1. Translation Updates for Somali, Burmese, Nepali, and Russian. The MyFriendBen team have made changes to the translations for these 4 languages based on feedback from native speakers.
2. Accessibility Updates to 211 menu. The MyFriendBen team have made updates to to the white-labeled 211 version of MFB to improve accessibility.
3. State configurability updates. The MyFriendBen team have made changes so that the public charge link and the more help list (on the results page) can now be configured by state. This change is made as MyFriendBen expands to North Carolina.
4. Refactored zip code question into its own file. This change was made so that it will be easier to add, edit, remove, and troubleshoot questions in the future.
5. Pell Grant Calculations Update. Pell Grant has been updated to reflect that the program now uses the Student Aid Index as a measure of eligibility. This replaces the Expected Family Contribution.
6. Updated database for seasonal benefits for the website’s list of active benefits. This change will allow for seasonal benefits that MyFriendBen screens for to display on the website’s list of active benefits, even during times when the benefit itself may be inactive. LEAP is an example of one of these benefits.
7. Investment income updated to be treated as unearned income in the income calculations.
8. FPL updates for National School Lunch Program and WIC. Both programs have been updated to calculate income eligibility using 2024 FPL.
9. Bug Fix – UUID. The MyFriendBen team discovered and resolved an issue where a screener’s UUID was removed if a user went back to the select language page. This resulted in a new, duplicate screen being created if you tried to continue again after changing the language.
10. New Benefit – Denver Property Tax Relief. The Denver Property Tax Relief Program gives Denver homeowners a partial refund of their property taxes. Renters may get an equivalent amount in rent. Eligibility guidelines include a combination of income, age, and/or disability.
11. Citizenship Filter Updates. The filter on the results page is now labeled as Filter Results by Citizenship. Help text has also been added that reads: Household members may have mixed immigration status. This means that some people in your home may qualify for benefits even if others do not. Use this filter to see how a person’s status affects their ability to qualify.
12. Logo and icon alts translated. In an effort to continue making MFB more accessible, logo and icon alts have all been translated.
