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Digital Services

Strong digital services create the channels and systems that applicants and beneficiaries need to easily access benefits online.

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Making the online option easy.

Digital modernization is happening across all levels and sectors of government, including benefits administering agencies. To successfully deliver benefits information, initial applications, and case management online, benefits administering agencies must make use of digital services best practices.

Creating strong digital services impacts not only applicants and beneficiaries, but also shapes workflows for staff and agency leaders. On this page, you will find resources to help your team build and maintain a strong digital services practice and culture, including information on agile practices, best practices in digital design, tools to measure user experience, and lessons learned from successful public interest technology approaches.

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Providers App: Timely, Localized Updates to Benefits Information

Providers App: Timely, Localized Updates to Benefits Information

Low-income Americans struggle to monitor their benefits and learn about new benefit programs because each state maintains its own systems for accessing this information. These websites are often convoluted and hard to find.

Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University
2021
Project Re:new — Redesigning Michigan's Benefits Renewal Forms

Project Re:new — Redesigning Michigan's Benefits Renewal Forms

Michigan residents must renew their benefits annually to continue receiving public assistance. Unfortunately, each assistance program had its own renewal form, and the process was plagued by complicated language and undelivered forms. As a result, many residents lost their benefits and the state spent about $25 million annually correcting errors.

Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University
2020
Redesigning Michigan's Benefits Correspondence

Redesigning Michigan's Benefits Correspondence

The correspondence sent by Michigan to its residents containing benefits programs updates and action items continues to be too long, too vague, and too reliant on legal jargon. This prevents residents from getting the help they need and forces agency staff to spend time explaining the letters.

Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University
2021

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Integrated Service Delivery (ISD) Product Office Charter

This charter defines the goals, scope and organization of the “Integrated Service Delivery (ISD) Product Office” charged with planning, implementing, governing, and managing all business transformation, change, and systems modernization efforts related to integrated service delivery, focused initially on integrated eligibility and enrollment.

Minnesota Department of Human Services
Artifact

ACCESS NYC Patterns

ACCESS NYC aims to increase the accessibility and convenience of discovering and enrolling in government benefits. These patterns support this work by defining the UI and behavior that New Yorkers experience as they use the site.

NYC Mayor's Office for Economic Opportunity
Artifact

Delivering a Digital-First Public Experience

This memorandum provides guidance to agencies on how to design and deliver websites and digital services to the public and to assist agencies as they continue to implement the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act1 (21st Century IDEA). It summarizes relevant statutory requirements, clarifies policy requirements, and expands best practices for agency websites and digital services.

Office of Management and Budget
Artifact

Integrated Eligibility and Enrollment Modernization Roadmap Report

This roadmap provides a vision and plan for how to deliver modernized integrated eligibility and enrollment for health and human services using human-centered design, modular approaches to replacing legacy technology, change management, and iterative product processes.

Washington Health and Human Services Enterprise Coalition
Artifact

M-24-08 Strengthening Digital Accessibility and the Management of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act

This memorandum provides guidance to help agencies advance digital accessibility by maintaining an accessible Federal technology environment, promoting accessible digital experiences, and continuing the implementation of accessibility standards in accordance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Section 508).

Artifact

The NYC Opportunity Standard

The design system for NYC Opportunity's digital products. It is ideally suited for building catalogs of City services and online applications, providing simple and flexible CSS and JavaScript-based components and utilities for building user interfaces quickly and easily.

The New York City Mayor's Office for Economic Opportunity, Product and Technology Team
Artifact

U.S. Web Design System

The U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) is makes it easier to build accessible, mobile-friendly government websites. USWDS is an active open source community of government engineers, content specialists, and designers. Its contributors both in and out of government support dozens of agencies and nearly 200 sites.

Digital.gov
Artifact

Providers App: Timely, Localized Updates to Benefits Information

Low-income Americans struggle to monitor their benefits and learn about new benefit programs because each state maintains its own systems for accessing this information. These websites are often convoluted and hard to find.

Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University
Case Study

Retooling Find Local Help Using Human-centered Design

Find Local Help provides a list of free experts who can help users sign up for health insurance. The system asked additional questions before the results screen to give the backend system time to complete the search. Users received a “No Results” notification – instead of loading indicators – during this step.

Ad Hoc
Case Study

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.

Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University
Case Study

New York City Benefits and Programs: Designing, Translating and Scaling Accessible Content

New York City's platform for accessing and learning about benefit programs, ACCESS NYC, increasingly struggled to adapt to new use cases, technological innovation, and more efficient methods of website maintenance and content sharing. These challenges impeded NYC’s ability to deliver up-to-date accessible benefits information and eligibility screening to residents when they needed it.

Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University
Case Study

Minnesota: Rolling Out an Integrated Benefits Application in Stages

Minnesota posed a number of unique challenges towards efficient service delivery of public benefits. In addition to a fragmented application process, each of Minnesota's 87 counties maintained their own systems for managing assistance programs. Further issues stemmed from Minnesota's high levels of racial disparities, 11 tribal nations, and disproportionately large refugee population.

Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University
Case Study

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.

Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University
Case Study

City of San José: Machine Learning for Translation

The majority of San José residents speak languages other than English, particularly Spanish and Vietnamese. The City of San José sought to expand access to their 311 service to be more responsive to the needs of these residents.

Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University
Case Study
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Playbook For Ethical Tech Governance

Governments and leaders are required to regulate change while mitigating risk, so IFTF's Governance Futures Lab developed this decision-making guide for them. In a world where technologies are transforming faster than we can keep up, anticipatory governance is crucial in order to safeguard against both the intended and unintended effects of technological advances.

Institute For The Future
Resource

Recoding America at BenCon 2023

Jennifer Pahlka, Deputy CTO in President Obama’s Administration and author, shares her new book, Recoding America on how government must be equipped for digital delivery in order to meet ambitious policy goals. This video was recorded at the Digital Benefits Conference (BenCon) at Georgetown University on June 14, 2023.

Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation
Resource

Unemployment Insurance IT Modernization Strategy

A guide to the strategy to help states move from monolithic, brittle unemployment insurance systems to modular, flexible solutions.

U.S. Department of Labor Office of Unemployment Insurance Modernization (OUIM)
Resource

Improving Access to Public Benefits and Customer Experience: Key Actions and Best Practices

Comprehensive and sustained improvement in benefits access and customer experience requires changes across policy, operations, technology, staffing, procurement, and more. This guide offers a collection of actions and best practices for states to apply.

Office of Management and Budget, Aspen Financial Security Program
Resource

Why defining your product is an essential question in government digital services

One of the most important questions in government digital services is "what is our product?". Teams that can identify their products are more likely to prioritize improvements in the best interest of the underlying service. And as a result of their work, Veterans, their family members, seniors, Medicare patients, and others have more successful and efficient interactions with the critical government services they need.

Ad Hoc
Resource

Application Modernization is an Imperative for State Governments

NASCIO and VMware conducted a study during 2022 on the topic of state government application modernization. This study included an online survey and detailed individual interviews of state and territorial CIOs. The report presents findings from this research, key recommendations and a playbook for moving forward with application modernization.

NASCIO, VMware
Resource

Public Benefits Delivery & Consumer Protection

This Issue Spotlight explores the challenges that recipients of public benefits programs offering cash assistance encounter in accessing funds through financial products or services, with a specific focus on assistance provided on prepaid cards.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Resource

Default to Open

This article discusses the various benefits of publicly-funded open-source software. These benefits include fairness and transparency, economic stimulus, and support of the Federal Source Code Policy Agenda.

New America
Resource

Summer EBT Implementation Toolkit

The following documents serve as a resource to assist states, tribal organizations, and territories in preparing to implement Summer EBT in 2024.

UDSA
Resource

Unemployment Insurance Equitable Access Toolkit

The Unemployment Insurance Equitable Access Toolkit contains common equity recommendations, promising practices, and insights, represented visually as a different floor of an agency office building, compiled in one interactive document.

U.S. Department of Labor
Resource

Can States Finally Fix Their Unemployment Systems?

Though the economy is rebounding, it is still necessary for states to reform their unemployment systems to provide relief to millions of Americans, as many sectors are still slow to recover.

Governing
Resource

What does it take for a public interest technology project to succeed?

This article describes the necessary factors for a public interest technology project to succeed, including leadership support, organizational and team support, proper scoping, time and resources, and a sustainability plan.

New America
Resource

How to use product operations to scale the impact of government digital services

Ad Hoc has found that product operations can help scale impact by putting objective indicators at the center of product decision-making. The team has seen success in supporting product thinking at agencies like the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), where they made it easier for Veterans to access employment and education assistance and for caregivers to receive needed support.

