Overview

Thank you for applying online

MarylandBenefits.org helps people in Maryland apply for SNAP and/or Cash Assistance Programs in Baltimore County (Drumcastle Office only) and Queen Anne's County.

This benefits site is a service built by Code for America in partnership with the state of Maryland, on behalf of the people of Maryland.

Information we collect

We collect and store:

  • All information that you provide through the site, including your name, address, contact information, social security number, financial information, and similar information for other individuals that you include on your MarylandBenefits.org application.
  • Copies of any documents you upload, like pictures of your driver's license, pay stubs, birth certifications, rent receipts, etc.
  • Any messages you send us through texts (SMS) or emails
  • Any answers or comments you provide in response to a survey we send you

In addition to the information you provide, we automatically collect and store information about your visit to the Site.

We use commercial, third-party online applications and software (like Google) to store, track and monitor content on this Site.

Each application and software is vetted to make sure your information is stored securely.

For example, we collect and store:

  • Device type from which you access the Internet
  • IP address (an IP or internet protocol address is a number that is automatically given to a computer connected to the Web)
  • Operating system on your computer and information about the browser you used when visiting the site
  • Date and time of your visit
  • Pages you visited
  • Buttons you clicked
  • Time spent on each page
  • Address of the website that connected you to the Site (such as google.com or bing.com)

We use this information to understand how the Site is used, monitor usage for security purposes, fix any technical glitches and improve the site performance.

We will not collect personal information from you without your knowledge and consent, except in a few limited circumstances as described in this policy.

We retain all data until the conclusion of our collaboration with the state of Maryland, at which point the data will be deleted. The Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS) will retain the data according to the agency's privacy policy.

How we use your information

We only use your personal information to help you get and keep benefits in Maryland.

For example:

  • We submit your MarylandBenefits.org application and documents to the State of Maryland.
  • We may contact you to ask for feedback about your experience
  • We may remind you to submit documents, depending on your contact preference
  • To assist you with your application, we may access an account linked to your case in your county's online system.

We will send you a confirmation message when we have successfully submitted your information to DHS.

We may also send you a message if there is a problem submitting your information to your county and if additional information is needed.

Aside from those cases:

  • We will not send you an email unless you consent to email communication in the application or you email us first.
  • We will not send you a text message unless you consent to text message communication in the application.

How we share your information

We do not sell your personal information.

We do not share personal information with any third-party except as provided in this Privacy Policy.

Once you submit your MarylandBenefits.org application on the Site, we share this information with the DHS, which processes your application and administers benefits if appropriate.

Once your personal information is received by the DHS it is then subject to their respective privacy policies.

DHS also may disclose your personal information to Code for America employees, contractors, and affiliated organizations that need to know the information in order to provide the services of the Site.

We learn from and share comments that you have provided in the application, Live Chat, SMS, email, and surveys to better understand MarylandBenefits.org enrollment in order to reduce barriers in the social safety net programs.

This may include sharing your information with your county to help them provide better service to you and improve the services they provide.

It may also include sharing anonymized quotes in the course of our work with partners.

We do not share your personal information with any other individuals or organizations, except to the minimal extent required by law.

We require our third parties acting on our behalf to keep your personal information secure and do not allow these third parties to use or share your personal information for any purpose other than providing services on our behalf.

How we protect your information

Protecting your personal information is extremely important, so we take reasonable administrative, technical, and physical precautions to protect your online and offline data.

Although we try our best to protect the privacy of your personal information, we cannot guarantee complete security. The transmission of information via the Internet is not completely secure. Unauthorized entry or use, hardware or software failure, and other factors, may compromise the security of user information at any time.

If you have questions about the security of your personal information, or if you have reason to believe that the personal information we hold about you is no longer secure, please contact us immediately, as described in this Privacy Notice.

Here are some specific security practices we use:

  • When you enter your information on our site, we encrypt the transmission of that information using Transport Layer Security (TLS) / Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificates. Connections that are encrypted will show https at the beginning of the webpage address.
  • All personally identifiable information (PII) will be deleted at the conclusion of our work with Maryland in 2026.
  • Only Code for America site administrators will have access to individual application data.

Changes

We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time. Please check this page frequently for updates, as your continued use of the Site after any changes in this Privacy Policy will constitute your acceptance of the changes. We will notify you via email or other means consistent with applicable law of any material changes to this policy.

Effective Date

This version of the policy is effective June 28th, 2024.

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