Letters into tasks, in every state

Add a photo of each page of a paper letter, or forward an agency's email. Front Door says what it means in one sentence, adds tasks with the real due dates, and drafts what to send.

Most letters about benefits still come on paper, and the ones that come by email often land in an inbox people do not check. A missed date can mean losing food or health coverage. Now any letter can go to your Front Door inbox, and it turns into plain words, dated tasks and what to send.

• Photos of every page. On your inbox, add a photo of each page of a paper letter, or a PDF. If a photo looks blurry, we ask for a clearer one before reading it. If we still cannot read the dates or what it asks, we say which part and add nothing.
• Forwarded email. Forward an agency’s email to your Front Door address, even with your own note on top, as a reply, or as a forward of a forward. We read the agency’s letter inside it, and any photo or PDF attached. A copy of a letter that is already in your inbox does not make a second task.
• What it means, in one sentence. Each letter says what it is and what it asks: an approval, a denial, a renewal, a request for documents, an interview, an overpayment or a report of changes. In your language, and we tell you when the letter is in another one, like Spanish.
• The real due date. “Within 10 days of this notice” counts from the date printed on the letter. “10 business days” skips weekends and federal holidays. Dates are counted in your own state’s time.
• What to send or bring. A checklist of documents, a renewal checklist, or a letter asking for a hearing after a denial, ready to copy or print. An email reply waits for you to approve it. Front Door never sends anything on its own.
• Who to call. “What this means” ends with the agency’s phone number from our records, never a number from the letter.
• Scams and letters that are not about benefits. A letter asking for gift cards, a wire, a fee to keep your benefits, or your bank login is marked “May be a scam”, with what not to do. A dentist’s reminder is marked “Not about benefits”. Neither makes tasks.
• In every state. Letters are matched to your application using your state’s own program names, like CalFresh, Medi-Cal or Apple Health.

We checked it on 45 made-up letters from 9 states, covering every kind of letter: the right kind, program, due date and task for all 45.

Try it on the demo as Maria with the practice letters in Demo controls: demo.localcarehub.org. Or start at localcarehub.org.