This blog discusses how the “Big Beautiful Bill” (H.R. 1) contains provisions that undermine SNAP and warns that states will be burdened by its fiscal and administrative impact.
This piece highlights promising design patterns for account creation and identity proofing in public benefits applications. The publication also identifies areas where additional evidence, resources, and coordinated federal guidance may help support equitable implementations of authentication and identity proofing, enabling agencies to balance access and security.
This post argues that for the types of large-scale, organized fraud attacks that many state benefits systems saw during the pandemic, solutions grounded in cybersecurity methods may be far more effective than creating or adopting automated systems.
A blog post describing Seattle’s Youth Connector initiative, a city effort to make it easier for young people to discover, access, and connect with youth programs and supports that promote mental health, enrichment, and opportunity.
This article emphasizes the need for local leaders to prioritize disability equity in advancing upward mobility, addressing systemic barriers that hinder disabled individuals' escape from poverty.
Programs like Medicaid and SNAP are managed at the federal level, administered at the state level, and often executed at the local level. Because there are so many in-betweens, there is significant duplicated effort, demonstrating the need to simplify eligibility rules to facilitate easier implementation.
This FormFest profile explores how Philadelphia leveraged cross-department data sharing to launch its Zero Fare program, auto-enrolling eligible residents in unlimited transit benefits while tackling the challenge of outreach and trust-building to deliver passes effectively.
DGN Spotlights highlight innovative digital initiatives transforming how government connects with the public. This story explores Seattle’s Youth Connector—a youth-informed digital platform and outreach strategy that aims to make youth programs easier to find, access, and trust.
A FormFest profile highlighting how New York State’s design and technology teams are reimagining form creation through collaborative, human-centered design methods that simplify processes and expand participation.
APHSA's President and CEO reflects on lessons and opportunities the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted and constructs a national narrative around the moment.
American Public Human Services Association (APHSA)
Important considerations for understanding user needs to inform responsive design in rapidly changing contexts are discussed, including how context, threat perception, decision-making, and crisis affects disaster management and UX research.
A profile on FormFest speakers Sarah Rodriguez, Emily Lippolis, and Verenice Ramirez, featuring stories about their motivations for working on public sector form innovation.
