Digital Benefits Network

❄️Digital Benefits in the News makes it easy to stay up to date! Read the December news 📰 https://lnkd.in/gicAU7hX Catch up on latest digital benefits news: 📢 Call for Digital Government Hub Submissions 🇺🇲 Federal Transition Memos 🤖 AI Research & Policy

Save the date for the first official meeting of the DBN’s Digital Identity Community of Practice! Community members will meet virtually on January 30 at 3 PM ET/12 PM PT for an interactive session focused on making connections and discussing priority topics determined by the community. Members will receive registration information in their inboxes. Not a member yet? Join the community today! https://lnkd.in/gp_sbQ4v

❄️ Out now: The December Digital Benefits Digest! https://lnkd.in/g6JhnnVn 🎁 Help us grow amazing content on the Digital Government Hub + share Hub feedback 🪪 Digital Identity dataset refresh + first Community of Practice meeting Wishing you a warm holiday season!

In updating our “Digital Identity Dataset” we found multiple states have made more benefits programs available online since 2023! Check out the dataset + our analysis to learn more! beeckcenter.org/ID

Join the DBN and our partners NIST and CDT for our next virtual Office Hours session for our project, Digital Identity in Public Benefits Delivery, next Tuesday 12/10 from 4-5pm eastern! (https://lnkd.in/g3x7Vxf5)  RSVP via Zoom today!  https://lnkd.in/gqYp7CTV This project is focused on building voluntary resources to help state benefits agencies evaluate when and how to use identity proofing and authentication, focusing on integrated applications that include SNAP + Medicaid. Drop in to: - Get a sneak peek at our first project deliverable, an introduction to identity management in public benefits - Hear an update on the public comments NIST received on the second public draft of their digital identity guidelines, 800-63-4 - Ask general questions about the project or identity management for benefits! See you next week!

So excited to share that after months of work, we've released our updated open dataset tracking account creation and identity proofing in public benefits applications! http://beeckcenter.org/ID The way state agencies structure online account creation processes and requirements for applicants and beneficiaries to prove who they are may impact whether and how quickly individuals can apply for and start receiving benefits. This project aims to help the broad ecosystem of peer states, federal agencies, advocates, academics, and civic tech organizations identify states that are taking unique, unusual, or potentially promising approaches, and track opportunities for improvements. Getting this project across the finish line was a team effort--a huge thank you to our student analysts Isabelle Granger Anvitha Reddy Miranda Xiong and Olivia Zhao who spent hours on data collection, analysis, and data visualizations for this project! And a shout out to Ariel Kennan for her continued guidance on this work. Now, we want to hear from you--if you have questions about what we found, feedback about the project, or ideas for further extending our analysis, get in touch!

The Digital Benefits Network is thrilled to announce the release of our fully updated Digital Identity Dataset! Like the 2023 edition, our 2024 updated dataset documents account creation and identity proofing practices across 150+ SNAP, TANF, WIC, MAGI Medicaid, Child Care, and unemployment insurance online applications nationally. Explore the dataset + our analysis: beeckcenter.org/ID How state agencies structure online account creation processes and requirements for applicants and beneficiaries to prove their identities may impact access to essential public benefits, and shape how quickly individuals can apply for and start receiving those benefits. Our dataset tracks where states are taking unique, unusual, or potentially promising approaches and identifies opportunities for ecosystem-level improvements. Key takeaways:  -Several states made more benefits programs applications available online -We found slightly more applications requiring identity proofing in 2024 -We saw similar numbers of applications requiring applicants to create an account in 2024 vs 2023, but more applications are offering optional account creation -We’re also tracking several new data points, including password recovery options, help pathways, and use of document uploaders.

Our Nava Labs team recently participated in the #Policy2Code Prototyping Challenge, which sought to “test how generative artificial intelligence (#AI) technology can be used to translate government policies for U.S. public benefits programs into plain language and software code.” At a Policy2Code #DemoDay, team members Ryan Hansz and Kevin Boyer presented our work prototyping an assistive chatbot that helps caseworkers and call-center specialists by responding to their program and policy questions while they help clients complete eligibility screenings and applications. It was inspiring to see the other teams’ presentations as well! So many organizations are working on interesting projects. This demo day was part of the Digital Benefits Network’s Digital Benefits Conference (#BenCon2024), hosted by Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University. Our team continues to share its work. Sign up for our email newsletter to hear about our next Nava-hosted demo day! https://lnkd.in/ePkVtzGM

We were honored to host Michigan's Unemployment Insurance Director Julia Dale on the main stage at BenCon!

❄️ Help us grow amazing content on the Digital Government Hub on #GivingTuesday ❄️ https://lnkd.in/g5kgmDks It’s even easier for you to submit content, with a new bulk-upload option. Thank you for helping grow our library with public-facing reports, tools, videos, and more!