Benefits Journey: Applying + Enrolling
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Access for All: Innovation for Equitable SNAP Delivery
This brief describes the current state of SNAP benefit delivery through the electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card, identifies the features necessary for SNAP benefit delivery to ensure consistency with principles of equity and inclusion, and explores how future SNAP benefit delivery can keep up with rapid changes in commercial payment infrastructure.
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SNAP Online: A Review of State Government SNAP Websites
There is significant variation amongst states’ SNAP websites and their online services. This report summarizes the types of services available and which states offer them.
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Moving Child Care Assistance Applications Online Means More Families Get the Help They Deserve
Hennepin County, Minnesota, partnered with Code for America to develop a six-month long experiment where participants were given the option to submit the normal paper-based application or opt into an online application.
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Data 
Fast Track: A quicker road to Medicaid enrollment
Fast Track is an efficient, inexpensive enrollment option to enroll eligible individuals in Medicaid using data the state already has on hand from other applications. Through Fast Track, states can use TANF, SNAP, and LIHEAP data to determine eligibility and quickly enroll large numbers of individuals.
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Human-Centered Design 
Four Lessons from Our Journey to Deliver Human-Centered Integrated Benefits
Code for America partnered with the CBPP, Civilla, and Nava to launch the Integrated Benefits Initiative, testing and piloting human-centered approaches to improve outcomes and learn what an optimal safety net could look like. This article describes key takeaways from short-term pilots implemented as part of this project.
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Opportunities to Streamline Enrollment Across Public Benefit Programs
Data-sharing across public benefits programs can help enroll low-income people into other benefits for which they qualify. This guide helps local policymakers and program officials identify opportunities under federal law to streamline the application and enrollment process.
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Data 
Matching Data Across Benefits Programs Can Increase WIC Enrollment
Although Medicaid and SNAP participants are automatically income-eligible for WIC, many don’t enroll. Pilot projects in four states have shown that matching data across programs to identify these families and conducting outreach to them can increase WIC enrollment.
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Data 
Maximizing Linkages: A Policymaker’s Guide to Data Sharing
Maximizing Linkages: A Policymaker’s Guide to Data Sharing
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Human-Centered Design 
Listening to SNAP Participants to Improve Access to the Expanded Child Tax Credit
Well-designed, user-focused tools that allow for simple application are key to ensuring that families most in need receive the Child Tax Credit. Reaching these households will require a robust effort from the IRS to create user-friendly tools in partnership with organizations with a direct connection to eligible recipients.
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Human-Centered Design 
The Missed Opportunity in Online Benefits Applications: Mobile First
The ubiquity of mobile devices makes it imperative to build “mobile first” services, i.e. services built with the expectation that they will primarily be accessed on mobile devices. This article also outlines important considerations and suggestions for implementing mobile-first user interfaces.
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Human-Centered Design 
Administrative Burden: Policymaking By Other Means
This book is an in-depth exploration of federal programs and controversial legislation demonstrating that administrative burden has long existed in policy design, preventing citizens from accessing fundamental rights. Further discussion of how policymakers can minimize administrative burden to reduce inequality, boost civic engagement, and build an efficient state.
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Data 
How Data Sharing Can Improve Equitable Access to Public Programs
Accessing safety net benefits can involve complicated and duplicative processes that create barriers to access. Using cross-enrollment strategies can minimize the difficulties community members face in getting access to life-saving resources.