Policy & Practice | Fall 2023

partnering for impact

By Sara Soka

Showing What’s Possible: How to Center Client Experience

A t Code for America, we’ve been inspired to see state agencies show what’s possible when it comes to delivering vital services across the country—especially during tumul tuous times. As demand spiked during the pandemic, we saw swift and neces sary changes to benefits enrollment, maintenance, and more. As technical modernization gains momentum, we can’t lose sight of the fact that we’re investing in these changes so people can get essential support faster, in ways that meet them where they are (like smartphones), with less complication. This gets to the heart of our work at Code for America. We help states modernize technical systems and service delivery using a human centered approach. 1 In our Safety Net Innovation Lab, 2 we partner with state agencies to identify, pilot, and sustain ways to reduce the burden of benefits enrollment and renewal through the thoughtful use of tech nology. We share learning resources that help state agencies deliver their services more efficiently and effec tively. One of these resources is the Benefits Enrollment Field Guide, 3 a comprehensive look at the online enrollment experience for major, federally funded, state-administered benefits programs across the 50 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico. The Benefits Enrollment Field Guide shows what’s possible by highlighting what states are doing well. When a client applies for Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary

Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), or child care assis tance online in one state, it can be a very different experience than someone applying for the same benefits in neigh boring states. For many stakeholders, it was difficult to make state-by-state comparisons. In 2019, Code for America produced a first-of-its kind national assessment 4 to evaluate the landscape of public benefits enrollment, which gave states a first national glimpse of the client enrollment experience. We released the updated Benefits Enrollment Field Guide (the Field Guide) in April 2023, in an effort to capture the changes that happened during the pandemic. This time, along side data visualizations, state profiles, and application screenshots, we cel ebrated aspects of online enrollment

systems that do things well. The Field Guide is meant to be a resource that not only shows the status quo, but also enables government staff to see what other states have done and the improvements that are possible. What’s the best way to create a seamless user experience across multiple benefit programs with dif ferent regulatory requirements? How can agencies develop welcoming front doors that balance ease of use with security and privacy concerns? Why is mobile-responsive design such a big deal from a client perspective? Now, agency staff can answer these questions with best practices already

implemented nationally. Understanding the Client Experience

To create the Field Guide, we con sidered what a person encounters

Illustration courtesy of Code for America

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