EARNBENEFITS ONLINE



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EARNBENEFITS ONLINE

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GUIDEBOOK

2012

Table of Contents

Introduction 2

TECHNOLOGICAL REQUIREMENTS 3

Hardware 3

Operating System 3

Internet Connection 4

Browser Settings 4

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS 5

Firefox 5

Adobe Reader and Firefox 8

Prism 10

Adobe Reader 15

Introduction

WELCOME!

Welcome to the EarnBenefits Information Technology Guide Book (IT Guide). We’ve put this information together to help our users and partners set up their computers to work with EarnBenefits Online (EBO).

EarnBenefits (EB) is a program that connects low-wage workers to income-enhancing supports and public benefits in order to help them maintain long-term employment and achieve financial independence. Community Based Organizations (CBOs) in New York City, Chicago, Atlanta, Baltimore, Memphis, Boston, Connecticut, and Oklahoma use a web-based software application called EarnBenefits Online to screen individuals for benefits, including Food Stamps, tax credits, and public health insurance programs such as Medicaid. Our network of community-based partners uses the tool to provide assistance in submitting application forms, along with providing case management and counseling services.

We’ve included information on the minimum system requirements necessary for EBO to operate efficiently, as well as directions for downloading important software, and descriptions of how to correct your computer settings so they don’t interfere with EBO. We’ve also added a list of some common problems that EBO users experience and some ways to avoid or work around them.

The procedures described in this guide are pretty basic, and in many cases you’ll be able to take care of them on your own. If you have trouble, please consult your organization’s Information Technology (IT) specialist.

If you have further questions, or if you think of something that would be helpful to include in this guide, please contact the Helpdesk at ebcrmsupport@ and give us your suggestions.

For questions that are not answered in this guide, please contact the Helpdesk at ebcrmsupport@ or 800-411-2291.

TECHNOLOGICAL REQUIREMENTS

In order to run EarnBenefits Online at your organization, you’ll want to have some basic pieces in place. These are strongly suggested minimum specifications. You may be able to run EBO with less, but you will experience a greater number of problems.

If you have questions about your organization’s systems, please ask your IT specialists. If the computers at your site are running something very different than what is described below, please contact us so we can test for compatibility.

Hardware

EBO will ‘work’ with a slower processor and less memory, but it will be very slow, and this can cause the system to freeze or the connection to be dropped as your computer tries to manage all the information.

We Suggest:

• Intel Pentium 4 processor or equivalent

• RAM: 1 GB

To find this information:

← Go to your computer Desktop & right click on the My Computer icon

← Select ‘Properties’ from the menu

← The information you need is in the red circled area. The processor on this computer is a Pentium 4, and it has 504 MB of RAM

Operating System

While EBO might work fine with older operating systems (Windows 2000), the older systems are no longer supported by Microsoft (i.e. no updates, patches, etc.), and are far less dependable.

We Suggest:

• Windows XP or Windows 7

Internet Connection

Dial-up internet connections are far less dependable then the types listed below – they are slower, and are much more likely to be ‘dropped’ or lose connection. Wireless connections can also be undependable, based on a variety of factors. A loss of connection during an EBO session could mean losing your work or being unable to complete client screenings.

We Suggest:

• DSL or T1 connections

Browser Settings

Your browser is the window that lets you access the internet and work with EarnBenefits Online. While Internet Explorer (IE) is the most common browser on the market, it is not compatible with EBO. You will encounter errors if you use it for your screenings.

EBO requires the use of Mozilla Firefox or Prism. Both are free and well-respected browsers, and can be installed on your computer alongside other browsers.

We’ve prepared directions for downloading and installing Firefox and included them below. However, you may need administrative privileges on your machines in order to install this software. If you do not have the rights to install software on your computer, please contact your IT support and request that Firefox or Prism be installed.

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

Firefox

Installing Firefox

** Your installation process may not be exactly as described below. These are the main steps in the process, and you should be able to work out any variations.

1.) Visit and click on:

2.) Click “Run.” This will begin the download.

3.) When the download completes, click “Run” to begin the installation.

4.) Click “Next” to begin setup.

5.) Check the circle next to “I accept…” and click “Next.”

6.) Accept the default Destination Folder by clicking “Next.”

7.) Click on the Mozilla Firefox icon on your computer desktop or from the start-up menu to launch the browser.

Adobe Reader and Firefox

**If you are using Firefox 3 or later, please make sure you also follow these further steps to ensure that you have all necessary viewing privileges for applications (PDF files):

1.) Make sure the Adobe Reader plug-in is properly installed.

a.) Select Tools ( Add-ons from your Firefox toolbar:

b.) A small window will open with the following information:

This window should look as it is above. If the button circled in red says “Enable” instead of “Disable”, click on it and follow further instructions.

