A tool for CDOs advocating for funding, authority, and expansion—and a primer for government leaders unfamiliar with the role. The report establishes shared vocabulary, identifies six CDO office archetypes, and offers cross-state insights on structures, priorities, and challenges.
DGN Spotlights are short-form project profiles that feature exciting work happening across our network of digital government practitioners. Spotlights celebrate our members’ stories, lift up actionable takeaways for other practitioners, and put the resources + examples we host in the Digital Government Hub in context.
This FormFest profile highlights how the Colorado Behavioral Health Administration redesigned its complaint submission form using empathy, human-centered design, and trauma-informed research methods to make the process more accessible, compassionate, and secure for all users.
A profile on FormFest speaker Karissa Minnich, a civic design manager with The Lab @ DC, whose innovative approach to redesigning government forms has transformed paperwork into a model of human-centered design.
MITRE developed the Comprehensive Careers and Supports for Households (CCASH™) tool to help individuals understand and manage federal benefits and employment services, transitioning from a consumer-focused tool to a policy analytics system. By integrating data from sources like the U.S. Census and the Policy Rules Database, MITRE created a model that allows users to analyze and compare benefits eligibility across states, supporting evidence-based policymaking.
We continued Rules as Code Demo Day with Daniel Singer and Preston Cabe from Benefits Data Trust. Benefits Data Trust provides benefit outreach and application assistance services in seven states. Using Benefits Launch, their in-house interview and rules engine, they support two hundred contact center employees as they screen and apply thousands of clients each year. They also offer a self-service screener, Benefits Launch Express. Additionally, they offer an eligibility API to integrate with other services.
This guide highlights approachable ideas for state and local public benefits agencies to improve applications, renewals, and correspondence. As outlined in this resource, even small improvements can be transformative for residents and caseworkers alike.
The article discusses key takeaways from BenCon 2023, highlighting the importance of creating equitable and ethical public benefits technology. It emphasizes the need for tech solutions that address systemic inequalities, ensure accessibility, and promote inclusivity for underserved communities in accessing public services.
