Policy & Practice | Fall 2026

TODAY’S EXPERTISE FOR TOMORROW’S SOLUTIONS

www.aphsa.org

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Vol. 84, No. 3 Fall 2026

departments

features

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4 From Our Partners

Permission, Not Paperwork: Rewiring Eligibility Verification for the People Human Services Serves

6 From Our Partners

Leveraging Verification to Create the Future of Benefits Eligibility: Why Purpose-Built Verification Is the Foundation for Modernizing Human Services Administration

Strengthening SNAP Performance Today Building the Foundation for Modernization

The Human Side of Human Services Modernization How Human Services Leaders Can Strengthen Adoption, Trust, and Performance by Advancing Workforce Enablement and Agentic AI Together

8 Partnering for Impact

Building the Bridge: How Community Pathways and Modern Technology Can Advance FFPSA Goals

10 Partnering for Impact

Breaking Down Silos: How Data SAIL Is Building More Connected, Customer-Centered Services

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12 AI in Focus

Laying the Groundwork for AI Involvement: Why Data Governance Is the Ultimate Prerequisite

14 AI in Focus

A New Path Forward for Eligibility Modernization: How AI-Assisted Development, Applied with Deep Expertise, Can Make Modular Modernization a Reality

From Modular Build to Enterprise Stewardship Operating New Mexico’s Modern Health and Human Services Ecosystem

Fighting Fraud Through System Design What Wyoming’s Experience Reveals About the Future of Child Care Program Integrity

36 The Human in Human Services Back to the Future: Bridging the Technology Gap for Returning Citizens

38 Technology Speaks

Modernizing in Place: Building an Intelligence Layer Around Human Services Systems

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40 Technology Speaks

Unlocking the Unstructured: How Narrative Analytics Is Completing the Promise of Data-Driven Child Welfare

42 Association News

Honoring the 2026 EMWB Impact Award Winners

Getting CCWIS Across the Finish Line What Successful States Did Right

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Fall 2026 Policy & Practice