Applicants to federal aid programs face numerous barriers in accessing benefits they are eligible for. The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare conducted an extensive qualitative user research study to better understand applicant experience in enrolling in public assistance programs. Based on the results, the study emphasizes the need for simplified, streamlined and less burdensome application processes.
This paper discusses the country’s chronic underinvestment in children and resulting outcomes, including new data on poverty rates among young children, is inextricable from the prospects of young children; and the remarkably comprehensive pandemic-era response policies, including which changes contributed most to reducing child poverty.
This Urban Institute report highlights how immigrant and mixed-status families continued to avoid safety net programs in 2023 due to lingering fears around the public charge rule.
The article examines the participation of adults aged 50 and older in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in 2022, highlighting the program's role in reducing food insecurity and poverty among older adults, especially those with disabilities.
This report presents findings and recommendations from a user experience study based on interviews with 156 participants enrolled in Medicaid and SNAP.
This report examines how recent federal spending cuts and policy changes are shifting costs onto county governments, potentially burdening local budgets and services.
Led by the Digital Benefits Network in partnership with Public Policy Lab, the Digital Doorways research project amplifies the lived experiences of beneficiaries to provides new insights into people’s experiences with digital identity processes and technology in public benefits. This executive summary gives an overview of the project’s findings.
This crosswalk compares provisions in H.R. 1 with existing human services policies, focusing on how proposed federal work requirements could affect programs like TANF, SNAP, and Medicaid.
American Public Human Services Association (APHSA)
This report catalogs the policy choices, demonstration projects, and waivers each state uses to administer SNAP, highlighting how states adapt federal rules to local needs.
This analysis outlines how the federal H.R. 1 legislation will reshape funding, eligibility, and service delivery across key state programs—including SNAP, Medicaid, higher education, and energy—quantifying projected fiscal and human impacts across multiple agencies
Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM)
