Frontline caseworkers need the right tools to implement federal rule changes, civic tech leader says

It’s crunch time for state governments looking to save costs in administering the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, for which the federal government will reduce its cost-sharing contribution from 50% to 25% in October. The program’s new cost share adds another layer of administrative burden for governments, and a civic tech nonprofit has released a suite of open-source tools that aim to help state and local caseworkers address such pain points.  

Under President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” that was passed last year, assistive programs like SNAP are subject to new eligibility rules, including work requirements. The bill also stipulates that states must increase their share of administrative costs for SNAP by 25% beginning in October. The sweeping changes to SNAP could collectively cost states $15 billion annually, according to the Federal Funds Information for States. 

States are implementing diverse strategies to offset some of the additional costs they will be incurring due to the federal rule changes. Several states, like Maryland and Virginia, have been rolling out electronic benefit transfer cards with chip-enabled technology aimed at mitigating benefit theft. 

Connecticut is pouring $8.5 million from its Federal Cuts Response Fund to offer residents one-time $300 grocery assistance cards, state officials announced in June. The cards are being sent to people who have recently lost their SNAP coverage due to the program’s new federal work requirements. Nevada launched a data analytics program in April designed to catch erroneous SNAP payments, which saved the state more than $300,000 in its first two months of operation.   

But behind those solutions are frontline caseworkers who manage the day-to-day operations that enable such changes to occur, said Genevieve Gaudet, director of Nava Labs, a division of the public benefit corporation Nava.

It is crucial for state and local agencies and community organizations to ensure caseworkers, benefit navigators and other staff have the resources and tools to do their work, particularly as social workers report high levels of burnout and the public sector continues to grapple with workforce shortages, she explained.

That’s why Nava Labs recently released a digital toolkit that offers users a range of tools aimed at simplifying benefit-related operations, like application processing and document verification. 

“At the highest level, all of these tools are designed to … help the helpers help the people in that last mile of the safety net navigate these services,” Gaudet said. 

The resource includes an open-source suite of four tools for state and local caseworkers involved with the administration and eligibility determination of benefit programs like SNAP, Gaudet said. 

The toolkit includes an artificial intelligence-enabled assistant that helps automatically fill in benefit application forms based on existing client data. The form-filling assistant was piloted by the Riverside County Children and Families Commission in Riverside, California, earlier this year by 18 staff members. 

Results from the pilot underscore the objective of such efforts, which is to reduce the time it takes to connect residents with benefits while also easing administrative burden on caseworkers, Gaudet said. 

Indeed, program data shows that the form-filling assistant tool resulted in a 73% reduction in application completion times for a local assistance program. As another example, she pointed to pilot results that showed a 6% reduction in overall administrative burden for the county workers, including factors like a 10% decline in learning and compliance costs when implementing the form-filling assistant. 

The toolkit also features a referral generator that helps caseworkers search for and identify additional assistive services for clients beyond a single program they may be applying for. The generator uses AI to scan databases, websites and other relevant resources, which are then summarized into an action plan the caseworker can share with their client, Gaudet explained.

Additionally, users can access an AI-enabled chatbot through the toolkit designed to assist caseworkers in fielding client questions about their eligibility, benefit policies and other inquiries. The chatbot pulls information and quotes directly from policy documents to respond to caseworkers’ inquiries and support verification. 

The fourth resource in the toolkit is a document verification service for clients and caseworkers. The DocumentAI scanner can review forms uploaded by residents or their caseworkers to streamline and optimize the sorting and evaluation process. For instance, the tool can extract data and alert users of potential errors, like missing or blurry files, that could otherwise cause delays in the administration of benefits, Gaudet said. 

Ultimately, the Nava Labs toolkit aims to help frontline caseworkers, government agencies and community organizations “to smooth access to the safety net … and make the holes in the net way smaller than they are right now,” Gaudet said.

Editor's Note: This story was updated Sept. 11 to correct the number of staff members who piloted the form-filling assistant.