For nearly 20 years, this organization has been a lifeline for 1.3 million households, securing $11 billion in benefits directly to people in the most dire need, and streamlining access through policy and practice change for millions more. This critical resource is being ripped away from our most vulnerable communities, due to what we perceive as gross financial and organizational mismanagement and negligence, by you: the Executive team and the Board of Directors. 

We served more than 120,000 people in 2023 alone and were on track for similar impact in 2024. This work was achieved in large part by us, the people of BDT, who showed up every day for our communities - with the understanding that our leadership team were acting as good stewards for our efforts and the good we were creating. Because of this, we believe you owe us and the thousands of people we served answers.

We make the following three requests of you:

1. We request transparency as to how BDT ended up in this position.

2. We ask that you produce a clear plan to secure BDT’s legacy and minimize harm to the people who relied on us for help accessing public assistance.

3. We request a commitment to ease the transition for BDT staff.  

Since Trooper Sanders joined as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in late 2019, there has been a pattern of sudden, perplexing organizational changes, inaction on crucial decision-making, and an inability of executive leadership to work together to provide a cohesive direction or operational plan for BDT to thrive. 

In late 2023, several financial and operational issues reached a crisis point, resulting in 2 tenured executive members abruptly leaving the organization. Mr. Sanders never provided an adequate explanation of their exit. Soon after, the Board approved a round of layoffs. Nonetheless Mr. Sanders and the remaining executives assured staff that the organization was in position for a balanced budget in 2024. In the meantime, more than a dozen directors, associate directors, and senior managers left their positions voluntarily, many of whom had voiced concerns over the direction the executives were taking. 

On June 3, 20 members of BDT staff were unexpectedly laid off. One week later, on June 11, it was announced, without explanation, that the Board had removed Mr. Sanders from his position as CEO, and appointed Wendy Starner, Chief Financial Officer, as Interim CEO. We were assured that BDT would continue to focus on serving our clients. However, on June 25, BDT announced it would be “winding down” operations and our last day of employment would be August 24. 

Transparency From BDT Leadership

It is clear that something fundamentally shifted between May, when we were still hiring and onboarding new staff, and June 25 when BDT announced its upcoming closure. Given this, we are requesting answers to the following questions:

• When did the Executive team identify irreparable financial strain?

• When was the Board notified of financial strain? What documentation/evidence was shared with the board and when will those be shared with staff?

• How did the Board address both exiting and existing senior staff concerns in late 2023 and onward?

• How did the 2023 financial auditors’ findings influence decision-making related to the organization's solvency?

• When will you publicly release the 2023 IRS Form 990, which was expected in March? When will you publicly release the 2023 Audited Financial statements? 

• In December 2023, Mr. Sanders announced a board-approved balanced budget for Fiscal Year 2024. What changed in the last 6 months?

Benefits Data Trust’s Legacy

BDT’s work is not done; the benefits access gap remains a challenge to low-income communities across the country. The staff of BDT demand answers about how the Executive team and Board plan to move forward regarding our work.  In October 2023, BDT launched a moonshot goal committing to closing the $80 billion benefits access gap in the next decade. We need to ensure BDT’s legacy is secure and that appropriate responsibility and care are taken to serve all who seek public benefits. The staff of BDT are requesting answers to the following questions:

• What, if any, plans are in place to ensure the continued support of the individuals and families who rely on BDT’s services?

• What will happen to BDT’s ongoing projects, initiatives, toolkits, and proprietary solutions such as TERRI and PRISM (BDT’s custom-built benefits screening applications) and Wyatt (our FAFSA chatbot helping students get financial aid)? 

• What efforts are underway to transfer these critical services and solutions to other organizations in order to prevent their loss?  

Duty to BDT Staff

To prevent our staff, who have worked tirelessly to provide public benefits, from needing to apply for benefits themselves, we have the following requests:

• We request BDT adhere to its own PTO policy as stated in the Employee Handbook and provide a complete cashout of earned, unused PTO to all employees.

• We request BDT adhere to its own severance policy and provide severance of 1 week per year worked (with a minimum of 4 weeks) paid severance to all employees impacted.

• We request 2 months of COBRA reimbursements to mitigate unexpected healthcare costs for staff impacted by the mid-June layoffs and BDT’s closure. 

• We request a commitment to uncontested unemployment claims for all staff. 

• We request a commitment from BDT that there will be no retaliation toward the current and former BDT staff who have signed onto this letter, out of deep concern for the future of our work and careers. 

• We request that the Board of Directors and Executive Teams formally and actively support our staff in transitioning to new employment opportunities. This includes providing outside job placement support, resume assistance, networking opportunities, and job search resources.

