Policy & Practice | Fall 2023

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when they go online to enroll in benefits. We assessed things like whether the application is mobile friendly, available in languages other than English, and if it lets clients accurately and easily explain complex household makeups or income sources when they have non-traditional cir cumstances. In total, we looked at 11 human-centered best practice metrics to see a snapshot of this experience across America. Then we did the hard work of finding and analyzing each online application. We evaluated the online experience while snapping screen shots of the application as viewed from a computer and a mobile phone. We controlled for the complexity of an applicant’s situation by using the same imaginary family in each application—headed by Jane Doe, who’s single, works 10 hours a week at a minimum wage job, is pregnant, has an 8-year-old daughter, and rents an apartment. No applications were actually submitted. States Progress The changes we found over the last four years gave us both cause to cel ebrate and reason for concern. On the plus side, there’s momentum toward bringing more benefit applications online, integrating benefit applica tions, and making benefit applications mobile-responsive. n 77 percent of programs across states (we looked at SNAP, MAGI Medicaid, TANF, WIC, and child care assis tance) have online applications, up from 64 percent in 2019 n 44 new or wholly revamped online benefit applications launched since 2019 n 34 states offer integrated appli cations of three or more benefit applications, which let clients fill out applications without having to repeat information or submit the same documents to multiple agencies, and raise awareness of other benefit programs n Among the applications that Toward Improving Digital Enrollment

In general, we’re seeing a shift toward new design systems and

their identity using knowledge based verification (KBV) in at least one benefits application, asking questions about their personal and credit history. This is a 75 percent increase since 2019. In some cases, applicants are blocked from even seeing the applications until they get past KBV, and can’t use the online application if they incor rectly answer questions irrelevant to their eligibility. This approach to identity proofing creates unneces sary barriers 5 to applying for benefit registration. While this may not seem like a major hurdle at first, requiring registration before filling out an application forces clients to complete a series of actions that often stops them from continuing. We recommend that states clearly explain the advantages of account creation, but also offer a guest pathway that doesn’t require regis tration to submit the application. n Offering quality translations of benefits enrollment websites into languages other than English remains an area for improve ment. Though about half of online benefits applications are avail able in Spanish, many are done programs when states can use other approaches for identity verification. 6 n Similarly, nearly 70 percent of applications require account

patterns that make benefit enrollment a simpler and faster process—though this progress is uneven. Testing current applications and improvements with applicants will reduce the likelihood of questions being misunderstood, abandoned applications, and extra follow up needed by caseworkers. A few examples of states that have taken practical steps to improve the benefit enrollment experience include: n Mississippi and Massachusetts offer inspiration on easy front doors to begin applications n Michigan and Kentucky use clear design patterns to make inputting information a breeze n Washington, DC offers a compre hensive self-service portal so clients can upload documents, complete renewals, read notices, report changes, and check payments n Oregon integrated major programs by bringing together Medicaid, SNAP, TANF, and child care into a single application that takes as little as 15 minutes New Trends Make Enrollment Difficult for Clients Despite the trend toward more human-centered enrollment experi ences, we noticed several persistent and growing challenges for applicants. n Nearly 50 percent of states now require or nudge people to verify

are online, 69 percent were mobile-responsive, up from 43 percent in 2019

See Code for America on page 45

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