2.) Make sure Adobe files are being opened correctly in Firefox.

a.) In the Firefox toolbar, open Tools ( Options ( Applications

Make sure that ALL Adobe Content Types follow the Action: “Use Adobe Acrobat (in Firefox)”.

3.) Make sure that Adobe PDFs open in your Firefox browser. To do this, follow these steps:

a.) Open your Adobe Reader: Click Start Menu ( Programs ( Adobe Reader

b.) Once Adobe Reader is open, click Edit ( Preferences ( Internet

To the right of Internet, checkmark the box under Web Browser options that says Display PDF in browser (see next page).

Prism

About Prism

We have identified a streamlined solution to working with the new EarnBenefits tool. We are highly recommending that IT staff install the Prism application to user desktops.

Prism is a Mozilla labs product, so it’s based on the same browsing engine as Firefox, but it’s specifically designed for running web-based applications like EarnBenefits Online. Upon installation, Prism is configured to open a specified web-based application. When that application opens, there is no address bar and there are no browser buttons that would allow users to access other web pages.

Prism offers a significant advantage for IT staff with security concerns around the installation and use of Firefox, as users who access the EarnBenefits Online tool via Prism will not be able to ‘surf’ to other websites. The EarnBenefits Online will simply be experienced as a desktop application. If there is a link to an external website, it will open in the user’s default browser.

Please visit the Prism home page @ to learn more about this application.

Download and Installation

** Your installation process may not be exactly as described below. These are the main steps in the process, and you should be able to work out any variations.

Installation of Prism is simple. During installation, you will enter the URL for the EarnBenefits Online , and the application will open to our web-based tool from that point forward.

These instructions are written for users who are comfortable downloading and installing software. If you are unsure of what to do at any point, please consult your organization’s IT staff or call the EB Helpdesk.

Instructions:

1. Go to the download page on the Prism web site:

2. Select the Standalone Application, circled in red below. Click on ‘Download Prism.’

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3. When the dialog box appears, select ‘Save File.’ Make sure to save the file someplace you’ll be able to easily find it – like your desktop or a folder that’s easily accessible. Click ‘OK.’

a. Suggestion: Create a new folder on your Desktop and title it ‘Prism Set-up.’

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4. Open the Zip file ‘prism-1.0b1.en-US.win32.zip. Your computer should select an application to help you open this zip file. Choose the option most similar to ‘Extract Here.’ This will ‘unzip’ the files right in the folder.

5. When the files are extracted, double click on the folder titled ‘prism.’

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6. Double click on the file ‘prism.exe’ (see below). The file may only say ‘prism’ depending on your folder settings.

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7. A dialog box titled ‘Prism – Mozilla Labs’ will open on your screen (see below).

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8. In the URL Field, enter:

a. Note: for training and user practice sessions, you will need to install another instance of Prism with the ‘EB Training site. Repeat all of the steps contained here, but use: as the URL, and EB Training for the Name.

9. In the Name Field enter: EBO

a. This is the name that will appear beneath the icon that will live on your computer Desktop.

10. Select the three checkboxes indicated above.

11. Click ‘OK.’

12. When you go to your desktop, you will see an icon that looks like the Globe above labeled ‘EBO’ (see below).

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13. Double click on the icon to open EBO.

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14. EBO will open as above – in a window with no address bar, no browser buttons, etc. Log in with your username and password and begin working with clients.

Adobe Reader

One advantage of using EBO is you can fill out and print completed applications for some benefits. However, in order to work with these applications and have them function correctly, you’ll need to have the most current version of Adobe Reader, which is available free of charge at

Installing the Latest Version of Adobe Reader

System Requirements – your computer must have at least the following to download and run the latest version of Adobe Reader.

• Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows Vista, Windows 7

• 256MB of RAM

• 110MB of hard disk space

Actions:

← Visit

← Click on the icon “Get Adobe Reader”

← Make sure that only the latest version of Adobe Reader is selected to download.

← Uncheck any other programs besides Adobe Reader.

⇨ You may have to do this more than once, because Adobe will try to package the reader with other programs for you to download.

← Otherwise, click “Download” to download the application.

← If no dialogue box comes up, click on “click here to download” as shown:

← If a dialog box appears prompting you to either save or run the application, choose run.

← If you have Acrobat Professional on your computer, a dialog box will appear after downloading asking you which version you would like to make the default application for opening PDF files choose Adobe Reader.

⇨ This action tells your computer to use Adobe Reader to open EBO applications.

Click on the Adobe Reader icon on your computer desktop or from the start-up menu to launch the program.

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