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Reducing the burden of applying for public benefits
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xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M26.3997 1H1" stroke="black" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round"></path><path d="M26.3997 10.7695H1" stroke="black" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round"></path><path d="M26.3997 20.5391H1" stroke="black" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round"></path></svg></button></div></div><nav aria-label="main" class=" absolute left-0 top-[60px] responsive-container w-full flex flex-col bg-white z-50"><div class="react-slidedown"></div></nav></div></header><main id="main"><header class="overflow-hidden"><div class="bg-sage-900"><div class="responsive-container z-10 relative pt-2xl lg:pt-3xl pb-2xl"><div><h1 class="animate-titleSlide font-sans type-preset-1 font-bold md:font-black w-full text-sage-200 xl:w-3/4">Case Study</h1><p class="animate-titleSlideB text-white type-preset-1 font-sans font-bold md:font-black w-full xl:w-3/4 pb-md">Reducing the burden of applying for public benefits</p><div class="animate-titleSlideC font-serif font-light type-preset-4 py-lg text-white w-full xl:w-3/4"><p class="pb-md">We partnered with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the United States Digital Service on a project aimed at easing the process of income verification for people applying for public benefits.<!-- --> </p></div></div></div></div><div class="relative responsive-container xl:mb-0"><div class="bg-sage-900 h-[64px] md:h-[96px] lg:h-[128px] w-full absolute z-0 top-0 left-0 right-0 lg:left-1/2 lg:w-screen lg:-translate-x-1/2"></div><div class="relative aspect-video pb-[56.25%] w-full"><div class="w-full absolute top-0 left-0 bottom-0 bg-sage-50"><img alt="Illustration of a young Asian man holding his toddler at a grocery store. The man reaches for a jar on a shelf. " fetchpriority="high" width="16" height="9" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="w-full object-cover animate-fadeIn" style="color:transparent;width:100%;height:auto" sizes="100vw" srcSet="/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2FyhnP1UX94FQOZtIPlglp2%2F0d43a312a6bd5ea2df1ddc828a1827c3%2FS3-S5-Reducing_the_burden-Content-cards-V1.png&w=640&q=75 640w, /_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2FyhnP1UX94FQOZtIPlglp2%2F0d43a312a6bd5ea2df1ddc828a1827c3%2FS3-S5-Reducing_the_burden-Content-cards-V1.png&w=750&q=75 750w, /_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2FyhnP1UX94FQOZtIPlglp2%2F0d43a312a6bd5ea2df1ddc828a1827c3%2FS3-S5-Reducing_the_burden-Content-cards-V1.png&w=828&q=75 828w, /_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2FyhnP1UX94FQOZtIPlglp2%2F0d43a312a6bd5ea2df1ddc828a1827c3%2FS3-S5-Reducing_the_burden-Content-cards-V1.png&w=1080&q=75 1080w, /_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2FyhnP1UX94FQOZtIPlglp2%2F0d43a312a6bd5ea2df1ddc828a1827c3%2FS3-S5-Reducing_the_burden-Content-cards-V1.png&w=1200&q=75 1200w, /_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2FyhnP1UX94FQOZtIPlglp2%2F0d43a312a6bd5ea2df1ddc828a1827c3%2FS3-S5-Reducing_the_burden-Content-cards-V1.png&w=1920&q=75 1920w, /_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2FyhnP1UX94FQOZtIPlglp2%2F0d43a312a6bd5ea2df1ddc828a1827c3%2FS3-S5-Reducing_the_burden-Content-cards-V1.png&w=2048&q=75 2048w" src="/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2FyhnP1UX94FQOZtIPlglp2%2F0d43a312a6bd5ea2df1ddc828a1827c3%2FS3-S5-Reducing_the_burden-Content-cards-V1.png&w=2048&q=75"/><div class="w-[128px] md:w-[192px] lg:w-[256px] h-full absolute z-10 top-0 sm:block hidden"><img alt="" fetchpriority="high" width="8" height="4" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="w-full object-cover PageHeader_fadeIn__X8YB3" style="color:transparent;width:100%;height:auto" sizes="100vw" srcSet="/_next/image?url=%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2FArticle-Pattern.bd25e74f.png&w=640&q=75 640w, /_next/image?url=%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2FArticle-Pattern.bd25e74f.png&w=750&q=75 750w, /_next/image?url=%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2FArticle-Pattern.bd25e74f.png&w=828&q=75 828w, /_next/image?url=%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2FArticle-Pattern.bd25e74f.png&w=1080&q=75 1080w, /_next/image?url=%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2FArticle-Pattern.bd25e74f.png&w=1200&q=75 1200w, /_next/image?url=%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2FArticle-Pattern.bd25e74f.png&w=1920&q=75 1920w, /_next/image?url=%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2FArticle-Pattern.bd25e74f.png&w=2048&q=75 2048w" src="/_next/image?url=%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2FArticle-Pattern.bd25e74f.png&w=2048&q=75"/></div></div></div></div></header><div class="animate-fadeIn2"><div class="responsive-container py-2xl flex flex-col-reverse md:grid md:grid-cols-12 "><article id="article" class="w-full md:col-span-8 text-gray-900 font-serif "><section id="intro"><div class="bg-gray-100 my-xl px-2xl pt-3xl pb-2xl"><p class="type-preset-6 font-sans font-bold pb-md">Impact</p><div class=" type-preset-6 font-sans "> <ul class="list-style"> <li class="pb-sm">As much as <a class=" text-gray-900 underline decoration-1 underline-offset-2 hover:text-sage-700 " href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/briefing-room/2023/07/10/reducing-time-taxes-and-administrative-burdens/" target="_blank">$140 billion</a> in government benefits goes unclaimed every year<!