Earned Income Tax Credit
Earned Income Tax Credit
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC)’s ) Health Impact in 5 Years initiative identifies the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) as an effective policy intervention that promotes the social and economic determinants of health. EITCs, available at the federal level, and in over half of U.S. states, reduces poverty, encourages employment, and boosts local economies by increasing the incomes of low- and moderate-income working families. These tax credits have been shown to improve maternal and child health outcomes for eligible working families, yet 20% of eligible workers do not avail themselves of these tax credits.
Recognizing the public health benefit of EITCs, the CDC Foundation developed an EITC Action Guide to help public health and their partners catalyze uptake of EITC. The CDC engaged the Georgia Health Policy Center (GHPC) to design and facilitate peer learning webinars to build the capacity of six participating state teams to increase uptake of EITC in their state, and to further inform the EITC Action Guide. GHPC is conducting and facilitating coaching and technical assistance to help teams develop and implement a plan in their state. Ultimately, GHPC will develop case studies and identify potential updates to the Action Guide to further support EITC implementation.