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Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) is a nonpartisan research and policy institute that advances federal and state policies to help build a nation where everyone — regardless of income, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, ZIP code, immigration status, or disability status — has the resources they need to thrive and share in the nation’s prosperity.

The Center combines rigorous research and analysis, strategic communications, and effective advocacy to shape debates and affect policy, both nationally and in states.

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Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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Aggressive State Outreach Can Help Reach the 12 Million Non-Filers Eligible for Stimulus Payments

Aggressive State Outreach Can Help Reach the 12 Million Non-Filers Eligible for Stimulus Payments

Aggressive outreach by states is necessary to ensure that 12 million Americans do not risk missing out on the stimulus payments provided by the CARES Act.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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Assessing Your WIC Certification Practices

Assessing Your WIC Certification Practices

This toolkit provides questions for agencies to consider, examples, and suggested resources for exploring ways to make certification easier for families and WIC staff.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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Eligible Low-Income Children Missing Out on Crucial WIC Benefits During Pandemic

Eligible Low-Income Children Missing Out on Crucial WIC Benefits During Pandemic

The share of WIC-eligible families participating in the program has declined, though the number of individuals eligible for WIC has likely grown substantially. By working together, state WIC, Medicaid, and SNAP leaders can use data to assess the extent to which WIC is reaching eligible families and enroll more of them.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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Improving Customer Service in Health and Human Services Through Technology

Improving Customer Service in Health and Human Services Through Technology

This paper outlines common challenges agencies face while administering benefits and gives examples of how technology can streamline the process. It also discusses the importance of user-centered design, and the necessity of utilizing technology as part of a holistic strategy to implement public benefits.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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Improving Users’ Experience With Online SNAP and Medicaid Systems

Improving Users’ Experience With Online SNAP and Medicaid Systems

State and county agencies have made remarkable progress digitizing their forms and processes. But to take full advantage of online systems, agencies must also ensure that people can easily set up and sign into online accounts. This would not only benefit clients, but also significantly reduce the workload for caseworkers and administrators, allowing them to focus on clients that need more intensive in-person assistance.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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Launching New Digital Tools for WIC Participants

Launching New Digital Tools for WIC Participants

Toolkit to help agencies administering WIC become more informed purchasers of digital tools for WIC participants.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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Lessons Churned: Measuring the Impact of Churn in Health and Human Services Programs on Participants and State and Local Agencies

Lessons Churned: Measuring the Impact of Churn in Health and Human Services Programs on Participants and State and Local Agencies

Paper presenting preliminary lessons learned about SNAP churn derived from states participating in the Work Support Strategies project. It defines churn and outlines its consequences, explores approaches to measuring churns and looks at possible approaches to reduce churn.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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LIFT Voices Describe Hardships Among Black and Latina Mothers in Pandemic

LIFT Voices Describe Hardships Among Black and Latina Mothers in Pandemic

Black and Latina mothers have faced intensified material hardship during the pandemic due to institutional racism and sexism. LIFT describes the lessons it learned through working with parents to improve their personal well-being, increase their social connections, and strengthen them financially through coaching and direct financial assistance.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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Matching Data Across Benefits Programs Can Increase WIC Enrollment

Matching Data Across Benefits Programs Can Increase WIC Enrollment

Although Medicaid and SNAP participants are automatically income-eligible for WIC, many don’t enroll. Pilot projects in four states have shown that matching data across programs to identify these families and conducting outreach to them can increase WIC enrollment.

Benefits Data Trust, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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Opportunities to Streamline Enrollment Across Public Benefit Programs

Opportunities to Streamline Enrollment Across Public Benefit Programs

Data-sharing across public benefits programs can help enroll low-income people into other benefits for which they qualify. This guide helps local policymakers and program officials identify opportunities under federal law to streamline the application and enrollment process.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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Removing Barriers to Access From Remote Identity Proofing

Removing Barriers to Access From Remote Identity Proofing

Some states are adding unnecessary complexity to benefits application processes by requiring Remote Identity Proofing (RIDP) before applying or truncating other business. This paper provides background on RIDP, explains when it’s required, and makes recommendations on how states can preserve the security of online interfaces without the barrier of RIDP.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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Resources to Support State Outreach to Non-Filers Eligible for Stimulus Payments

Resources to Support State Outreach to Non-Filers Eligible for Stimulus Payments

About 12 million Americans risk missing out on stimulus payments provided through the CARES Act. State outreach efforts are critical to connect people to the $1,200 stimulus payments, and the CBPP lists various resources to assist in state outreach efforts on this webpage.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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SNAP Online: A Review of State Government SNAP Websites

SNAP Online: A Review of State Government SNAP Websites

There is significant variation amongst states’ SNAP websites and their online services. This report summarizes the types of services available and which states offer them.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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State WIC Agencies Use Federal Flexibility to Streamline Enrollment

State WIC Agencies Use Federal Flexibility to Streamline Enrollment

This report outlines how state WIC agencies can adjust their policies to remove enrollment barriers. The report also provides detailed research on the status of WIC eligibility practices and documentation requirements across states.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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States Are Using Much-Needed Temporary Flexibility in SNAP to Respond to COVID-19 Challenges

