Work Support Strategies learned from the experiences of its demonstration states, with the goal of informing broader state and federal policies. This information is disseminated through reports, briefs, fact sheets, and webinars. Many of these resources are below.  For additional resources, visit CLASP, Urban Institute, and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Improving Access, Cutting Red Tape: State Lessons from Work Support Strategies | Elizabeth Lower-Basch

This article, originally published in the April 2017 issues of APHSA’s Policy and Practice magazine, draws on the lessons learned from the Work Support Strategies initiative that helped states improve access to benefits while reducing the burden of the bureaucratic processes.

Work Support Strategies in Idaho: Reflections from Governor Butch Otter 

Governor Otter shares his reflections on the successes of the Work Support Strategies initiative in Idaho. Governor Otter says, “The results were significant and have set an important foundation for continued improvements to our programs and administration as we serve and support Idaho families.”

Report: States Have Flexibility Needed to Improve Efficiency, Access to Work Support | Carrie Welton

As the public debates key work supports like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Work Support Strategies’ (WSS) final evaluation report provides crucial evidence about what works and what doesn’t to support low-income people. WSS was a multi-year, foundation-funded initiative providing states financial support and technical assistance to reform their delivery of public benefits. The report finds that the six states participating in WSS substantially improved eligible children’s and parents’ participation in safety net programs, as well as dramatically reduced the time it takes to deliver benefits. Moreover, states accomplished these goals without spending more money on administrative costs or increasing errors; rather, they used existing flexibility within the programs, proving that block grants aren’t needed to achieve these striking results.

Improving the Efficiency of Benefit Delivery | Julia B. Isaacs, Michael Katz, Ria Amin

Millions of working parents qualify for food, medical, and child care assistance that can help them support their families. However, accessing these supports can be difficult or confusing. Six states participated in the Work Support Strategies initiative to help modernize and streamline state benefit delivery systems so low-income families can get and keep the full package of work supports for which they are eligible. This final report finds that states made progress in delivering benefits faster, reducing client wait times and paperwork, reducing unnecessary gaps in service, and increasing the number of eligible families who received multiple benefits.

Five recent improvements to help families access work support benefits | Julia B. Isaacs and Heather Hahn

The Urban Institute highlights what six states accomplished under the Work Support Strategies initiative, a foundation-funded effort to streamline state benefit delivery systems so low-income families can get and keep the full package of work supports for which they are eligible. After the five years of the initiative, states delivered benefits faster; reduced wait times, paperwork, and unnecessary gaps in service; and increased the number of eligible families who received multiple benefits.

Modernizing Benefit Systems: Opportunities and Challenges | Elizabeth Lower-Basch

In the name of “modernization,” state agencies across the country are instituting broad-ranging system changes in the way public benefits are delivered. At their best, modernized systems can save clients trips to the welfare office, avoid the need to tell their stories and provide the same documentation over and over to multiple caseworkers, and even result in same-day approval of benefits.  But, too often, these changes have resulted in lost documents, faulty notices, delays in issuing benefits, and improper denials and terminations.  Advocates can play an important role in ensuring that modernization lives up to its promise of making sure that clients get the benefits they’re eligible for, instead of creating access barriers.  Elizabeth Lower-Basch shared her experiences with strategies to engage with modernization, from up-front involvement in the procurement of new systems and business processredesign,to factfinding, media outreach, and litigation.  

Streamlining Access, Strengthening Families | Heather Hahn

Through grants, expert technical assistance, and peer learning, the WSS initiative helped Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and South Carolina reform, modernize, align, and integrate the systems delivering work support programs to increase families’ well-being and stability. This brief summarizes the changes the states made, the outcomes of those changes, and what we learned from their experiences. 

Changes in Joint Medicaid/CHIP and SNAP Participation Rates, 2011 to 2013 | Pamela Loprest, Victoria Lynch, Laura Wheaton

This brief examines changes over time in the joint participation rate—the extent to which individuals who are eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and public health insurance coverage (Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program) receive both. These findings demonstrate states can implement changes to improve access to the both SNAP and Medicaid. 