Ad Hoc
Resource

The Equitable Tech Horizon in Digital Benefits Panel

Hear perspectives on topics including centering beneficiaries and workers in new ways, digital service delivery, digital identity, and automation.This video was recorded at the Digital Benefits Conference (BenCon) on June 14, 2023.

Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University
Resource

How to Use the U.S. Web Design System (USWDS)

USWDS provides principles, guidance, and code to help you design and build accessible, mobile-friendly government websites and digital services.

Digital.gov
Resource

Administrative Burden Scale

The Better Government Lab at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University has developed a new scale for measuring the experience of burden when accessing public benefits. They offer both a three-item scale and a single-item scale, which can be utilized for any public benefit program. The shorter scales provide a less burdensome way to measure by requiring less information from users.

Better Government Lab at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University
Resource

Improving Unemployment Fraud Reporting with User Research

User research + design kit in for improving the UI fraud reporting experience, available in English and Spanish

U.S. Digital Response, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry
Resource

The Ad Hoc Research Thinking Field Guide

This field guide is for digital services and technology leaders working at the federal, state, or local government level. It describes a way of applying research approaches to strategic decision making across digital services.

Ad Hoc
Resource

Opportunities to Improve Online Access to SNAP for Older Adults

This issue brief illustrates the challenges that many older adults with low income face in gaining access to benefits online. It addresses digital literacy, access to broadband internet, and the increasing prevalence of connecting online to SNAP.

AARP Foundation
Resource

The Ad Hoc Product Field Guide

This field guide is written for digital services and technology leaders working in government agencies at the federal, state, or local level. It’s meant to highlight the power of product thinking to government digital services. With this guide, agencies can start moving from a project management mindset to a product-based approach to delivering services.

Ad Hoc
Resource

Digital Benefits Wishlist

The Digital Benefits Wishlist collects on tools, resources, or policy changes needed to improve benefits delivery. Originally created as part of BenCon2023, a conference hosted by the Digital Benefits Network, it continues to grow and accept new wishes.

Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University
Resource

Design Patterns Catalogue

A catalogue to help teams design trustworthy services that work for people. Categories including informing decisions, signing into services, giving and removing consent, and doing security checks.

Projects by If
Resource

Recent Developments in Unemployment Insurance Modernization

The UI Technology Coordinating Coalition hosted a virtual conversation on April 13, 2023 focused on recent developments in unemployment insurance (UI) modernization efforts with guests from the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of UI Modernization and the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University
Resource

A Civic Technologist's Practice Guide

This guide outlines the types of projects, partnerships, and people that civic technologists encounter, as well as the methods they can use to make lasting change.

Cyd Harrell
Resource

Harnessing Data and Technology to Construct a Human Services System that Supports Thriving and Equitable Communities

Recent innovations in technology have opened a path for H/HS agencies to dramatically strengthen their data and technology infrastructure while providing fairer and more equal access to crucial benefits and services. By taking the concrete policy steps outlined in this brief, we believe that Congress and the administration can help human services agencies accelerate the construction of next generation systems that support the move toward a data-driven, equitable, multidisciplinary service delivery model.

American Public Human Services Association (APHSA)
Resource

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.

Code for America
Resource

Lightning Talks at BenCon 2023

Lightning talks on innovative ideas, approaches, and pilots to understand and improve benefits delivery. This video was recorded at the Digital Benefits Conference (BenCon) at Georgetown University on June 14, 2023.

Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University
Resource

Platforms: More value, more quickly, more securely

Adopting a platform strategy should be a key component of how government agencies design and deliver digital services.

Ad Hoc
Resource

Power to the Public: The Promise of Public Interest Technology

This book presents a blueprint for how governments and nonprofits can utilize digital technology to solve pressing twenty-first century issues.

Tara Dawson McGuinness, Hana Schank
Resource

Delivery-Driven Government: Principles and Practices for Government in the Digital Age

Technology enables governments to engage in “pilot” projects to see where they are headed and course-correct along the way, as opposed to evaluating the results over the course of multiple years. Delivery-driven government utilizes technology and “pilot” projects to see institutions and processes through the eyes of users, allowing for more effective service delivery.

Code for America
Resource

New Jersey’s Worker-centered Approach to Improving the Administration of Unemployment Insurance

This paper describes the policy choices, business practices, and technology innovations that the State of New Jersey is employing to ensure that the right people get benefits — accurately and on time.

Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, Rutgers University
Resource

Building and Reusing Open Source Tools for Government

A primer by New America for government entities thinking about embracing open-source solutions. This report is based on interviews with experts in the field, the organization’s work on piloting open source projects with partners around the world, and a review of nearly 50 reports, documents, and resources on the creation and usage of open source software.

New America
Resource

Unemployment Insurance Technology Modernization Quarterly Roundup

This quarterly research update aims to highlight key learnings related to improving unemployment insurance (UI) systems in the areas of equity, timeliness, and fraud, and monitor for model UI legislation and policy related specifically to technology. Subscribe to receive future editions.

Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University
Resource

Digital Benefits Hub Launch Webinar

The Digital Benefits Network and APHSA launched the Digital Benefits Hub on October 20, 2022. This video provides context on both organizations, the inspiration and vision for the hub, a demo of key features, and audience Q&A

Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University, American Public Human Services Association (APHSA)
Resource

A Pivotal Moment

Technologists are crucial to help governments, social service providers, and advocacy groups use technology to confront and address the challenges and inequities that inevitably arise from technological change. However, there are not enough technologists working or interested in joining public interest fields to meet growing demand. This report identifies opportunities to build the field of public interest technology, and ways that philanthropy and other stakeholders can invest to best support such efforts.

NetGain Partnership
Resource

Why human-centered testing is crucial to building government software

This article reviews two examples of how Nava has used open-source technologies to bring human-centered testing practices to government services software.

Nava Public Benefit Corporation
Resource

Evaluating CX with Survey Design

In the Fall of 2022, the USDOL Office of Unemployment Insurance Modernization (OUIM) consulted with the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) to provide hands-on support with IT modernization and customer experience strategy. Primary discussions focused on making informed product, service, and business decisions based on qualitative and quantitative data— how might IDES leverage existing data streams to identify the most pressing technology issues in their unemployment insurance system, and how might IDES act upon this information in a timely and impactful manner?

U.S. Department of Labor
Resource

Collaborate with the TTS Public Benefits Studio

The Technology Transformation Service at GSA recently created a new Public Benefits Studio to focus on fostering a more cohesive, coordinated experience for the public, across programs. To do this, their team is seeking to collaborate with benefits agencies to develop shared technology tools and best practices that can be used by multiple benefits programs simultaneously. As a first initiative, the Studio exploring opportunities to close the gap in adoption of plain-language, multi-channel notifications, including using text messaging.

Technology Transformation Services (TTS), Public Benefits Studio, General Services Administration
Resource

Improving mobile usability for claimants

Mobile usability refers to the ease with which people can accomplish tasks on smartphones or tablets. A good mobile experience enables people to do the same things they do on a desktop computer while considering mobile devices’ constraints.

U.S. Department of Labor
Resource

Renewed Principles of Delivery-Driven Government: Evolving and expanding our vision for how government should serve the public

Code for America initially introduced the concept of Delivery-Driven Government in 2018. This article refreshes its original principles and expands on what the organization has learned to make its concepts clearer.

Code for America
Resource

Tools to Manage and Share Content

The right tech frameworks can help organize and distribute accessible benefits information, both within your organization and beyond. This primer introduces two foundational software types that can support organizations that are committed to accessible benefits information: content management systems (CMS) and application program interfaces (APIs). It also provides examples of how one local government leveraged these tools to improve services and workstreams.

Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University
Resource
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Automation + AI
Text Messaging
Data Sharing
Outreach + Awareness
Eligibility
Applying + Enrolling
Buying Design + Technology Services
Maintaining Benefits
Human-Centered Design
Digitizing Policy
Digital Services
Diversity, Equity + Inclusion
Policy Analysis
Digital Identity
Basic Income
CCDF: Child Care and Development Fund
COVID-19 Assistance
CTC: Child Tax Credit
EITC: Earned Income Tax Credit
Housing
LIHEAP
Medicaid/CHIP
Other Supplemental Nutrition Programs
P-EBT
Paid Leave
SSDI: Social Security Disability Insurance
SSI: Supplemental Security Income
TANF: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
Tax Assistance
UI: Unemployment Insurance
Veterans Benefits
WIC: Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children
SNAP: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
Executive Branch
Academic
Community Members
Community-based Organization
Legislative Branch
Non-profit
Private
Government Agency
Federal/National
State/Provincial
County
Local/Municipal
Territorial
Tribal/Indigenous