-- --> </li> </ul></div></div></section><section id="summary"><h2 class="type-preset-3 font-bold font-sans pt-lg pb-md"><span class=" font-bold ">Summary</span></h2><p class=" py-md type-preset-5">As much as<a class=" text-gray-900 underline decoration-1 underline-offset-2 hover:text-sage-700 " href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/briefing-room/2023/07/10/reducing-time-taxes-and-administrative-burdens/" target="_blank"> <span class=" underline decoration-1 underline-offset-2">$140 billion in government benefits goes unclaimed every year</span></a>, in part due to the bureaucratic hoops, or administrative burdens, people must jump through in order to obtain public benefits. The Biden-Harris administration is seeking to close this gap in the “<a class=" text-gray-900 underline decoration-1 underline-offset-2 hover:text-sage-700 " href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/12/13/executive-order-on-transforming-federal-customer-experience-and-service-delivery-to-rebuild-trust-in-government/" target="_blank"><span class=" underline decoration-1 underline-offset-2">Executive Order on Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government</span></a>.” The<a class=" text-gray-900 underline decoration-1 underline-offset-2 hover:text-sage-700 " href="https://www.performance.gov/cx/life-experiences/facing-a-financial-shock/" target="_blank"> <span class=" underline decoration-1 underline-offset-2">Facing a Financial Shock Life Experience project</span></a>, born out of the executive order, focuses on connecting people experiencing financial distress to available public services. Two of the project’s collaborating agencies — the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ (HHS) Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) United States Digital Service (USDS) — are partnering with Nava on a project aimed at increasing access to programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by streamlining the income verification process.</p></section><section id="approach"><h2 class="type-preset-3 font-bold font-sans pt-lg pb-md"><span class=" font-bold ">Approach</span></h2><p class=" py-md type-preset-5">When people apply for certain public benefits, the agency administering benefits must verify the applicant’s income eligibility. Often, federal benefit programs have difficulty verifying an applicants’ eligibility due to a confluence of factors such as change of address, old or out-of-date income data or lack of income data, or lack of paystubs due to self employment or cash payment. In these scenarios, applicants must manually verify their income for eligibility — a process that can be stressful and time consuming.</p><p class=" py-md type-preset-5">Our shared work focuses on alleviating the burden of manual verification of income by enabling agencies to verify applicant income through existing data sources. This idea is called Income Verification as a Service (IVaaS). Nava’s history with the idea of IVaaS goes back to 2016, when we worked with CMS on HealthCare.gov’s income eligibility determination services. </p><p class=" py-md type-preset-5">For our current project, we’ve partnered with CMS and USDS to research, prototype, and pilot income verification products that help people facing a financial shock. </p><p class=" py-md type-preset-5">Through this work, we aim to: </p><ul class="list-disc ml-lg pb-md"><li class="[&>p]:py-xs"><p class=" py-md type-preset-5">Reduce the time it takes for applicants to verify their income.</p></li><li class="[&>p]:py-xs"><p class=" py-md type-preset-5">Alleviate administrative burden for frontline staff and applicants by using automated processes to enable cross-enrollment.</p></li><li class="[&>p]:py-xs"><p class=" py-md type-preset-5">Reduce the amount of time it takes for applicants to receive benefits.</p></li><li class="[&>p]:py-xs"><p class=" py-md type-preset-5">Improve the efficiency, accuracy, and integrity of federal benefit programs. </p></li></ul><p class=" py-md type-preset-5">In order to ensure our work is human-centered, we’ve established a participatory design group of frontline workers, IT staff, and subject matter experts. This group helps us gather feedback and input on our work from those who deeply understand the public benefits space. In addition, we’re conducting interviews with beneficiaries, frontline staff, and organizations that assist people with applying for benefits. We’ve also established a pilot group of agency leaders, which gives us the opportunity to get feedback on our pilots.