Led by the Digital Benefits Network in partnership with Public Policy Lab, the Digital Doorways research project amplifies the lived experiences of beneficiaries to provide new insights into people’s experiences with digital identity processes and technology in public benefits. This report details the project’s findings, directly highlighting the voices of beneficiaries through videos and photos.
This report analyzes the critical role of SNAP’s "broad-based categorical eligibility" (BBCE) policy and the widespread consequences of its potential elimination by the Trump Administration.
This report details the use of the historic investment of $1 billion in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to the Department of Labor and state unemployment (UI) agencies to modernize state UI programs.
This report celebrates 50 years of improving maternal and child health in the U.S. through WIC and offers advancements, challenges, and solutions for the future.
The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) convened a panel of state chief data officers who shared their approaches and experiences with data literacy. The panel provides recommendations for establishing a state-level data literacy program, ensuring that employees understand how to use data effectively for better decision-making.
National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO)
On May 19, 2023, the Digital Benefits Network published a new, open dataset documenting authentication and identity proofing requirements across online SNAP, WIC, TANF, Medicaid, child care (CCAP)applications, and unemployment insurance applications. This page includes data and observations about authentication and identity proofing steps specifically for online unemployment insurance applications.
Digitizing public benefits policy will make the biggest impact for administrators and Americans, but only if it happens at the highest level of government.
The experience of the COVID-19 pandemic and its induced recession underscored the crucial importance of unemployment insurance (UI) to workers, and to the stability of the American economy. Temporary federal expansions of unemployment systems during the pandemic showed how they can quickly be scaled to increase benefit levels and to include categories of workers who were not previously eligible, such as the self-employed, caregivers, and low-wage workers. And, states showed that separate programs can be set up to provide similar benefits to workers who are explicitly excluded from unemployment insurance—in particular immigrants who do not have a documented immigration status.
Through the interviews, ULP sought to capture details of claimant experience, see how and why system failures occurred, and make recommendations for reform now—before another financial or public health crisis suddenly causes state unemployment rates to spike.
In December 2024, the Digital Benefits Network released an updated open dataset on authentication and identity proofing requirements across various public benefits applications to highlight best practices and areas for improvement in identity management.
The report evaluates the feasibility, costs, taxpayer interest, and operational challenges of implementing an IRS-run free direct e-file tax return system, as required by the Inflation Reduction Act.
This brief examines the treatment of PFML for purposes of state and federal taxation, as well as determining income and eligibility in five means-tested programs.
