Service Delivery Area: Benefits
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An Agile Software Development Solicitation Guide
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.
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U.S. Digital Service (USDS) Medicaid Renewals Playbook
The Medicaid Renewals Playbook offers strategies for technologists assisting states in streamlining Medicaid renewal processes during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency unwinding.
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Documenting Pandemic EBT for the 2020-21 School Year
The Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) program was launched as an effort to address the loss of access to free and reduced-price school meals due to widespread school closures at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As schools reopened in a shifting mix of fully virtual, hybrid, and inperson formats and families lacked consistent access to school meals, these benefits were extended through the 2020–21 school year and were highly valuable to families in buffering the full extent of food insecurity they may have faced during this uncertain time. However, the complexity of administering this program was a fundamental barrier in providing timely support to families, who ultimately went without benefits for at least half of the school year. In this report, we dive into the challenges state administrators faced in launching this new program during the 2020–21 school year and reflect on considerations for the future.
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The Big Shift: An Analysis of the Local Cost of Federal Cuts
This report examines how recent federal spending cuts and policy changes are shifting costs onto county governments, potentially burdening local budgets and services.
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Community Navigators Can Increase Access to Unemployment Benefits and New Jobs While Building Worker Power
Evidence from the Maine Peer Workforce Navigator program shows that workers and government can benefit from well-designed community partnerships.
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A Better Way to Connect People with the Benefits They Need
This article explores innovative strategies to improve access to public benefits by reducing administrative barriers and leveraging technology for a more user-friendly experience.
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State of State AI Laws
This analysis examines the surge in U.S. state-level AI legislation in 2023, highlighting enacted laws, proposed bills, and emerging regulatory trends.
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Four Lessons from Our Journey to Deliver Human-Centered Integrated Benefits
Code for America partnered with the CBPP, Civilla, and Nava to launch the Integrated Benefits Initiative, testing and piloting human-centered approaches to improve outcomes and learn what an optimal safety net could look like. This article describes key takeaways from short-term pilots implemented as part of this project.
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Task Force on Artificial Intelligence, Emerging Technology, and Disability Benefits: Phase One Report
This report offers a detailed assessment of how AI and emerging technologies could impact the Social Security Administration’s disability benefits determinations, recommending guardrails and principles to protect applicant rights, mitigate bias, and promote fairness.
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Equitable Name Test
An open source list of names and considerations for names to make systems more equitable.
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Sprint 2 Report: Michigan Unemployment – Improving the delivery of unemployment insurance benefits
The Sprint 2 Report: Michigan UI Claimant Experience by Civilla and New America examines challenges in Michigan’s unemployment insurance (UI) system and provides human-centered design recommendations to improve accessibility, clarity, and user experience.
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Toolkit: Moving through the Value Curve Stage
This brief highlights key takeaways from APHSA’s work on young families, starting with an overview of the young families work and its early years, followed by key takeaways and highlights from its final year, ending with opportunities for future work in the young families space.