12 Lessons on Program Integration and Innovation | Cemeré James

This paper distils 12 key lessons from WSS to inform leaders and advocates in states, counties, and cities that face similar challenges. These lessons are gleaned from the reflections of participating states—from agency leaders to local office staff—as well as the organizations that provided technical assistance, coaching, and evaluation. 

Urban Wire: Modernizing How Public Agencies Deliver Work Support Benefits | Julia B. Isaacs

Applying for Medicaid, child care assistance, or other work supports can be burdensome. Clients often have to wait in long lines, show the same documentation to different caseworkers, and make follow-up visits to access and keep the benefits for which they are eligible. What can states do to improve the delivery of work support benefits? How can public agencies modernize their technology systems, program policies, and business processes to better serve working families?

Context on the Six Work Support Strategies States | Heather Hahn, Julia B. Isaacs, Monica Rohacek

The six states engaged in the Work Support Strategies (WSS) initiative are diverse in many dimensions. This brief provides information on each state as context for WSS evaluation publications. Specifically, this brief summarizes each WSS state’s reasons for joining the initiative, administrative structure for delivering work supports, political governance during the initiative, and organization of the initiative within the state.  

Changing Policies to Streamline Access to Medicaid, SNAP, and Child Care Assistance | Julia B. Isaacs, Michael Katz, David Kassabian

Through both kinds of policy changes—within and across programs— states sought to improve access to benefits and retention of benefits once eligible. Streamlined and aligned policies reduce administrative burdens and benefit both clients and workers

States’ Use of Technology to Improve Delivery of Benefits | Pamela Loprest, Maeve Gearing, David Kassabian

This report provides findings on the experiences of six states involved in WSS in changing their technological systems to improve and integrate the delivery of work supports, including food assistance, medical assistance, and child care subsidies.

Improving Business Processes for Delivering Work Supports for Low-Income Families | Heather Hahn, Ria Amin, David Kassabian, Maeve Gearing

In delivering work supports to low-income families, “business process” refers to how a social service office organizes the work of greeting customers, accepting applications, making eligibility determinations, and all other aspects of helping individuals and families access and retain the supports for which they are eligible. Like other large public and private organizations, social service offices sometimes experience challenges with inefficient processes that use outdated technology, create unnecessary burdens, and do not work effectively for staff or families. This report examines the efforts of six states to address this challenge.

Opportunities for States to Coordinate Medicaid and SNAP Renewals | Jennifer Wagner and Alicia Huguelet

Through interviews and site visits with agencies administering these programs, we have identified four major strategies states can use, alone or in combination, to improve integration, streamline operations, and help eligible families keep their benefits at renewal.

Remote Identity Proofing: Impacts on Access to Health Insurance | Terri Shaw and Shelby Gonzales 

Most people seeking to apply online for affordable health coverage programs — Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and private health plans through the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) Marketplaces — must complete a remote identity proofing (RIDP) process before submitting their application online.  This report explains the rationale for RIDP, examines the problems it can cause for some applicants, and recommends ways to address them.

WSS Webinar: State Innovations in Horizontal Integration

On this WSS webinar, state and national experts discussed state innovations in integrating public benefit programs such as Medicaid, SNAPand TANF. The panel discussed the role of technology in supporting integration across programs, including the areas of consumer portals, eligibility systems and business rules engines, call centers, electronic data matching, document imaging, data analytics, and mobile tools. In addition, the panel discussed common themes and success factors, such as governance, business process reengineering, cost allocation, and performance evaluation. Findings were drawn from a recent report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and Social Interest Solutions.

Please note: the webinar starts at the 0:25 second mark. 

WSS Forum: Integrating Health and Human Services Under ACA | CLASP, Urban Institute, CBPP

On September 10, CLASP hosted a public forum on integrating health and human services (including Medicaid, SNAP, and child care) under the Affordable Care Act. Moderated by Wall Street Journal reporter Louise Radnofsky, an expert panel discussed strategies to help low-income people get and keep the benefits they need to raise healthy children and advance economically. The forum, which was webcast live, is part of the Work Support Strategies initiative.

