Keeping SNAP & Medicaid: blockers, how people respond & other ideas, starting with low-cost ones first
What stakeholders shared
"Some of my colleagues text families from their personal phones, thirty days out. It's not sustainable, but it works."
Eligibility worker, front line
Keeping SNAP & Medicaid · A fictional example
people.to.policy
Where roles overlap and where they gap
| What people raised | Raised by |
|---|---|
| Notices don't reach families who moved | All rolesClientFront lineOperationsLeadership |
| The office closes before the last bus gets there | One role onlyClient |
| SNAP and Medicaid renewals land in different months for the same family | Two rolesClientFront line |
| What works in some counties isn't shared | Two rolesOperationsLeadership |
| A faster process Two roles, two meanings.Client: fewer trips and less time off work.Leadership: less time from application to decision. | Different meaningsClientLeadership |
| How success is counted: paperwork, not benefits kept | OperationsLeadership |
Also named, not ranked: The portal times out before an upload finishes · forms not in enough languages · deadlines too short for families working multiple jobs.
Each role is a category that can include many people. Client means the people the service is for. Findings stay inside each role and are never pooled across them.
For your team to talk through:
Where do the gaps matter most? Who is missing from this table?
Where do the gaps matter most? Who is missing from this table?
Keeping SNAP & Medicaid · A fictional example
people.to.policy
A blocker + an idea to test
Blocker
Families miss renewal deadlines because notices don't reach them
What people shared
Automated text reminders at 60 and 90 days before each renewal, SNAP and Medicaid both. ("The technology exists. We just aren't using it.")
A small test to try
Who
One county
Does what
Uses text reminders
By when
Next renewal cycle
We measure
If more families keep both benefits on time
Test quickly & cheaply. Make it easy to undo, if needed.
Keeping SNAP & Medicaid · A fictional example
people.to.policy
A blocker + an idea to test
Blocker
What works in some counties is not shared with others
What people shared
A short field in the quarterly report where counties note what they changed, so good practices can spread.
A small test to try
Who
A few counties
Does what
Record what they changed each quarter
By when
Next quarter
We measure
If good practices spread to more counties by asking them to share back before the next quarterly report
Test quickly & cheaply. Make it easy to undo, if needed.
Keeping SNAP & Medicaid · A fictional example
people.to.policy
A blocker + an idea to test
Blocker
The same family renews SNAP and Medicaid in different months
What people shared
Line up the two renewal dates for one household, so one packet covers both. ("Families think they already renewed. They did, for the other program.")
A small test to try
Who
One county
Does what
Aligns the two dates at the next renewal
By when
Next cycle
We measure
If fewer families lose one benefit while keeping the other
Test quickly & cheaply. Make it easy to undo, if needed.
Keeping SNAP & Medicaid · A fictional example
people.to.policy
How success gets counted
What people named on their own
Success is counted by paperwork done, not benefits kept
A small test to try
Who
The state team
Does what
Reports benefits kept at 90 days
By when
Next cycle
We measure
Whether families keep both benefits, not just re-file
Raised by Operations & Leadership
Keeping SNAP & Medicaid · A fictional example
people.to.policy
What people added
They brought it up.
Client
"Nobody told me the two renewals were separate. I thought I had already done it."
Front line
"The letters are hard to follow even for people who speak the language."
Operations
"Families who never start a renewal are invisible in the metric."
Leadership
"The workers are trying hard in a system that hasn't kept up. That's what gets lost in the state numbers."
For your team to talk through:
Where do these point you?
Where do these point you?
Keeping SNAP & Medicaid · A fictional example
people.to.policy
Where to start
Pick one idea. Test it small. Keep what works.
For your team to talk through:
Which of these is worth a small test?
Who else would need to be in the room?
What would you most want to learn first?
Which of these is worth a small test?
Who else would need to be in the room?
What would you most want to learn first?
Everything people shared (blockers, how people respond & other ideas) is in the spreadsheet. Ready to work through it with your team?
Keeping SNAP & Medicaid · A fictional example
people.to.policy