</p></section><section id="outcomes"><h2 class="type-preset-3 font-bold font-sans pt-lg pb-md"><span class=" font-bold ">Outcomes</span></h2><p class=" py-md type-preset-5">Leveraging what we learned from our participatory design practice, we created a plain-language playbook that states can use to simplify content around income verification. We’re using the playbook’s principles to inform our approach to other income verification initiatives, such as our pilot for a consent-based income verification solution that gives applicants the option to automatically share their payroll data with benefit programs. We’re also working on a solution that connects states to the right data sources at the right time so that the onus to provide income data is not on applicants. </p><p class="type-preset-4 font-bold font-sans pt-lg pb-md"><span class=" font-bold ">Process</span></p><p class=" py-md type-preset-5"><span class=" font-bold ">Creating a plain-language playbook</span></p><p class=" py-md type-preset-5">Navigating program rules for eligibility is difficult even for seasoned caseworkers. That’s why we believe that plain-language guidelines on program rules might help people apply for benefits correctly and ease the burden of income verification. </p><p class=" py-md type-preset-5">Based on our early research, we developed a plain-language playbook for income verification. To ensure the playbook is accurate and useful, we tested its content and principles with SNAP recipients, since SNAP has particularly complicated income requirements. </p><p class=" py-md type-preset-5">Now, we’re applying the playbook’s principles to a state’s content on Medicaid income verification. As we pilot the playbook, we’re collecting customer experience metrics, such as the number of times people submit insufficient documentation, to determine whether these content changes can help people understand income verification requirements. </p><p class=" py-md type-preset-5"><span class=" font-bold ">Piloting consent-based income verification</span></p><p class=" py-md type-preset-5">In the financial services sector, there are many ways to automatically verify one’s income information by giving direct consent to banks or lenders to pull income data from financial institutions or payroll companies. We hypothesized that a similar solution could be beneficial in public benefits, though it’s not in use today. </p><p class=" py-md type-preset-5">To better understand solutions that exist in the private sector, we conducted market research. For example, we explored how mortgage loan applicants can automatically share their income information with a requester. Simultaneously, we conducted user research with SNAP and Medicaid leaders, caseworkers, and applicants to better understand how this type of solution could apply to public benefits. </p><p class=" py-md type-preset-5">Now, we’re piloting this idea with states. We’ve built a prototype that enables applicants to consent to sharing their income data automatically. Our prototype is helping us understand:</p><ul class="list-disc ml-lg pb-md"><li class="[&>p]:py-xs"><p class=" py-md type-preset-5">How this new data source fills gaps in automated verification processes, thus covering more applicants. </p></li><li class="[&>p]:py-xs"><p class=" py-md type-preset-5">How applicants feel about consent-based income verification. Do applicants trust it enough to use it?</p></li><li class="[&>p]:py-xs"><p class=" py-md type-preset-5">Whether consent-based income verification provides more accurate income data for eligibility decision making. Can more accurate income data lead to a decrease in improper payments?</p></li><li class="[&>p]:py-xs"><p class=" py-md type-preset-5">Whether moving from manual to automated verification processes decreases administrative burden for applicants.</p></li></ul><p class=" py-md type-preset-5"><span class=" font-bold ">Connecting states with the best data sources</span></p><p class=" py-md type-preset-5">Ideally, applicants should only have to provide income information the state doesn’t already have. Though several databases of income information exist, the challenge is helping states connect with the right ones at the right time. </p><p class=" py-md type-preset-5">Government agencies can draw from different data sources when verifying an applicant’s income, and different data sources have pros and cons. For example, private data sources tend to be more current, but they’re expensive to use and are not always comprehensive. On the other hand, government data sources are cheaper and more comprehensive, but may contain data that is not current enough for income verification. </p><p class=" py-md type-preset-5">Agencies may tap each of their data sources at once, or they may tap data sources in a non-optimal order. In other words, one data source may contain the most relevant data for an applicant’s situation, but the challenge is connecting an agency to that data source first. </p><p class=" py-md type-preset-5">We believe that connecting states with the right income data sources in an optimized order could drive down costs because states will only pay for the data they need, and it could save applicants the time spent on manually verifying their information.