‘Service blueprints’ for SNAP, Medicaid can help states protect eligible beneficiaries, says Code For America
The civic tech nonprofit Code for America on Wednesday published two diagrams designed to protect Americans’ access to safety net benefits.
The diagrams, which the group calls “service blueprints,” visualize the many-stepped processes involved in applying for and processing benefits eligibility through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid.
According to a press release, the blueprints, each of which contain dozens of colorful squares illustrating the roles and responsibilities of various parties in the application processes, are designed to assist states in supporting the programs. The group says it wants as many eligible recipients as possible to continue to receive service in the face of new federal requirements on work reporting.
The group says it developed the diagrams based on interviews with case workers.
“The Trump Administration’s expansion of work reporting requirements jeopardizes access to critical benefits for people who are doing everything right but still need support to feed their families and access life-saving healthcare,” Amanda Renteria, Code for America’s chief executive, said in the press release. “Through these new tools, Code for America is demonstrating our commitment to support states through this period of uncertainty and take the necessary steps to prepare for these changes.”
Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which passed last July, creates new work requirements for some benefits recipients. While some Republicans have said the changes will improve employment numbers, but critics of the change worry that it will repeal health insurance and food assistance from eligible Americans.
In conjunction with the diagrams, Code for America also issued several recommendations to state agencies involved in the administration of safety net benefits, such as “proactively identifying who needs to report work requirements and offer[ing] dedicated help using plain language,” and “streamlining the reporting process for qualifying activities during application and recertification as well as “good cause” for not meeting requirements.”
The work is the latest from the nonprofit’s Safety Net Innovation Lab, which in past years has worked with states to develop tools designed to boost participation in SNAP and Medicaid.
