Service Types Glossary

Assistance in determining whether a client is eligible for public benefits (such as SNAP/food stamps, TANF/cash assistance) or veterans' benefits, but does not include application assistance/enrollment activities. Primarily meant for instances in which the individual is being referred to be screened for multiple benefits based on broad eligibility (veteran status or low-income). For specific benefits screening (i.e., for SNAP screening or health insurance), individuals should be referred for that particular benefit.

Assistance with obtaining or replacing government-issued identification or other documents, such as state-issued ID, Social Security card, or birth certificate.

Any wearable goods, including shirts, pants, dresses, shoes, etc. Could include clothing needed for job interviews, loss of clothing due to house fire, clothing needed for school, clothing needed due to lack of income to purchase, etc.

Includes distribution of any goods that furnish/decorate a home, such as couches, tables, pots and pans, lightbulbs, appliances, as well as household tools.

Includes distribution of computers/laptops, phones, and tablets and other devices for personal use.

Instruction intended to improve use of technology, including basic computer and internet skills, typing, etc.

Programs for children (typically age eight and younger) to support social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development and promote literacy. Examples include Head Start, Early Head Start, and universal pre-K programs.

In-person or online courses to learn a foreign language, such as English as a Second Language classes.

Programs/activities that assist clients in building "soft" job skills, such as resume preparation, training on professional attire and workplace norms, interview skills, and career interest surveys. Examples include job readiness programs, the Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program.

Programs/activities that assist a client in searching for a job, with the ultimate goal of securing employment. Examples include career counseling, job application planning and submission, and connection to employers, networking events, and job fairs.

Assistance provided to food-insecure individuals to supplement their diets on a one-time, emergency basis. Examples include vouchers or gift cards to grocery stores, restaurants, and/or department stores to help purchase food.

Infant Formula/Food includes all types of formula for infants, and any food items that are intended for children ages 0-2. Examples of providers include food pantries, community programs offered to new parents, etc.

Pre-made meals served to clients unable to provide for themselves. Examples include food delivery programs (e.g., Meals on Wheels), soup kitchens, or shelters that serve prepared food.

Programs that provide subsidized or no-cost meals to eligible students, such as the National School Lunch Program or Summer Food Service Program.

Residential facilities that provide on-site services to help people with their activities of daily living when they are unable to live on their own. Can be permanent or for a period of time. Examples include nursing homes, special care facilities.

Services provided in a client’s home to provide assessments and counseling to address environmental health and safety concerns in the home (such as mold, lead, allergens, asthma triggers, carbon monoxide, pesticides, radon, etc.).

Assistance with obtaining home loans and financing for clients purchasing a home.

Application/recertification assistance for public housing and voucher programs, affordable housing, etc. This could also include advocacy on behalf of clients to challenge eligibility decisions, submitting appeals (those that don't require legal assistance), etc.

Housing mediation and eviction prevention services are any services used to address housing issues between tenants and landlords and prevent a client’s eviction or foreclosure, without requiring legal assistance. Examples include landlord/tenant mediation and court advocacy to prevent eviction.

Connection to permanent housing situations, including optional or mandatory supportive programs that help clients maintain their housing and access community resources.

Connection to housing situations with a time limit, such as halfway houses.

One-time financial assistance that is not designated for any particular need (i.e., not specifically for rent, food, utilities, medical expenses, etc.). Examples include financial assistance provided for clients following a fire or natural disaster, or compensation provided to victims of crime.

Cash assistance provided to eligible low-income individuals and families primarily based on income. Examples include Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), state cash assistance programs, and cash assistance for special populations (Native Americans, and refugees and other humanitarian entrants). This could also include advocacy on behalf of clients to challenge eligibility decisions, submitting appeals (those that don't require legal assistance), etc.

Any VA-related cash benefits, including veterans’ disability compensation benefits, veterans’ and survivors’ pension benefit programs, and aid and attendance benefits. This could also include advocacy on behalf of clients to challenge eligibility decisions, submitting appeals (those that don't require legal assistance), etc.

Supportive programs for aging or disabled individuals that provide activities, personal or attendant care, therapeutic support, and vocational training during the daytime hours, typically during the work week.

Providing caregivers for individuals who need care/support at home or otherwise.

Includes activities that are intended to combat or reduce loneliness and isolation, including Senior Buddy/Companion programs, pen pals, or services that facilitate meetups, among others.

Wheelchair/ADA accessible home/personal vehicle improvements, such as installing ramps, handlebars in showers, skid-proof flooring, visual alarms/lights for deaf and hard of hearing, hallway handrails, door widening, or car modifications for wheelchairs.

Fulfilling holiday wishes of low-income children/families/seniors who may not otherwise receive holiday gifts, holiday food, holiday celebrations, etc.

Services helping individuals identify and achieve personal goals.