</p><p class=" py-md type-preset-5">We partnered with a state’s Medicaid agency to test this idea. To start, we met with state Medicaid leaders and technical subject matter experts to better understand Medicaid income verification in their state. We also analyzed how and when the state utilizes different data sources for income verification. Based on our research and analysis, we’ve made recommendations for how the state agency can optimize the way they call data sources. Once we’ve tested these recommendations, we hope other states will restructure their data logic in a way that reduces administrative burden on applicants and drives down the cost of data for states. </p></section><section id="conclusion"><h2 class="type-preset-3 font-bold font-sans pt-lg pb-md"><span class=" font-bold ">Conclusion</span></h2><p class=" py-md type-preset-5">The Facing a Financial Shock Life Experience project is an important initiative aimed at reducing administrative burdens for people attempting to access government programs while experiencing financial distress. Through our partnership with CMS and USDS, we’re exploring how we can ease the burden of income verification, helping to increase access to essential benefits. </p></section><div class="mt-xl font-sans"><h2 class="font-bold type-preset-6 pb-xs">Written by</h2><hr class="h-[2px] bg-gray-300" aria-hidden="false"/><div class="grid grid-cols-9 w-full font-sans type-preset-7 py-md"><div class="col-span-2 sm:col-span-1 mr-sm"><img alt="" loading="lazy" width="65" height="65" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="object-cover" style="color:transparent;max-width:100%;height:auto" srcSet="/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2F191syHomjlvwjfVVLGgsKF%2Fdbc3fa623edbc8ef78868ab42fb91998%2FSarah_White-NAVA131283.jpg&w=96&q=75 1x, /_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2F191syHomjlvwjfVVLGgsKF%2Fdbc3fa623edbc8ef78868ab42fb91998%2FSarah_White-NAVA131283.jpg&w=256&q=75 2x" src="/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2F191syHomjlvwjfVVLGgsKF%2Fdbc3fa623edbc8ef78868ab42fb91998%2FSarah_White-NAVA131283.jpg&w=256&q=75"/></div><div class="sm:pl-md col-span-7 sm:col-span-8 block sm:grid sm:grid-cols-8"><div class="w-full sm:col-span-3 pr-sm"><p class="font-bold"><a class=" text-gray-900 underline decoration-1 underline-offset-2 hover:text-sage-700 " href="/authors/sarah-white" target="">Sarah White</a></p><p class="text-gray-700">Principal product manager</p></div><div class="w-full sm:col-span-5 sm:pt-0 pt-sm">Sarah White is a principal product manager at Nava. She's held multiple hats at Nava, and previously gained product experience in the public and private sectors. </div></div></div><div class="grid grid-cols-9 w-full font-sans type-preset-7 py-md"><div class="col-span-2 sm:col-span-1 mr-sm"><img alt="" loading="lazy" width="65" height="65" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="object-cover" style="color:transparent;max-width:100%;height:auto" srcSet="/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2FYMeq1bs802BdH6mylugni%2F1c2d7828a218cc626b737140d22ad56d%2FKira_Leadholm-NAVA130324__2_.jpg&w=96&q=75 1x, /_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2FYMeq1bs802BdH6mylugni%2F1c2d7828a218cc626b737140d22ad56d%2FKira_Leadholm-NAVA130324__2_.jpg&w=256&q=75 2x" src="/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2FYMeq1bs802BdH6mylugni%2F1c2d7828a218cc626b737140d22ad56d%2FKira_Leadholm-NAVA130324__2_.jpg&w=256&q=75"/></div><div class="sm:pl-md col-span-7 sm:col-span-8 block sm:grid sm:grid-cols-8"><div class="w-full sm:col-span-3 pr-sm"><p class="font-bold"><a class=" text-gray-900 underline decoration-1 underline-offset-2 hover:text-sage-700 " href="/authors/kira-leadholm" target="">Kira Leadholm</a></p><p class="text-gray-700">Editorial manager</p></div><div class="w-full sm:col-span-5 sm:pt-0 pt-sm">Kira Leadholm is the editorial manager at Nava. Before working at Nava, she held various editorial roles and worked as a reporter at outlets including the Better Government Association, SF Weekly, and the Chicago Reader. </div></div></div></div></article><div class="hidden md:block md:col-span-1"></div><div class="w-full md:col-span-3 pt-md "><div class="type-preset-7"><div class="font-sans md:block flex justify-between pb-xl md:pb-2xl"><div><div class="pb-2xl"><p class="font-sans"><b class="font-bold block pb-sm">Published</b>October 16, 2024</p></div><div class="md:pb-2xl"><p class="font-bold pb-sm">Authors</p><ul><li id="Sarah White" class="pb-md "><p><a class=" text-gray-900 underline decoration-1 underline-offset-2 hover:text-sage-700 " href="/authors/sarah-white" target="">Sarah White</a></p><p class=" text-gray-700">Principal product manager</p></li><li id="Kira Leadholm" class="pb-md "><p><a class=" text-gray-900 underline decoration-1 underline-offset-2 hover:text-sage-700 " href="/authors/kira-leadholm" target="">Kira Leadholm</a></p><p class=" text-gray-700">Editorial manager</p></li></ul></div></div><div><p class="font-bold pb-md">Topics</p><ul><li id="Human-centered design" class="pb-md"><a class=" text-gray-900 underline decoration-1 underline-offset-2 hover:text-sage-700 " href="/tags/human-centered-design" target="">Human-centered design</a></li><li id="Equity" class="pb-md"><a class=" text-gray-900 underline decoration-1 underline-offset-2 hover:text-sage-700 " href="/tags/equity" target="">Equity</a></li> </ul></div></div></div><div class="mt-md type-preset-7 sticky top-48 w-full max-w-[240px] hidden md:block "><h3 class="font-sans font-bold pb-sm">On this page</h3><ul class="border-l-2 border-gray-200"><li class="font-sans pl-lg my-md ml-[2px]"><a class=" text-gray-600 hover:text-sage-700 " href="#intro" target="">Intro</a></li><li class="font-sans pl-lg my-md ml-[2px]"><a class=" text-gray-600 hover:text-sage-700 " href="#summary" target="">Summary</a></li><li class="font-sans pl-lg my-md ml-[2px]"><a class=" text-gray-600 hover:text-sage-700 " href="#approach" target="">Approach</a></li><li class="font-sans pl-lg my-md ml-[2px]"><a class=" text-gray-600 hover:text-sage-700 " href="#outcomes" target="">Outcomes</a></li><li class="font-sans pl-lg my-md ml-[2px]"><a class=" text-gray-600 hover:text-sage-700 " href="#conclusion" target="">Conclusion</a></li></ul></div></div></div><section id="4tdFiWVgYFBy1YGbdXEpS4-more-posts" class="pt-xl pb-4xl"><div class="responsive-container"><hr class="h-[2px] bg-gray-300" aria-hidden="false"/><div class="w-full pt-md flex justify-between items-center "><div class="md:w-2/3 "><h2 class="font-sans type-preset-3 font-bold">More from Nava<!