Olivia Golden Testifies on Work Incentives and the Safety Net (Joint Hearing of the House Committee on Ways and Means, Human Resources Subcommittee and the House Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition Subcommittee)

CLASP executive director Olivia Golden testified in front of a joint hearing of the House Committee on Ways and Means, Human Resources Subcommittee and the House Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition Subcommittee on June 25, 2015. Golden spoke about strengthening the safety net while ensuring employment, job quality for low-income Americans and state activities through the Work Support Strategies initiative.  

Lessons Churned: Measuring the Impact of Churn in Health and Human Services Programs on Participants and State and Local Agencies | Dottie Rosenbaum

This report examines lessons learned about churn in health and human services programs, which happens when the benefits eligibility redetermination process leaves eligible households temporarily without benefits while they reapply. It also looks at possible approaches to reducing churn.

State Innovations in Horizontal Integration: Leveraging Technology for Health and Human Services | Terri Shaw and Lucy Streett, Social Interest Solutions, in collaboration with Shelby Gonzales and Dottie Rosenbaum from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

This paper explores how states can save money, time, and improve access to means-tested programs like Medicaid and SNAP by leveraging technology. It highlights examples of technology and services innovations that states are implementing in support of integration among health and human services programs.

Joint SNAP and Medicaid/CHIP Program Eligibility and Participation in 2011 | Erika Huber, Pamela Loprest, Victoria Lynch, Laura Wheaton

More than one-third of all children were eligible for both Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid/Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) benefits in 2011. However, joint participation rates suggest that many eligibles for these programs were not participating. This report examines the possibilities of streamlining and integrating application systems that could improve program reach of families in need.

Observations of Leaders Driving Changes in State Government: Leadership Tools and Lessons from Two Work Support Strategies States | Heather Hahn, Maeve E. Gearing, Michael Katz, Ria Amin

In social and health service agencies, public officials seeking change face myriad challenges, including frequent turnover, limited funding, and lengthy legal and regulatory processes. This brief examines how state government officials in Colorado and Illinois seized opportunities, addressed challenges, and led change.

WSS Forum: Lessons on Program Integration | CLASP, Urban Institute, CBPP

This archived event webcast offers rich lessons about the path to state reform of health and human services programs in the context of the Affordable Care Act. State participants and national respondents took on the myths about unresponsive state and federal bureaucracies and misperceptions of public programs that support work, including SNAP, Medicaid, and child care assistance.

A New Vision for Child Care | Gina Adams, Hannah Matthews

This brief is based on Confronting the Child Care Eligibility Maze: Simplifying Child Care and Aligning with Other Work Supports, an in-depth guide to the policies and practices that allow states to simplify and align child care assistance, improve service delivery for clients, and reduce administrative burden for agencies. The in-depth guide is available online at www.urban.org and clasp2022.tealmedia.dev.

Confronting the Child Care Eligibility Maze: Simplifying and Aligning With Other Work Supports | Gina Adams, Hannah Matthews

This report helps states confront burdensome administrative processes that make it difficult for low-income families to get and keep child care benefits, and the cumulative challenges eligible clients face in trying to access other benefits (i.e. SNAP/Medicaid). Through concrete policy ideas and examples from states across the country, it offers an in-depth guide to help states not only simplify childcare subsidy policies, but also to align child care policies with other work supports. With this information, states can improve service delivery for clients and staff, and reduce administrative burden.

New Perspectives on Transforming States’ Health and Human Services: Practical Commentaries on the First Year of the Work Support Strategies Initiative | Olivia Golden, Pamela J. Loprest, Gina Adams et al.

In this commentary collection, twelve authors— national, state, and county leaders along with research and policy experts—offer perspectives on lessons from the first year of Work Support Strategies (WSS). WSS is a multi-state initiative to design and test cutting-edge improvements in policy, service delivery, and technology to help low-income working families get and keep the benefits for which they are eligible. Its lessons will interest local, state, and federal officials seeking to integrate health and human services programs (Medicaid, SNAP, and child care assistance); health reform experts; and others who care about programs for low-income families.

Early Lessons from the Work Support Strategies Initiative | Jessica Compton, Brigette Courtet, Olivia Golden et al.

