Policy & Practice | Fall 2025

Tracing the Origins of an Overburdened Workforce Evolving requirements and complex policies. The human services workforce operates within a complex and ever-changing landscape of regula tions and funding constraints. Shifting policies around eligibility, verifica tion, and reporting requirements, and nuanced differences across programs add layers of complexity that require extensive training and experience to master. Combined with high turnover rates and staff shortages, this means the level of expertise needed to effec tively and accurately manage these complex programs and interactions is often lacking. Expectations to do more without additional resources. Agencies face mounting pressure to improve efficiency in light of constrained resources. They are tasked with tackling service backlogs, meeting tighter benefits-processing timelines, and achieving increasing accuracy targets to deliver error-free operations. At the same time, they are expected to provide a better experience for appli cants and beneficiaries while adapting to new requirements and policies, without additional resources. This intensifies the strain on agencies and their workforce. Outdated and inflexible technology. Legacy systems often neg atively impact operational efficiency and collaboration, making it difficult to share information, modernize services, and deliver a seamless experience for both caseworkers and citizens. These outdated systems hinder case workers’ ability to perform effectively, contributing to frustration and high turnover. This can be particularly true among younger hires accustomed to the modern user experience provided

in new technologies. Despite the increasing need for digital transforma tion, funding constraints often leave agencies reliant on systems built for a bygone era, which impacts their ability to adapt to the demands of societal or legislative change. Recruitment and retention struggles. An aging workforce, high vacancy rates, long onboarding processes, and employee burnout dominate the human services work force landscape of today. Agency staff are being further impacted by ongoing, major policy changes. Multiyear initiatives with compressed timelines, like H.R. 1. and Medicaid Unwinding, are exacerbating burnout and driving increased turnover. As a result, agencies face a shortage of experienced caseworkers, even as demand for services continues to rise. Shifting Gears: Innovations Driving Workforce Efficiencies In light of these challenges, states and government agencies are implementing creative and resourceful strategies to strengthen their workforce. Leading to Improved Outcomes Modernization of systems must work hand-in-hand with transforma tion of business processes to deliver meaningful outcomes. Organizations cannot unlock real value with their modernization investments by simply digitizing existing workflows. This practice, often referred to as “paving the cow path,” ends up preserving rather than improving outdated processes. Instead, agency leaders are seeking to reevaluate their key workflows and leverage technology to create new, high-value processes that improve outcomes across program operations. These end-to-end digital services empower residents to engage in no- or low-touch applications, auto renewals, and self-service inquiry workflows independently, with minimal case worker intervention. This offloads routine work from caseworkers and improves the user experience for case workers and citizens alike. Modernization and Transformation Initiatives

A smarter user experience boosts productivity. One Midwestern state’s Department of Social Services reimagined its legacy systems and pro cesses. By reengineering workflows, enabling self-service, and integrating major benefits programs under a new, modern platform, the agency signifi cantly reduced Medicaid processing times and call center wait times. The modernization and transformation investment not only made it easier and more efficient to do business with the department, but the improved user experience was also a key factor in lowering staff turnover and recruiting new caseworkers. Phased automation for quick wins. The Minnesota Department of Human Services demonstrated that full system replacement isn’t always necessary to achieve automation gains. Through iterative policy changes, process redesign, and optimization of their existing modern system, Minnesota improved its Medicaid auto-renewal rate from 17 percent to 80 percent, saving more than $1 million on a single unwinding cohort. 4 Accessibility as a workforce mul tiplier. Inclusivity is an important consideration of modernization. Accessibility features such as screen reader compatibility, enlarged text, and intuitive navigation, not only improve usability for all but also expand the potential talent pool by supporting diverse worker populations. Leaders should keep in mind that accessibility should be built into modernization efforts from the outset as retrofitting can be challenging and costly. 5 Automation Efficiencies with Technologies Such as AI Modern technologies are allowing agencies to streamline operations, save time, and redirect focus to high value tasks. For example, no-touch application processing drives effi ciencies that free-up staff to manage complex caseloads, easing some of the operational pressure created by work force shortages. Artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a powerful tool to assist staff, enhance decision making, improve user experience, and elevate overall program delivery. However,

Walt Sedlazek is the Product Strategy Manager at Cúram.

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Policy & Practice Fall 2025