-- --> </h2></div><div class="hidden md:inline-block"></div></div></div><div class="pt-2xl"><section class=""><div class="responsive-container "><div class="w-full"><div class="w-full grid grid-cols-1 md:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-3 gap-x-md md:gap-x-2xl gap-y-3xl "><div class="w-full self-stretch "><a href="/case-studies/department-justice-human-centered-tools" class="group flex flex-col sm:flex-row gap-md md:flex-col h-full article-feed" aria-labelledby="/case-studies/department-justice-human-centered-tools"><div class="w-full sm:w-1/3 md:w-full"><img alt="Illustration of a middle-aged, Black woman with braided hair. She presents a set of graphs to a group of people in an office. " loading="lazy" width="16" height="9" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="bg-navy-700 object-cover w-full group-hover:scale-105 ease-in duration-200" style="color:transparent;width:100%;height:auto" sizes="100vw" srcSet="/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2Ffb9OMEwALRzgE3Zu3fMJ2%2F024a1ad744d59720382adcc5ec372a51%2FS2-S5-Strengthening_response-Content-card-V1.png&w=640&q=50 640w, /_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2Ffb9OMEwALRzgE3Zu3fMJ2%2F024a1ad744d59720382adcc5ec372a51%2FS2-S5-Strengthening_response-Content-card-V1.png&w=750&q=50 750w, /_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2Ffb9OMEwALRzgE3Zu3fMJ2%2F024a1ad744d59720382adcc5ec372a51%2FS2-S5-Strengthening_response-Content-card-V1.png&w=828&q=50 828w, /_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2Ffb9OMEwALRzgE3Zu3fMJ2%2F024a1ad744d59720382adcc5ec372a51%2FS2-S5-Strengthening_response-Content-card-V1.png&w=1080&q=50 1080w, /_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2Ffb9OMEwALRzgE3Zu3fMJ2%2F024a1ad744d59720382adcc5ec372a51%2FS2-S5-Strengthening_response-Content-card-V1.png&w=1200&q=50 1200w, /_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2Ffb9OMEwALRzgE3Zu3fMJ2%2F024a1ad744d59720382adcc5ec372a51%2FS2-S5-Strengthening_response-Content-card-V1.png&w=1920&q=50 1920w, /_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2Ffb9OMEwALRzgE3Zu3fMJ2%2F024a1ad744d59720382adcc5ec372a51%2FS2-S5-Strengthening_response-Content-card-V1.png&w=2048&q=50 2048w" src="/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2Ffb9OMEwALRzgE3Zu3fMJ2%2F024a1ad744d59720382adcc5ec372a51%2FS2-S5-Strengthening_response-Content-card-V1.png&w=2048&q=50"/></div><div class="w-full sm:w-2/3 md:w-full"><div class=" type-preset-8 text-gray-500 mb-md">U.S. Department of Justice</div><p id="/case-studies/department-justice-human-centered-tools" class="type-preset-6 mb-sm font-bold tracking-tight text-gray-900 font-sans group-hover:text-sage-400">Empowering Department of Justice staff with human-centered tools</p><p class="type-preset-6 font-sans text-gray-700">We partnered with DOJ on a project aimed at improving the agency staff experience, helping staff process civil rights complaints more effectively.</p></div></a></div><div class="w-full self-stretch "><a href="/insights/joanne-woytek-nasa-pride-month" class="group flex flex-col sm:flex-row gap-md md:flex-col h-full article-feed" aria-labelledby="/insights/joanne-woytek-nasa-pride-month"><div class="w-full sm:w-1/3 md:w-full"><img alt="Joanne Woytek sits on a stool. Woytek has short, light-colored hair and a closed mouth smile. She wears glasses and a lavender dress. Behind Woytek is a screen displaying an LGBTQIA+ Pride Flag next to Nava's logo: a black, capital-letter N with a black line beneath it. The word Pride is beneath Nava's logo. Michelle Hadfield sits across from Woytek and smiles at her. Hadfield has shoulder length brown hair and wears a long blue patterned dress." loading="lazy" width="16" height="9" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="bg-navy-700 object-cover w-full group-hover:scale-105 ease-in duration-200" style="color:transparent;width:100%;height:auto" sizes="100vw" srcSet="/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2F2XZH1HKkN1vVuQoDkVq78Y%2F713a39ff67e4b7f5e1527b19de8f40d7%2FJoanne_Woytek_Event.jpg&w=640&q=50 640w, /_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2F2XZH1HKkN1vVuQoDkVq78Y%2F713a39ff67e4b7f5e1527b19de8f40d7%2FJoanne_Woytek_Event.jpg&w=750&q=50 750w, /_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2F2XZH1HKkN1vVuQoDkVq78Y%2F713a39ff67e4b7f5e1527b19de8f40d7%2FJoanne_Woytek_Event.jpg&w=828&q=50 828w, /_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2F2XZH1HKkN1vVuQoDkVq78Y%2F713a39ff67e4b7f5e1527b19de8f40d7%2FJoanne_Woytek_Event.jpg&w=1080&q=50 1080w, 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text-gray-700">Joanne Woytek, program director at NASA, discusses her experience transitioning in the 1990s and establishing workplace guidelines.