States Are Using Much-Needed Temporary Flexibility in SNAP to Respond to COVID-19 Challenges

Since March 2020, states have been using temporary SNAP (food stamps) flexibility to provide emergency benefit supplements, and ease program administration during the pandemic. These options have allowed states to deliver more food assistance to struggling families, help manage intense administrative demands, and ensure that participants maintain much-needed benefits.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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States Can Make Applications More Accessible During COVID-19 Crisis

States Can Make Applications More Accessible During COVID-19 Crisis

The inability to apply for Medicaid and SNAP in person during the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a new way of interacting with social service agencies through online application submission. States can facilitate this by making online applications and systems more accessible and allowing for telephonic signatures on benefits applications.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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States Can Reduce Medicaid’s Administrative Burdens to Advance Health and Racial Equity

States Can Reduce Medicaid’s Administrative Burdens to Advance Health and Racial Equity

This report outlines strategies to reduce administrative burdens and expand Medicaid participation and advance racial and health equity. The report also offers historical context on Medicaid eligibility.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, The Center for Law and Social Policy
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States Can Use Text Messaging to Communicate Effectively With Medicaid and SNAP Enrollees

States Can Use Text Messaging to Communicate Effectively With Medicaid and SNAP Enrollees

In the vast majority of states where Medicaid, SNAP, and other economic security and health programs are administered at the state level, agencies can and should send text messages to their clients to help eligible people connect to and stay enrolled in these programs.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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Streamlining Medicaid Renewals Through the Ex Parte Process

Streamlining Medicaid Renewals Through the Ex Parte Process

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) should provide detailed guidance and oversight to help states improve automatic Medicaid renewals using available data, through the ex parte process.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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Targeted Text Message Outreach Can Increase WIC Enrollment, Pilots Show

Targeted Text Message Outreach Can Increase WIC Enrollment, Pilots Show

WIC enrollment has declined over the last decade, preventing millions of eligible low-income individuals from accessing its benefits. This report examines state WIC outreach pilots and discusses the effectiveness of text message outreach and key considerations when developing and launching targeted text outreach campaigns.

Benefits Data Trust, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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Time to Get It Right: State Actions Now Can Preserve Medicaid Coverage When Public Health Emergency Ends

Time to Get It Right: State Actions Now Can Preserve Medicaid Coverage When Public Health Emergency Ends

Millions of people could lose health coverage when the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) ends, but states can make changes to avoid massive coverage losses.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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Toolkit: Increasing WIC Coverage Through Cross-Program Data Matching and Targeted Outreach

Toolkit: Increasing WIC Coverage Through Cross-Program Data Matching and Targeted Outreach

This toolkit is designed to help state and local WIC agencies leverage data from Medicaid and SNAP to measure enrollment gaps and increase enrollment using tools to plan, launch, and/or strengthen data matching and targeted outreach to eligible families who are not receiving WIC benefits.

Benefits Data Trust, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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Using Asset Verification Systems to Streamline Medicaid Determinations

Using Asset Verification Systems to Streamline Medicaid Determinations

This paper explores the background of the asset verification system requirement, the vendors that administer the systems; and the typical AVS process. It discusses AVSs’ current limitations and highlights best practices for advocates to promote and state agencies to implement to improve the AVS process and streamline eligibility determinations. Finally, it recommends federal action to help AVS states streamline processing.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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Using Data Matching and Targeted Outreach to Enroll Families With Young Children in WIC

Using Data Matching and Targeted Outreach to Enroll Families With Young Children in WIC

WIC enrollment has declined over the past decade, but evidence from randomized control trials indicates that using data from other programs to identify WIC-eligible families and following up with text-based outreach can boost program participation.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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Using SNAP Data for Medicaid Renewals Can Keep Eligible Beneficiaries Enrolled

Using SNAP Data for Medicaid Renewals Can Keep Eligible Beneficiaries Enrolled

Medicaid enrollees must renew their eligibility every 12 months, resulting in extensive “churn,” whereby eligible people continuously cycle on and off of Medicaid instead of remaining continuously enrolled. States can use detailed SNAP income data to reduce churn and thus reduce the burden on beneficiaries and agencies.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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Building Human-Centered Benefits Renewal Processes with Client Equity in Mind

Building Human-Centered Benefits Renewal Processes with Client Equity in Mind

Lessons from piloting expanded ex parte renewals in Minnesota

Code for America and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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What We Measure Matters: Enhanced Performance Metrics for SNAP and Medicaid Would Promote a More Human-Centered Delivery System

What We Measure Matters: Enhanced Performance Metrics for SNAP and Medicaid Would Promote a More Human-Centered Delivery System

This post from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities argues that the traditional measures of program performance say little about the human experience of accessing benefits, and argues for enhanced performance metrics to support more human-centered delivery.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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Decoded: Digital Identity in Public Benefits (Webinar)

Decoded: Digital Identity in Public Benefits (Webinar)

In this webinar, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Digital Benefits Network explored key terms related to digital identity, and provided ecosystem-level context on how authentication and identity proofing may show up in the online benefits experience and impact clients. Presenters also shared a list of resources, including guidance from National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), introductory materials, and other research to support participants in continued learning.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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