Topic: Policy
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What More States Allowing SNAP Recipients to Buy Food Online Means for Food Security
This article from Civil Eats explores how expanding online purchasing options for SNAP recipients can improve food security, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The Consequences of Decentralization: Inequality in Safety Net Provision in the Post–Welfare Reform Era
This article examines how the decentralization of safety net programs after welfare reform has led to growing inequality in benefit generosity and access across U.S. states.
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SNAP Online: A Review of State Government SNAP Websites
This report evaluates state government websites for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), providing links to each state's site and assessing the information and services they offer.
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On the Myths of Waste, Fraud, and Abuse
Though the rhetoric of “waste, fraud, and abuse” is ubiquitous when it comes to welfare programs, low-income households receive little relief from benefits programs. Most efforts to make public benefits systems more “efficient” actually just waste time and money in practice. They instead serve to stigmatize low-income families and chip away at the little assistance that remains available to them.
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Near Real Time COVID-19 Income and Poverty Dashboard
A real-time dashboard displaying COVID-19 income and poverty levels.
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Five Things You May Not Know about the US Social Safety Net
A snapshot of the safety net’s reach, who might be most affected by changes to safety net programs, and what it will look like going forward.
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Delivery-Driven Policy: Policy designed for the digital age
There is a key disconnect between policymakers’ intent and implementation of policies. A user-centric, iterative, and data-driven approach can result result in digital technology that provides much needed data and insights at a substantially lower cost.
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COVID-19’s Impact on the Social Safety Net
California’s SNAP program faced record application volume due to the COVID-19 crisis, and other states must anticipate similar demand. This post summarizes key takeaways from GetCalFresh’s real-time data and client communications, and offers recommendations for how other states can implement effective responses.
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California Health and Human Services Open Data Portal
The California Health and Human Services Data Portal provides data on various facilities and social services administered by the state.
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Advocate’s Guide to MAGI
The National Health Law Program released an updated Guide to Modified Adjusted Gross Income, including sections on ACA tax filing and reporting, clarification on commonly asked questions about Social Security Income, and updated IRS tax filing thresholds.
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Opportunities to Streamline Enrollment Across Public Benefit Programs
This resource provides guidance on streamlining enrollment across public benefit programs to improve efficiency, reduce administrative burdens, and enhance access for eligible individuals and families.
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Lessons Churned: Measuring the Impact of Churn in Health and Human Services Programs on Participants and State and Local Agencies
This report examines the phenomenon of "churn" in public benefit programs, where eligible participants temporarily lose benefits due to administrative processes, analyzing its impact on both recipients and state agencies, and suggesting strategies to reduce its occurrence.