</p></div></a></div><div class="w-full self-stretch "><a href="/events/policy-implementation-gap-academia" class="group flex flex-col sm:flex-row gap-md md:flex-col h-full article-feed" aria-labelledby="/events/policy-implementation-gap-academia"><div class="w-full sm:w-1/3 md:w-full"><img alt="" loading="lazy" width="16" height="9" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="bg-navy-700 object-cover w-full group-hover:scale-105 ease-in duration-200" style="color:transparent;width:100%;height:auto" sizes="100vw" srcSet="/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2F6msiMBvNplq2ilFLdqknq3%2F51490d8eaf572d51beaff57445e38cda%2FContent-Card-Events-Policy-Implementation-V02.png&w=640&q=50 640w, /_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2F6msiMBvNplq2ilFLdqknq3%2F51490d8eaf572d51beaff57445e38cda%2FContent-Card-Events-Policy-Implementation-V02.png&w=750&q=50 750w, /_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2F6msiMBvNplq2ilFLdqknq3%2F51490d8eaf572d51beaff57445e38cda%2FContent-Card-Events-Policy-Implementation-V02.png&w=828&q=50 828w, /_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2F6msiMBvNplq2ilFLdqknq3%2F51490d8eaf572d51beaff57445e38cda%2FContent-Card-Events-Policy-Implementation-V02.png&w=1080&q=50 1080w, /_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2F6msiMBvNplq2ilFLdqknq3%2F51490d8eaf572d51beaff57445e38cda%2FContent-Card-Events-Policy-Implementation-V02.png&w=1200&q=50 1200w, /_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2F6msiMBvNplq2ilFLdqknq3%2F51490d8eaf572d51beaff57445e38cda%2FContent-Card-Events-Policy-Implementation-V02.png&w=1920&q=50 1920w, /_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2F6msiMBvNplq2ilFLdqknq3%2F51490d8eaf572d51beaff57445e38cda%2FContent-Card-Events-Policy-Implementation-V02.png&w=2048&q=50 2048w" src="/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Ft2ekr6eg3fr3%2F6msiMBvNplq2ilFLdqknq3%2F51490d8eaf572d51beaff57445e38cda%2FContent-Card-Events-Policy-Implementation-V02.png&w=2048&q=50"/></div><div class="w-full sm:w-2/3 md:w-full"><div class=" type-preset-8 text-gray-500 mb-md">May 21, 2024 at 4:00 PM UTC</div><p id="/events/policy-implementation-gap-academia" class="type-preset-6 mb-sm font-bold tracking-tight text-gray-900 font-sans group-hover:text-sage-400">Bridging the gap between policy and implementation in academia</p><p class="type-preset-6 font-sans text-gray-700">How university programs in public policy and administration might offer students a foundation that bridges policymaking and policy implementation.</p></div></a></div></div></div></div></section><div 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The man reaches for a jar on a shelf. ","width":1280,"height":720},"isBottomGapRemoved":true,"pageHeader":{"id":"4tdFiWVgYFBy1YGbdXEpS4-header","title":"Case Study","variant":"Post","subtitle":"Reducing the burden of applying for public benefits","body":"We partnered with the Centers for Medicare \u0026 Medicaid Services and the United States Digital Service on a project aimed at easing the process of income verification for people applying for public benefits.","image":{"id":"yhnP1UX94FQOZtIPlglp2","url":"https://images.ctfassets.net/t2ekr6eg3fr3/yhnP1UX94FQOZtIPlglp2/0d43a312a6bd5ea2df1ddc828a1827c3/S3-S5-Reducing_the_burden-Content-cards-V1.png","title":"S3-S5-Reducing the burden-Content-cards-V1","description":"Illustration of a young Asian man holding his toddler at a grocery store. The man reaches for a jar on a shelf. ","width":1280,"height":720},"eventInfo":null,"hideHeroPattern":false},"description":"We partnered with CMS and USDS on a project aimed at easing the process of income verification for people applying for public benefits.","contentBlocks":[false,{"__typename":"PostBody","id":"4tdFiWVgYFBy1YGbdXEpS4-body","body":{"json":{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{"target":{"sys":{"id":"5roHwtfEYk8hN2zbrQkVaW","type":"Link","linkType":"Entry"}}},"content":[],"nodeType":"embedded-entry-block"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"value":"Summary","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"heading-2"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"As much as","nodeType":"text"},{"data":{"uri":"https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/briefing-room/2023/07/10/reducing-time-taxes-and-administrative-burdens/"},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":" ","nodeType":"text"},{"data":{},"marks":[{"type":"underline"}],"value":"$140 billion in government benefits goes unclaimed every year","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"hyperlink"},{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":", in part due to the bureaucratic hoops, or administrative burdens, people must jump through in order to obtain public benefits. The Biden-Harris administration is seeking to close this gap in the “","nodeType":"text"},{"data":{"uri":"https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/12/13/executive-order-on-transforming-federal-customer-experience-and-service-delivery-to-rebuild-trust-in-government/"},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[{"type":"underline"}],"value":"Executive Order on Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"hyperlink"},{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":".” The","nodeType":"text"},{"data":{"uri":"https://www.performance.gov/cx/life-experiences/facing-a-financial-shock/"},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":" ","nodeType":"text"},{"data":{},"marks":[{"type":"underline"}],"value":"Facing