Service Delivery Area: Benefits
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Platforms: More value, more quickly, more securely
Adopting a platform strategy should be a key component of how government agencies design and deliver digital services.
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Procurement Modular Procurement: A Primer
This research brief explores the different philosophies and implementation methods of modular procurement, including the advantages and disadvantages of each method, and the cultural and structural changes a procurement office should consider when making the switch to modular procurement.
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Product Management How to use product operations to scale the impact of government digital services
Ad Hoc has found that product operations can help scale impact by putting objective indicators at the center of product decision-making. The team has seen success in supporting product thinking at agencies like the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), where they made it easier for Veterans to access employment and education assistance and for caregivers to receive needed support.
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Procurement A phased approach to modular contracting
Modular contracting doesn’t just mean that you break one procurement into several pieces. This article shows you how to take a modular approach with a single contract divided up into natural break points.
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Digitizing Policy + Rules as Code A Love Letter to the Parliamentary Counsel of the World
A communication piece illustrating the need for a small addition to how government publishes legislation. Examples given for EU and New Zealand law.
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Human-Centered Design Project Snapshot: Trauma-Informed Homelessness Service Interactions and Strategy
The report highlights a project to improve the Philadelphia Office of Homeless Services' (OHS) prevention and intake processes by implementing trauma-informed practices. In collaboration with staff, participants, and trauma experts, the project aimed to reduce distress for those accessing services while equipping staff with tools and training to better manage trauma-related interactions, creating a more supportive and empathetic service environment.
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Increasing Security and Equity in Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT)
There has been exponential growth in benefits theft by criminals who are “cloning and skimming” EBT cards, leaving thousands of families with drained accounts and limited recourse in getting back their benefits. In this webinar, a panel of experts discuss what states can do right now to improve EBT security, how to use data to analyze theft patterns, and how EBT payment technology needs to evolve to ensure efficiency, security, and dignity for beneficiaries.
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Improvements in Public Programs’ Customer Service Experiences Could Better Meet Enrollees’ Needs and Help Build Trust in Government
To better understand the experiences of people applying for public benefit programs and their perceptions of good and bad customer service within those programs, in 2022, the Urban Institute interviewed 27 adults who had applied for or received TANF cash assistance or Medicaid/CHIP in 2021 and reported at least one of four specified enrollment challenges.
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Data Benefits Access for Student Success: A Toolkit For Leveraging Data to Find Eligible Students
Each year, millions of college students struggle to pay for their education and basic needs, including food, childcare, housing, healthcare, and internet service. Among those students are a disproportionate number of first-generation students and students of color. This toolkit aims to build institutional capacity to enable all students to put food on the table, improve health outcomes, focus on school, and graduate.
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Policy What Are Human Services, and How Do State Governments Structure Them?
This report describes the human services landscape within state governments and uses case studies to show the range of approaches state governments take in structuring their human services systems. It also explores some implications of these structures for alignment and coordination within human services and with the health care sector.
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Data Improving Outcomes for Families through Better Use of Data: The TANF Data Collaborative
This video, produced after the completion of the TDC Pilot, features staff members from the California, Colorado, Minnesota, and Virginia TANF agencies reflecting on their challenges, accomplishments, and general experiences during the pilot.
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Data Data Coordination at SNAP and Medicaid Agencies: A National Landscape Analysis
Benefits Data Trust (BDT), in collaboration with the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS), conducted a nationwide analysis of how states coordinate across Medicaid and SNAP programs to streamline access to benefits. Between June and August of 2022, BDT and CHCS collected 114 survey responses from Medicaid and SNAP programs in 46 states and the District of Columbia.