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.
A guide from the General Service Administration to help government decision makers clearly see what AI means for their agencies and how to invest and build AI capabilities.
Government solicitations to procure custom software are often long, complicated, and take months. By using 18F’s agile contract format, agencies can hire an agile software contractor with a quickly-written dozen-page solicitation, allowing for immense savings in time and money.
It is frequently assumed that when rules are implemented as code, a rules engine is necessary. However, it is possible for policy people and engineers to effectively work together to code logic that drives technological system without needing a mediating rules engine at all.
This playbook provides federal agencies with guidance on implementing AI in a way that is ethical, transparent, and aligned with public trust principles.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
USDS partnered with CMCS and state Medicaid agencies to improve eligibility and enrollment systems after the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency ended, focusing on health coverage renewals.
The Unemployment Insurance Equitable Access Toolkit contains common equity recommendations, promising practices, and insights, represented visually as a different floor of an agency office building, compiled in one interactive document.
The Benefit Cliffs Calculator helps case managers and public benefit recipients to prepare for benefit cliffs (i.e., declines in benefits due to an increase in earnings). It compares the net resources and benefits available to families under different employment scenarios.
The report evaluates the 2023 Newborn Supply Kit pilot program, highlighting its effectiveness in reducing maternal stress, alleviating financial burdens, and increasing trust in government services among new parents, especially in low-income communities.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
This session from FormFest 2024 focused on how to help people get the assistance they need from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ work on the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Maryland Social Services Administration’s work to improve welfare support for kinship caregivers.
This report outlines the U.S. Department of Labor’s comprehensive action plan to strengthen the unemployment insurance (UI) system by addressing chronic underfunding and proposing legislative reforms to support long-term modernization and resilience.