a Financial Shock Life Experience project","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"hyperlink"},{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":", born out of the executive order, focuses on connecting people experiencing financial distress to available public services. Two of the project’s collaborating agencies — the U.S. Department of Health \u0026 Human Services’ (HHS) Centers for Medicare \u0026 Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) United States Digital Service (USDS) — are partnering with Nava on a project aimed at increasing access to programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by streamlining the income verification process.","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"value":"Approach","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"heading-2"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"When people apply for certain public benefits, the agency administering benefits must verify the applicant’s income eligibility. Often, federal benefit programs have difficulty verifying an applicants’ eligibility due to a confluence of factors such as change of address, old or out-of-date income data or lack of income data, or lack of paystubs due to self employment or cash payment. In these scenarios, applicants must manually verify their income for eligibility — a process that can be stressful and time consuming.","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"Our shared work focuses on alleviating the burden of manual verification of income by enabling agencies to verify applicant income through existing data sources. This idea is called Income Verification as a Service (IVaaS). Nava’s history with the idea of IVaaS goes back to 2016, when we worked with CMS on HealthCare.gov’s income eligibility determination services. ","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"For our current project, we’ve partnered with CMS and USDS to research, prototype, and pilot income verification products that help people facing a financial shock. ","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"Through this work, we aim to: ","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"Reduce the time it takes for applicants to verify their income.","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"}],"nodeType":"list-item"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"Alleviate administrative burden for frontline staff and applicants by using automated processes to enable cross-enrollment.","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"}],"nodeType":"list-item"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"Reduce the amount of time it takes for applicants to receive benefits.","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"}],"nodeType":"list-item"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"Improve the efficiency, accuracy, and integrity of federal benefit programs. ","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"}],"nodeType":"list-item"}],"nodeType":"unordered-list"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"In order to ensure our work is human-centered, we’ve established a participatory design group of frontline workers, IT staff, and subject matter experts. This group helps us gather feedback and input on our work from those who deeply understand the public benefits space. In addition, we’re conducting interviews with beneficiaries, frontline staff, and organizations that assist people with applying for benefits. We’ve also established a pilot group of agency leaders, which gives us the opportunity to get feedback on our pilots.","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"value":"Outcomes","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"heading-2"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"Leveraging what we learned from our participatory design practice, we created a plain-language playbook that states can use to simplify content around income verification. We’re using the playbook’s principles to inform our approach to other income verification initiatives, such as our pilot for a consent-based income verification solution that gives applicants the option to automatically share their payroll data with benefit programs. We’re also working on a solution that connects states to the right data sources at the right time so that the onus to provide income data is not on applicants. ","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"value":"Process","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"heading-3"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"value":"Creating a plain-language playbook","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"Navigating program rules for eligibility is difficult even for seasoned caseworkers. That’s why we believe that plain-language guidelines on program rules might help people apply for benefits correctly and ease the burden of income verification. ","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"Based on our early research, we developed a plain-language playbook for income verification. To ensure the playbook is accurate and useful, we tested its content and principles with SNAP recipients, since SNAP has particularly complicated income requirements. ","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"Now, we’re