Charge: Improve low-income working individuals and families’ access to work support bnefits through technological enhancements of existing screening and eligibility tools.

Recommendations:

3 months
Identify current state, local, and private sector technology practices that support expedited access to and accurate applications for work support benefits. (See Appendix E for a list of current technology practices.)

6-9 months
Develop targeted outreach strategies for MA recipients not receiving FS:
In conjunction with implementation of myBenefits in twelve Upstate pilot districts, letters will be sent to potentially eligible households, encouraging them to use the online prescreening tool and to contact a community partner to apply online for FS benefits.

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6-9 months
Develop joint application strategies:
OTDA and DOH will develop either a joint, simplified application from or short supplements to the separate MA and FS applications, to streamline the application process for low-income households. The application supplements oculd be a single sheet to be enclosed in targeted outreach to households identified in the FS/MA cross-matches.

12 months+
Develop joint electronic applications:
OTDA and DOH will partner to develop and deploy a public internet application that allows households to apply for both FS and MA benefits. This joint e-app could be hosted as an extension of the myBenifits FS e-app.

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12 months+
Expand auto-enrollment opportunities:
Building on the work of the Children’s Cabinet Advisory Group, use interagency data sharing to auto-enroll eligible families in FS and MA. This initiative would be predicted on secureing requisite authority for data-sharing, federal oversight agencies’ programs’ eligibility requirements.

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