Relationships in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person guides and mentors a less experienced or knowledgeable one. Examples can include professional mentoring, as well as organizations such as Big Brother, Big Sister.

Guidance and support toward increased wellness for people experiencing disruptive life conditions or undergoing recovery from mental health, substance use, or trauma conditions provided by individuals who have experienced similar life conditions, and/or mental health, substance use, or trauma issues.

Temporary care for dependent elderly, ill, or disabled individuals that provides relief for their usual caregivers. This can occur either inside the person’s residence or at a separate facility/location.

Holistic services provided by a social worker or case manager in a social services setting, usually with the primary goal of financially stabilizing a family/individual.

Legal assistance related to the reduction or elimination of debts, and potentially providing a timeline for the repayment of debts over time.

A process in which a neutral mediator assists the parties through constructive discussion and negotiation of their conflict to reach a mutually acceptable resolution.

Legal assistance related to schools, teachers, and the rights of citizens to a public education, as well as standards for those students who attend private schools.

Process by which an individual's prior criminal conviction is sealed, or erased in the eyes of the law and made unavailable through the state or federal repositories.

Legal assistance related to the delivery of health care services.

Legal assistance relating to an individual's immigration status and the associated legal rights, duties, and obligations.

Legal assistance related to the rules and regulations of the armed forces.

Legal assistance related to taxation.

Legal assistance related to how an individual's property is distributed upon his/her death through wills, estates, etc.

Training and support services provided to help manage participants’ difficult behaviors, and build social, communication, and relationship skills.

Counseling/psychotherapy where two or more people (e.g., couples, parent and child, etc.) are seen together.

Counseling/psychotherapy that brings together members of a family to work through situation or relationship issues by improving communication and resolving conflicts.

Counseling/therapy in which an individual works one-on-one with a trained therapist to explore their feelings, beliefs, or behaviors, work through challenging or influential memories, identify aspects of their lives that they would like to change, better understand themselves and others, set personal goals, and work toward desired change.

A mental health evaluation can include diagnostic evaluations (assessments of client's level of functioning for the purpose of diagnosis and designing a treatment plan) and psychological testing (standardized test instruments to assess client's cognitive, emotional, neuropsychological, verbal, and defensive functioning).

Education, outreach, and information services for those experiencing mental health issues either personally or secondhand (loved one, family member, etc.).

Therapeutic techniques that are experiential, recreational, or expressive. Examples include agritherapy, animal therapy, art therapy, dream therapy, equine therapy, horticultural therapy, hypnotherapy, light therapy, music therapy, play therapy, and recreational therapy.

Defined as one-on-one education and guidance on tackling debt, improving credit score, creating a budget, saving money for the future, preventing foreclosure, and opening a bank account.

Assistance with and education on filing taxes.

Integrated care approaches, usually administered/overseen by a licensed medical professional, to prevent or manage chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma, and heart conditions with the goal of improving quality of life while reducing health care costs by preventing or minimizing the effects of a disease. It generally includes screenings, check-ups, monitoring and coordinating treatment, and patient education. Examples include diabetes prevention programs and asthma self-management programs.

Sexual and reproductive health refers to a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being in all matters relating to the reproductive system. These subtype services would consist of family planning and comprehensive abortion care; prenatal care; skilled childbirth care; postnatal care for the mother and baby; breast and cervical cancer education; and sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and treatment.

A goal-oriented, client-centered partnership that is health-focused and occurs through a process of client enlightenment and empowerment that is based upon behavior change theory. Generally delivered by health professionals, health coaching is an individualized educational approach to self-management through problem solving and goal setting, which can include in-person individual or group sessions.

Hospice and palliative care both provide care to address symptoms and side effects of disease and treatment for patients with life-limiting illnesses. Palliative care can be delivered while the patient is actively receiving treatment and can also treat emotional and practical elements of the illness. Hospice care is reserved for terminally ill patients when treatment is no longer curative during the last six months of life, assuming the disease takes its normal course. Either can be provided at a facility or in a client’s home, depending on client needs and circumstances.

Assistance in paying for and obtaining medical equipment and assistive technology. Medical equipment includes equipment which is primarily and customarily used for medical purposes and is not generally useful in the absence of illness or injury (e.g., hospital beds, wheelchairs, hemodialysis equipment, respirators, medical regulators, oxygen tests, crutches, canes, trapeze bars, walkers, inhalators, nebulizers, commodes, suction machines, traction equipment, etc.). Assistive technology includes devices or equipment used to increase, maintain, or improve an individual's functional capabilities (e.g., hearing aids, orthotics, captioned telephones, screen readers, voice output communication devices, bedside and raised seats, hospital beds, shower chairs, wheelchairs, walkers, canes, etc.).

