who submit an EITC claim as a result of assistance from this project. Financial strain, financial insecurity, and economic instability will be measured as demonstrated by a minimum of a 0.77 point change on the In Charge Financial Distress/Financial Well-being Scale (IFDFW), with an expected change of 1.5 - 2 points.
Time frame: 4 months
B: Informational Social Support
We will measure change in informational support that occurs as a result of frontline health workers providing outreach, education, and screening for EITC, and referral for free tax help. We will measure change in informational support using the MOS-SSS Informational Support subscale. We hypothesize a minimum change of 1.5 points.
Time frame: 4 months
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Plan to share: No
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University of New Mexico