Human Services
How to seamlessly integrate AI into state HHS systems
COMMENTARY | The technology offers great rewards in this area of state government, but also presents great risks. Agencies must adopt it thoughtfully to avoid those pitfalls.
California rolls out AI-powered ID verification for benefits
The state’s Employment Development Department now evaluates an applicant’s device and whether their IP address is domestic or foreign, all part of analyzing different signs of risk.
Inside the Secret Service hunt for skimmers as outdated SNAP cards let thieves steal millions
The government still uses 1970s-era technology to deliver SNAP, leaving beneficiaries vulnerable to transnational crime rings that have taken hundreds of millions of dollars in benefits in recent years.
Maryland officials approve 'tap and go' EBT cards for public benefits
The electronic benefit transfer cards aim to reduce theft from programs that serve almost 1 million in the state.
The key to improving SNAP delivery is data
COMMENTARY | Data sharing can help identify potentially eligible individuals, ease the income verification process and even reduce fraud.
Congress averts a shutdown, setting up a lame duck fight in December
A stopgap funding bill is heading to Biden's desk as Congress staves off a pre-election shutdown.
Bipartisan deal looks to punt shutdown threat into December
States and cities don't need to fear federal worker furloughs in the near future.
Impasse on SNAP benefits holds up farm bill
The current law expires at the end of September. Congress appears likely to extend the 2018 farm bill again.
Don’t pull the plug on internet access for 23M families
COMMENTARY | No family should be forced to choose between one essential and another. And they don’t have to, as long as Congress acts to renew the Affordable Connectivity Program.
WIC program on pace to fall $1B short, says agriculture secretary
Unless Congress budgets more, the program will run out of money in mid-August, forcing states to waitlist those seeking help.
Featured eBooks
No wrong doors: Making benefits easier to access
When applying for benefits is too hard, families don’t get the support they need. Learning how users actually work through submitting an online application underscores how important user-centered design is to a program’s success.
Senate passes stopgap measure to avert government shutdown
The chamber approved the same “laddered” spending bill as the House in a 87-11 bipartisan vote.
Shutdown appears averted as House passes ‘laddered’ proposal
The continuing resolution extends SNAP through September, ensures other benefit programs are funded into early 2024 and avoids millions of workers being furloughed.
Not all states will go off the child care cliff
The end of federal child care subsidies will impact states differently depending on how they used the money and if they plan to spend their own.
Why this shutdown could be even more significant for states and localities
Not all states, cities and counties are the same when it comes to shutdowns, but some places will feel it more acutely than others.
Funding for WIC food assistance remains uncertain amid budget fight
As food costs increase, more women than expected have been signing up for the program. Without increased funding, states may have to turn women and their children away.
Low-income water assistance program set to end
Advocates are pushing to extend the program as poverty rates in the U.S. are on rise, an increase attributed to the end of other expanded pandemic benefits for food, rent and unemployment.
States will soon be required to track post-welfare employment outcomes
The new rule, part of the debt deal struck in June, is a bipartisan effort by Congress to improve welfare assistance and lift recipients out of poverty.
Crunch time in Congress could hit state and local programs
The legislative logjam on Capitol Hill is backing up everything from child care to disaster funding. Plus, more news to use from around the country in this week's State and Local Roundup.
Cities struggle to solve the public restroom problem
There's a lack of public restrooms in U.S., which particularly affects the homeless. New policies and portable toilet models are helping to address the shortage.