Services provided to improve adherence to and performance of prescribed medications, which could include medication review, patient technique training, promoting compliance through refill reminder programs, etc.

Rehabilitative services are healthcare services that help you keep, get back, or improve skills and functioning for daily living that have been lost or impaired because you were sick, hurt, or disabled. These services may include physical and occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, psychiatric rehabilitation services, hippotherapy, and other services for people with disabilities in a variety of inpatient and/or outpatient settings.

Habilitative services are healthcare services that help you keep, learn, or improve skills and functioning for daily living (e.g., therapy for a child who isn't walking or talking at the expected age).

Any specialized healthcare services outside of primary, dental, and eye care, such as dermatology, oncology, podiatry, etc.

Groups of specific populations with shared interests, often gathered to influence public opinion and/or policy (politics, religion, moral, health, commercial).

Classes teaching cooking techniques, including cuisine-based and skills-based classes.

Classes or formal instruction in playing a musical instrument or singing, individually or as part of a group.

Activities that actively develop skills to benefit an individual's professional life, including public speaking, professional networking, and job development.

The voluntary commitment of time and energy for the benefit of one's community, environment, or individuals outside one's immediate family. These opportunities are undertaken freely and by choice, without concern for financial gain. Examples include after-school tutoring, or working at a local soup kitchen or food pantry.

Sports for people with disabilities, including ADA/wheelchair-accessible sports.

Any type of class or activity attended for the purpose of physical activity/exercise, such as aerobics, aquarobics, capoeira, dance (ballet, hip hop, jazz, tap), personal trainer services, physical fitness, Pilates, weight lifting, weight training, and yoga.

General recreational activities played individually or in a team. Examples include archery, badminton, baseball, basketball, biking, billiards, bowling, boxing, cheerleading, cricket, curling, cycling, discs/Frisbee, equestrian activities, fencing, football, games (bocce, chess, horseshoes), golf, gymnastics, handball, hockey, lacrosse, paintball, racquetball, rugby, skateboarding, skating, soccer, softball, squash, table tennis, tennis, track and field, volleyball, water polo, and wrestling.

Recreational activities in the outdoors, often in natural or semi-natural settings out of town. Examples include farming, fishing, gardening, hiking, horseback riding, horticulture, hunting, and spelunking.

The process of addictive toxins leaving the body with the purpose of medically stabilizing patients, minimizing their withdrawal symptoms, and preventing the potentially harmful effects of withdrawal. This includes medical detoxification/medically managed withdrawal; it may be provided through in- or outpatient services.

Harm reduction programs promote scientifically proven ways of mitigating health risks associated with drug use and other high-risk behavior, with a non-judgmental approach. Examples include access to sterile syringes, medications for opioid dependence such as methadone and buprenorphine, and overdose prevention.

Substance use counseling can be provided individually or at a group level, and focuses on reducing or stopping substance use, skill building, adherence to a recovery plan, and social, family, and professional/educational outcomes.

Recovery support services are non-clinical services that are used with treatment to support individuals in their recovery goals. These can include specialized living situations, self-help and support groups, staffing drop-in centers, and education about strategies to promote wellness and recover.

Programs that assist in the process of discontinuing tobacco smoking.

Free or low-cost ride coordination services to assist eligible individuals in transportation to and from appointments and services. Examples include donation-based senior transportation programs and paratransit services for elderly and disabled individuals.

Any program or organization that provides general (usually one-time, not ongoing) financial assistance with paying transportation costs. This could include expenses such as covering car insurance, car repairs, etc.

Application assistance and enrollment in home energy/utilities benefits, such as the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). This could also include advocacy on behalf of clients to challenge eligibility decisions, submitting appeals (those that don't require legal assistance), etc.

Any program/organization that provides general (usually one-time, not ongoing) financial assistance with paying utilities bills (e.g. gas, phone/cable bills, electric and water bills).

Alternative medicine is defined as any treatment or practice that is not part of the standard care traditionally taught in medical schools. Examples include acupressure, acupuncture, alternative pain management, aromatherapy, biofeedback, chiropractic therapy, crystal therapy, energy healing, herbal medicine, homeopathy, magnetic therapy, massage therapy, naturopathy, reflexology, reiki, traditional healing (Ayurveda, Native American Traditional Healing, Spiritual Healing, Traditional Chinese Medicine).

Mindfulness and meditation are techniques or practices often used as a way to reduce stress and improve healthy living by assisting individuals in reaching a heightened level of consciousness and concentration. Examples include autogenic therapy, deep breathing, guided imagery, meditation classes, and mindfulness classes.

Therapeutic programs and retreats are programs or multiple day trips with a therapeutic benefit as the main purpose. Examples include weeklong outdoor therapeutic retreats for service members and their supporters with traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress, military sexual trauma, and polytrauma.