In an era where public trust hinges on the efficiency, transparency, and responsiveness of government services, agencies administering federally funded programs face a pivotal opportunity: to break down bureaucratic silos, embrace a more integrated, data-driven approach to eligibility determination – and ultimately deliver swifter access to services, with increased accuracy. Let’s take a closer look. 

The challenge: Redundancy and fragmentation

Across any given state, tens of thousands, and in some instances millions, of individuals interact with multiple government programs: Medicaid, SNAP, TANF, housing assistance, disaster recovery programs, workforce development, and more. Yet, despite serving overlapping populations, these programs often operate in isolation. Most agencies and organizations providing government services operate independently and do not share information with each other. There are legal and operational hurdles, including the need for data-sharing agreements. Additionally, agencies are procuring software vendors, designing data systems, and collecting information independently – so their tools and applications do not inherently “speak” to one other, which makes sharing information to inform decision-making challenging.

Applicants are required to submit the same documentation – proof of income, residency, household size – multiple times to different agencies. This redundancy not only burdens applicants but also strains administrative resources, with an increased administrative cost to validate eligibility criteria. Plus, there is an increased risk of errors or fraud, such as duplicating benefits: A resident may be eligible to receive housing assistance, but not necessarily simultaneously from three different agencies with uniquely funded housing assistance programs. Without integrated data and checkpoints, identifying that overlap is burdensome, and issues often go unidentified.

The opportunity: Leveraging existing eligibility determinations

Imagine a system where a family already approved for SNAP benefits is automatically considered income-eligible for housing assistance for the same period. Or where income data verified by the state workforce commission is seamlessly shared with Medicaid to expedite healthcare enrollment, and regularly refreshed according to program verification requirements. This could be an achievable reality through strategic data integration and inter-agency collaboration. 

The benefactors of cross-program eligibility integration truly span the stakeholder group, from program administrators to program applicants or recipients. 

For administrators, eliminating duplicative verifications helps create efficiencies and reduce administrative workload, application processing time, and program delivery costs. Plus, the use of previously verified data sources can drive an increase in accuracy by minimizing human error – and help detect fraud. For example, a program can use property tax assessor data to investigate why an applicant attesting to a disaster-damaged home being a primary residence has homestead exemption on another property.

Eligibility integration improves the user experience by simplifying the application process, making it more accessible and less intimidating – an improvement especially significant to the most vulnerable populations who are often the intended recipients. Additionally, for individuals seeking assistance related to disaster recovery, obtaining and submitting supporting documentation can be a substantial barrier to application if their home or business was destroyed during the disaster event; integration may help reduce that burden.

This concept can also be extended to the identification and monitoring of potential duplication of benefits (DOB) from third-party data such as FEMA, NFIP, and SBA. Integrating the third-party data with the program’s system of record provides the establishment of initial DOB, as well as tracking changes to DOB over time.

Operationalizing the opportunity

While this type of fully integrated collaboration among agencies may not be feasible in terms of costs and level of effort, an alternative or interim approach can be utilized to facilitate applicant-matching across systems. Agencies should establish program policy for eligibility determinations to rely on third-party data, where available. Program applications should include the necessary language or authorization forms to provide consent for the agency to obtain eligibility attributes or determinations from other agencies or entities. Using reporting tools and shared data points within the various data sources, applicant-matching can be facilitated with scripts that utilize, depending on which data points are available: 

• Address
• Name and co-applicant name
• Contact methods
• Latitude and longitude 

As results are obtained, system records should clearly identify eligibility criteria values and their sources. As a best practice, visibility should be available into the history of the eligibility criteria – timestamp, changes or updates, applicant-provided values compared to sourced values, etc. Once completed, the data set also can be analyzed to identify anomalies such as unreported benefits or conflicting eligibility indicators, enabling timely escalation and resolution. 

Key data sources for eligibility alignment

1. Workforce commissions: Provide verified income and employment data, crucial for programs with income thresholds.

2. SNAP and TANF systems: Offer real-time eligibility status for low-income households, which can be used as a proxy for other means-tested programs.

3. Tax assessor and property records: Validate primary residency and asset ownership, supporting housing and utility assistance programs.

4. IRS and state tax records: Offer comprehensive income data that can be used to verify eligibility across multiple benefits.

5. Education and childcare systems: Confirm school enrollment and family composition for programs like Head Start or childcare subsidies.

Implementation considerations

Position these integrations for success – and manage risk – by making sure implementation plans account for the following. 

• Data governance: To maintain public trust, establish clear protocols for data-sharing, privacy, and consent. Release of information and authorization forms should be obtained for all household members for whom eligibility attributes and determinations will be requested.
• Technology infrastructure: Invest in interoperable systems and APIs that allow secure, real-time data exchange.
• Policy alignment: Harmonize eligibility criteria and definitions across programs to facilitate integration.
• Pilot programs: Start with small-scale pilots to test interoperability and refine processes before scaling.

Integration in practice

In supporting a state’s CDBG disaster program, CohnReznick is using income data from the state workforce commission to help determine income eligibility, and tax assessor records to determine ownership and occupancy – without collecting any documentation from the applicant. Performing these “applicant matches,” CohnReznick successfully creates a “single view” of an applicant’s entire relevant electronic footprint – combining income, property tax, grant program System of Record, and FEMA, NFIP, and SBA data – to allow the program to readily identify ownership, occupancy, duplication of benefits, and program involvement/status available on one record.

A call to action

Government agencies have a unique opportunity to reimagine service delivery by leveraging the power of shared data. By aligning eligibility determinations across programs, leaders can create a more responsive, equitable, and efficient public sector – one that truly meets people where they are.