jasmineteoyy / unitedwaysofca

Project: Outsmarting the barriers for accessing the safety-net

California offers many social benefits to assist state residents in need, but agencies are not equipped for digital applications, and the state government has not historically encouraged easing the application process. This creates an environment where different state programs have their own individual application, rather than a comprehensive universal application for all eligible benefits. Applications are additionally complicated if applicants do not possess a Social Security number, or if the applicant is not a US citizen, but his or her children are. This poses significant barriers to receiving benefits that many people in fact qualify for and is a formidable challenge that different groups have tried to solve.

The project intends to build on those efforts to improve participation of eligible California residents in Medi-Cal and CalFresh through new technology. The initial focus centers on these two aid programs as they have the largest overall impact, and required documentation between the two also largely overlap.

The objective is to make the application process as simple and accessible as possible to help increase the number of people claiming existing benefits. To do this, the project’s first step is the development of a web platform that can serve as a universal portal where users upload photos of required documents, which are processed to read as much of the necessary information for the application as possible to minimize user data entry. The platform then seamlessly submits the individual applications to their respective state agencies, rather than requiring the user to make separate submissions of the same information. Personal information and documents are then discarded after 30 days (the allowed window for updates/changes to applications) so no personal information is stored long term.

Fall 2020 is designing and building the web platform by focusing on its security features, image processing, and document verification. For accessibility on as many devices as possible, the team chose to build the portal as a web application on Django and is preparing for an initial test phase for bug/feature testing and to solicit feedback.