This session from FormFest 2024 features Arizona’s form improvement capacity building initiative and Massachusetts’ form improvements that were a result of the Delivering a Digital-First Public Experience act.
This case study examines how Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services uses data practices to advance racial equity in child welfare through identity-informed data collection and anonymous decision-making.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
A modern system that helps people learn about, apply for, and gain access to affordable housing. Bloom Housing is an open source platform that digitizes the process of finding and applying for affordable housing, turning a time-consuming paper process into a 15 minute activity from one's smartphone or computer.
In response to COVID-19, the Workers Lab and Steady developed the "Income Passport" to streamline gig workers' unemployment benefit applications by pulling income data directly from gig platforms and financial accounts. This tool reduced manual verification time, helped prevent fraud, and improved workers' access to full benefits, with successful tests in Alabama and Louisiana demonstrating significant time savings and improved service delivery.
Minnesota is a good example of an organization that started small in its drive to integrate benefits programs. For instance, its recent statewide rollout of its online integrated benefit application website, MNbenefits.mn.gov, started as a pilot in 2020 with Code for America. The pilot encompassed two counties including Hennepin County, where Minneapolis is located. The pilot later expanded to four counties, then 16 and a tribal nation. The final roll out, which took 12 months to implement, included the state’s 87 counties and three tribal nations.
This study assesses five commercial RIdV solutions for equity across demographic groups and finds that two are equitable, while two have inequitable performance for certain demographics.
The Policy2Code Prototyping Challenge explored utilizing generative AI technology to translate U.S. government policies for public benefits into plain language and code, culminating in a Demo Day where twelve teams showcased their projects for feedback and evaluation.
Companies have been developing and using artificial intelligence (AI) for decades. But we've seen exponential growth since OpenAI released their version of a large language model (LLM), ChatGPT, in 2022. Open-source versions of these tools can help agencies optimize their processes and surpass current levels of data analysis, all in a secure environment that won’t risk exposing sensitive information.
This article from Civil Eats explores how expanding online purchasing options for SNAP recipients can improve food security, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
