This report analyzes the current state of digital identity in the United States, outlines challenges such as privacy concerns, fragmented systems, and lack of standards, and proposes policy and technology solutions to build a secure, interoperable, and user-friendly national digital identity framework.
Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF)
Created for use in the Digital Doorways research project, this design stimuli shows the steps of submitting an application, sharing personal information, and verifying identity for Massachusetts' online application for Medicaid.
The Benefits Enrollment Field Guide looks at the landscape of America’s safety net benefits experience in 2023 and tracks the differences from our 2019 assessment based on expanded evaluation criteria. It also highlights successful paths to equitable, human-centered experiences. It examines online enrollment for Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) Medicaid, SNAP, TANF, the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), and WIC.
The California Employment Development Department (CA EDD) launched the EDDNext initiative to modernize benefit delivery, focusing on user-centric procurement for a new identity verification system.
This page includes data and observations about account creation and identity proofing steps specifically for online applications that include MAGI Medicaid.
This article advises government agencies to prioritize cybersecurity methods over AI-driven approaches when combating identity fraud in benefits programs, highlighting potential risks that automated systems pose to legitimate applicants.
In 2024, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and Digital Benefits Network led a workshop to explore key terms related to digital identity, and provide ecosystem-level context on how authentication and identity proofing may show up in the online benefits experience and impact clients. This resource links to the presentation slides.
This page includes data and observations about authentication and identity proofing steps specifically for online applications that include child care applications.