We recommend BDT meet the aforementioned obligations to staff through the following avenues:

1. All revenue from the sale of BDT assets should be first distributed to meet these obligations to BDT’s staff impacted by the mid-June layoffs and BDT’s closure.There should be a communications plan announced to BDT staff to share news regarding continued BDT asset sales.

2. Trooper Sanders should return any severance package and distribute those funds to meet these obligations to staff.

3. Executive leadership should take no salary for the WARN period and no severance. Anything paid to executive leadership post June 25 should be returned to meet these obligations.

The closure of BDT has profound and far-reaching consequences for the vulnerable populations we serve, the dedicated staff who have worked tirelessly to fulfill our mission, and the many partners, government agencies, hospitals, schools, and nonprofits that relied on BDT as a lifeline for their communities. We are calling on you to provide immediate transparency. BDT staff, our loyal partners, and the communities we serve deserve to know the truth.

We expect a public, comprehensive response by July 10. We appreciate your prompt attention to these urgent matters.

Sincerely,

The Current and Former Staff of Benefits Data Trust

Addie Montgomery (she/her)
Quality Resolution Specialist

Alec MacLaughlin (he/him)
Universal Outreach Coordinator

Alejandra Solorzano (she/her)
Former Michigan Engagement Manager

Alex Allen (they/them)
Benefits Outreach Specialist

Alexandra Zych (she/her)
Former Quality Assurance Specialist

Ali Cox (she/her)
Resource Planning Coordinator

Alison Clark (she/her)
New York Engagement Manager

Alissa Weiss (she/her)
Former Director of Government Innovation

Amanda Rufer (she/they)
Universal Outreach Specialist

Amber Earls(she/her)
Benefits Outreach Specialist

Amber White (she/her)
Benefits Outreach Specialist

Amy Xu (she/her)
Former Benefits Outreach Specialist

Andrew Ritter (he/him)
Former Contact Center Supervisor

Anna Engelsone (she/her)
Former Data Scientist

Annelise Rolander (she/her)

Annika Norris (they/them)
Former Communications Coordinator

Ashley Humienny (she/her)
Former Director of Healthcare Innovation

Bambi Heggeman (he/they)
Benefits Outreach Specialist

Beau Lukas-Rodriguez (he/him)
Benefits Outreach Specialist

Ben Irwin (he/him)
Former Content Strategist

Bryan Sharp (he/him)
Project Portfolio Manager

Caiti Roth-Eisenberg (she/her)
Senior Policy Manager

Chelsea Brennan (she/her)
Contact Center Supervisor

Chord Hunsberger (they/them)
Former Quality Specialist

Christopher Balionis (he/him)
Contact Center Supervisor

Clayton Kaledin (he/him)
Implementations Associate

Conor Carroll (he/him)
Senior Engagement Manager

Coryne Exil (she/her)
Benefits Outreach Specialist

Cora Williams (she/they)
Universal Outreach Specialist

Danny Rufus (they/them)
Advancement Manager

David Houc (he/him/his)
Quality Specialist

Doris Hiegl (they/them)
Former Benefits Outreach Specialist

Ebony Collier (she/her)
Benefits Outreach Specialist

Elizabeth Lawler (she/her)
Service Designer

Em Auerbach (he/they)
Former Benefits Outreach Specialist

Emily Irvine (she/her)
Benefits Outreach Specialist

Emily Kurchock (she/her)

Emily Thorp (she/her)
Benefits Outreach Specialist

Erin Henderlight (she/her)
Former Director of Policy

Erin Longstreet (she/her)
Former Training Coordinator

Frances Torres (she/her)
Benefits Outreach Specialist

Frances X Vazquez (she/her)
Benefits Outreach Specialist

Gabrielle Filip-Crawford (she/her)
Former Research Manager

Gerardine Aldamar (she/her)
Benefits Outreach Specialist

Hallie Martenson (they/them)
Former Senior Development Manager

Halsey Quinn (she/her)
Web Developer

Hilary Klapholz (she/they)
Quality Specialist

Heather Benninghoven (she/they)
Former Strategy Analyst

Isis Kim (she/her)
Technology Support

Izzy Goldstein (she/her)
Former Senior Business Process Manager

Jacquelyn Bauer (she/her)
Contact Center Supervisor

Jaime Renman (she/her)
Former Healthare Strategy Coordinator

Jessica Foley (she/her)
Universal Outreach Specialist

Jessika Brock (she/her)
Former Philanthropy Manager

Jessica Westbrook (she/her)
Content Manager

Jocelyn Lopez (she/her)
Benefits Outreach Specialist

Joe Alvarez
Former Manager of Cloud Engineering

Joon Kim (he/him)
Benefits Outreach Specialist

Jonathan Lopatine (they/them)
Quality Specialist