applying the playbook’s principles to a state’s content on Medicaid income verification. As we pilot the playbook, we’re collecting customer experience metrics, such as the number of times people submit insufficient documentation, to determine whether these content changes can help people understand income verification requirements. ","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"value":"Piloting consent-based income verification","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"In the financial services sector, there are many ways to automatically verify one’s income information by giving direct consent to banks or lenders to pull income data from financial institutions or payroll companies. We hypothesized that a similar solution could be beneficial in public benefits, though it’s not in use today. ","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"To better understand solutions that exist in the private sector, we conducted market research. For example, we explored how mortgage loan applicants can automatically share their income information with a requester. Simultaneously, we conducted user research with SNAP and Medicaid leaders, caseworkers, and applicants to better understand how this type of solution could apply to public benefits. ","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"Now, we’re piloting this idea with states. We’ve built a prototype that enables applicants to consent to sharing their income data automatically. Our prototype is helping us understand:","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"How this new data source fills gaps in automated verification processes, thus covering more applicants. ","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"}],"nodeType":"list-item"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"How applicants feel about consent-based income verification. Do applicants trust it enough to use it?","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"}],"nodeType":"list-item"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"Whether consent-based income verification provides more accurate income data for eligibility decision making. Can more accurate income data lead to a decrease in improper payments?","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"}],"nodeType":"list-item"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"Whether moving from manual to automated verification processes decreases administrative burden for applicants.","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"}],"nodeType":"list-item"}],"nodeType":"unordered-list"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"value":"Connecting states with the best data sources","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"Ideally, applicants should only have to provide income information the state doesn’t already have. Though several databases of income information exist, the challenge is helping states connect with the right ones at the right time. ","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"Government agencies can draw from different data sources when verifying an applicant’s income, and different data sources have pros and cons. For example, private data sources tend to be more current, but they’re expensive to use and are not always comprehensive. On the other hand, government data sources are cheaper and more comprehensive, but may contain data that is not current enough for income verification. ","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"Agencies may tap each of their data sources at once, or they may tap data sources in a non-optimal order. In other words, one data source may contain the most relevant data for an applicant’s situation, but the challenge is connecting an agency to that data source first. ","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"We believe that connecting states with the right income data sources in an optimized order could drive down costs because states will only pay for the data they need, and it could save applicants the time spent on manually verifying their information.","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"We partnered with a state’s Medicaid agency to test this idea. To start, we met with state Medicaid leaders and technical subject matter experts to better understand Medicaid income verification in their state. We also analyzed how and when the state utilizes different data sources for income verification. Based on our research and analysis, we’ve made recommendations for how the state agency can optimize the way they call data sources. Once we’ve tested these recommendations, we hope other states will restructure their data logic in a way that reduces administrative burden on applicants and drives down the cost of data for states. ","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"value":"Conclusion","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"heading-2"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"The Facing a Financial Shock Life Experience project is an important initiative aimed at reducing administrative burdens for people attempting to access government programs while experiencing financial distress. Through our partnership with CMS and USDS, we’re exploring how we can ease the burden of income verification, helping to increase access to essential benefits. 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