However, we should take care not to lose sight of the fact that 44 states currently operate integrated eligibility systems for multiple family benefit programs. And these programs, such as food and childcare assistance, as well as the children and families they serve, can benefit greatly from the technological innovations that the ACA is driving forward. Last year I blogged about a new state collaborative – Work Support Strategies – funded by the Ford Foundation with additional support from the Open Society Foundations and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. It is directed by our friends at the Urban Institute in partnership with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. At the time, eight states had just been awarded $250,000 in grants to create a plan for applying many of the goals of the ACA – technology-enabled, data-driven eligibility and enrollment and guided by a new vision for customer service – to help low-income families access family supports that help them stay in the workforce as they strive to climb the economic ladder.
A few weeks ago, following a year of planning and an implementation grant round, six states – Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, North Carolina, Rhode Island and South Carolina – were awarded three-year grants, averaging $460,000 per year, to put their plan to work. As the press releaseannouncing the grants articulates…these states, and the counties that are partnering with them, are eager for “more efficient and effective ways to serve the large and growing need in their communities” as they contend with greatly diminished resources.
Taking advantage of new technology, simpler policies, and business processes that trim unneeded steps, states aim to modernize old, paper-heavy procedures, improve the customer experience, and reduce state worker burden. State interest in streamlining and program integration is also spurred by the increased need to connect more people with Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
As a member of the National Advisory Committee for Work Support Strategies, I feel privileged to have an opportunity to watch the creativity and enthusiasm these grantees bring to the task at hand. I am particularly fond of the way North Carolina has framed their vision – “families will tell their story once” and get the benefits they need. Each of these states has taken on the tremendous challenge of re-engineering how services are delivered in coordination with the significant demands of the ACA.
Congratulations to the state teams for their foresight and perseverance. For more information on the Work Support Strategies: Streamlining Access, Strengthening Families Initiative, click here. If you’d like to hear directly about the project, there’s an opportunity next Tuesday, June 5th to attend a forum at the Urban Institute, in Washington, DC, in person or virtually by webcast, click here.