Nine-state specific reports and a cross-cutting report draw out the lessons from the planning phase of Work Support Strategies, providing an in-depth analysis of activities, accomplishments and insights. Each report includes lessons learned as states navigated through the planning and pilot implementation of integrating Medicaid, SNAP, child care subsidies, and other safety-net programs.

Assessing the Evidence about Work Support Benefits and Low-Income Families: Rationale for a Demonstration and Evaluation | Gregory Mills, Jessica Compton, Olivia Golden

For low-income working parents, benefits received through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Medicaid, and child care subsidies provide vital work support. Access to these programs has been restricted, however, by barriers relating to federal and state funding, program policy, and administrative process, complicating program enrollment and benefit retention. As a result, many low-income working families do not receive the multi-program benefits for which they are eligible. This paper provides a strong rationale for the Work Support Strategies demonstration, enabling selected states to design, implement, and evaluate modernization strategies to dramatically improve families’ access to a package of work support benefits.

Improving the Delivery of Key Work Supports: Policy and Practice Opportunities at a Critical Moment | Dorothy Rosenbaum, Stacy Dean

In the areas of policy, procedure, and data utilization, this report shows why coordination among work support programs is critical and how to overcome its inherent challenges. It provides a catalogue of options states can pursue and reviews some best practices. While the paper focuses primarily on how states can better coordinate Medicaid and SNAP, it also offers examples of how to include TANF, child care, and other programs in the effort. With this information as a guide, state agencies providing key critical work supports to families in need can substantially streamline and improve the way they conduct their business.

Coordinating Human Services Programs with Health Reform Implementation | January Angeles, Shelby Gonzales, Alicia Koné

Human services programs—the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, etc.—and their clients can benefit from national health reform. Applicants for health coverage can be linked to human services programs, cutting such programs’ administrative costs and improving access. Human services programs can also: (a) help Medicaid reach eligible consumers; (b) access time-limited federal funds for modernizing eligibility computer systems while protecting current funding streams; (c) keep social services offices available for health coverage applicants; and (d) use a forthcoming Medicaid expansion to accomplish core human services goals related to employment and child development.

State and Federal Policy Choices: How Human Services Programs and Their Clients Can Benefit from National Health Reform | Stan Dorn

Human services programs—the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, etc.—and their clients can benefit from national health reform. Applicants for health coverage can be linked to human services programs, cutting such programs’ administrative costs and improving access. Human services programs can also: (a) help Medicaid reach eligible consumers; (b) access time-limited federal funds for modernizing eligibility computer systems while protecting current funding streams; (c) keep social services offices available for health coverage applicants; and (d) use a forthcoming Medicaid expansion to accomplish core human services goals related to employment and child development.

How Human Services Programs and Their Clients Can Benefit from National Health Reform Legislation | Stan Dorn

Human services programs—the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, subsidized child care, etc.—and their clients can benefit from national health reform. Millions of low-income health coverage applicants can be connected with human services programs, as the latter programs: (a) help health programs efficiently reach eligible consumers; (b) access unprecedented, time-limited federal funding for modernizing eligibility computer systems while limiting risks to current funding; (c) keep social services offices available as an avenue for seeking health coverage; and (d) use a forthcoming Medicaid expansion to accomplish core human services goals related to employment and child development.

Policies and Practices that Promote Continuity of Child Care Services and Enhance Subsidy Systems | Office of Child Care, Administration for Children and Families

This Information Memorandum provides guidance to encourage Lead Agencies to adopt policies that promote continuity of child care services for the benefit of children and families.

Designing Subsidy Systems to Meet the Needs of Families | Gina Adams, Kathleen Snyder, Patti Banghart

Many state and local child care subsidy agencies have been redesigning their policies to better meet the needs of the families they serve, and to create more efficient and fiscally responsible systems. These strategies reflect states’ growing understanding of the dynamic nature of low-income families’ lives and of the challenges they face as they move toward stable employment. This report synthesizes findings from various research projects conducted by the Urban Institute (and other organizations), and lays out a range of policy strategies states are implementing to support eligible families in accessing and retaining child care subsidies.