Applying + Enrolling
Burdensome application and enrollment processes can stand in the way of eligible applicants receiving benefits they qualify for.
There are steps delivery agencies can take to enhance and streamline these services without compromising eligibility integrity.
Enrolling in benefits should lead to relief, not additional burdens.
When benefit seekers are applying for public assistance programs, it is often during one of the most difficult moments of their lives. Lengthy and onerous applications can frustrate already stressed and overwhelmed applicants. At the same time, agencies have their hands tied by conforming to legal eligibility and compliance.
However, some agencies are finding innovative ways to improve these processes, including using human-centered design to cut down on application length, implementing plain language and multilingual translation of application questions, and integrating enrollment across benefits. These practices not only reduce burdens for both applicants and agencies, but they can also increase uptake. Here, find resources including human-centered redesign case studies and guidance on training your agency staff to take on these kinds of projects.
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Case Studies
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Project Re:form — Redesigning Michigan's Assistance Application
Michigan had the longest public benefits application in the country. The application was fragmented across five different benefits programs and contained 64 pages, 1,000 overlapping questions, and convoluted language. These complications burdened Michigan residents and forced agency officials to waste valuable time correcting errors.

Vermont: Piloting A Document Uploader For Benefit Eligibility
To verify their eligibility for public assistance, low-income Vermont residents were forced to either physically visit one of only 12 Economic Services Division Offices or use the mail to submit documents. This delayed the application process and hindered residents' ability to access benefits.

MIBridges: Making Online Benefit Websites Work More Effectively
Millions of Michigan residents receive public assistance through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). Half of them tried to apply for and access these benefits online. However, the existing application was not mobile-friendly and it required more than 45 minutes to complete. This created delays and frustrating experiences for residents and agency staff.