{"id":266997,"date":"2026-08-11T20:09:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T00:09:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=266997"},"modified":"2026-08-11T20:21:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T00:21:32","slug":"simplifying-the-application-process-for-public-assistance-programs-can-achieve-true-government-efficiency","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2026\/simplifying-the-application-process-for-public-assistance-programs-can-achieve-true-government-efficiency\/","title":{"rendered":"Simplifying the Application Process for Public Assistance Programs Can Achieve True Government Efficiency"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin sphnews-block-editorial-leadin is-style-default-alt has-media has-media-focus-center-middle\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2121\" height=\"1414\" src=\"\/sph\/files\/2026\/08\/SNAP-coenrollment.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"Gas City - July 22, 2025: SNAP and EBT Accepted here sign. SNAP and Food Stamps provide benefits to help the budgets of disadvantaged families.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/08\/SNAP-coenrollment.jpg 2121w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/08\/SNAP-coenrollment-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/08\/SNAP-coenrollment-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/08\/SNAP-coenrollment-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/08\/SNAP-coenrollment-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/08\/SNAP-coenrollment-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/08\/SNAP-coenrollment-755x503.jpg 755w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/08\/SNAP-coenrollment-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/08\/SNAP-coenrollment-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/08\/SNAP-coenrollment-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/08\/SNAP-coenrollment-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/08\/SNAP-coenrollment-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/08\/SNAP-coenrollment-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2121px) 100vw, 2121px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">Featured<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<strong>Simplifying the Application Process for Public Assistance Programs Can Achieve True Government Efficiency\u00a0<\/strong>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">Designing a multiprogram enrollment application that enables people to apply to several public benefit programs at once can substantially reduce the time, costs, and stress associated with this process\u2014as well as promote equity and improve health outcomes, according to a new commentary in the <em>American Journal of Public Health<\/em>.<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar js-block-editorial-metabar sphnews-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">August 11, 2026<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/authors\/jillian-mckoy\/\">Jillian McKoy<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p>Each year, millions of Americans spend a significant amount of time <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/00027162231198976\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">applying<\/a> to Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and other public assistance programs to meet their basic food and healthcare needs. The arduous process of completing forms, interviews, verifications, and potential appeals\u2014which often must be repeated for each program a person applies to\u2014places a substantial administrative burden on applicants and their families, as well as the state government agencies tasked with processing these applications.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This burden could be alleviated by developing a streamlined application process that considers the real experiences and barriers that public assistance applicants frequently encounter, according to a new commentary by researchers at Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) and Children\u2019s HealthWatch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ajph.aphapublications.org\/doi\/10.2105\/AJPH.2026.308619?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&amp;rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org&amp;rfr_dat=cr_pub++0pubmed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Published in a special issue of the <em>American Journal of Public Health<\/em><\/a> that focuses on government efficiency, the commentary argues that the current application process for public assistance programs creates \u201ca lose-lose scenario,&#8221; as eligible applicants often abandon the time-consuming applications out of frustration and miss out on opportunities to improve their health, which defeats the purpose of these services.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Designing a user-friendly multibenefit application that enables people to submit just one application to multiple public assistance programs would conserve valuable time and resources\u2014and represent true government efficiency, write <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/profile\/cristina-gago\/\">Cristina Gago<\/a>, assistant professor of community health sciences at SPH; <a href=\"https:\/\/childrenshealthwatch.org\/richard-sheward\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Richard Sheward<\/a>, director of system implementation strategies at Children\u2019s HealthWatch; and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/profile\/stephanie-ettinger-de-cuba\/\">Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba<\/a>, research associate professor of health law, policy &amp; management at SPH.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The authors argue that it is critical to reassess what government efficiency truly entails, and how the US can achieve it across public assistance programs\u2014especially as these programs undergo major funding cuts and implement stricter eligibility standards and work reporting requirements mandated by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/119th-congress\/house-bill\/1\/text\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">One Big Beautiful Bill Act<\/a> (OBBBA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDiscussions about streamlining systems with the goal of government efficiency should not be about cutting support,\u201d the authors write. \u201cRather, they should focus on removing barriers that prevent programs from reaching their full potential, which may ultimately require greater investment in a human-centered development process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Research has <a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/puar.13497\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shown<\/a> that reducing burdensome requirements for public assistance programs\u2014such as through multi-program-enrollment applications\u2014can improve participation, but only a few states offer this option. In the commentary, the authors share four recommendations from policy experts, state employees, and public assistance applicants on how to improve the design of multibenefit applications to promote equitable access to these services, improve health, and achieve true government efficiency. The recommendations were part of data collected in a related study by the authors on administrative burden and enrollment gaps in safety-net programs, <a href=\"https:\/\/read.dukeupress.edu\/jhppl\/article\/doi\/10.1215\/03616878-12757923\/412101\/Co-Enrollment-in-Safety-Net-Programs-Among?searchresult=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">published ahead of print in the <em>Journal of Health Politics, Policy &amp; Law<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To simplify public assistance applications and ensure applicants understand eligibility criteria, the authors write that states can shorten these applications, incorporate autopopulated responses from previous applications, update their systems so that employees can identify complex cases, and enable the systems to screen applicants for eligibility before they begin the full application process. \u201cMultibenefit applications should serve as a \u2018one-stop shop\u2019 that provides one entrance and no wrong door to multiple benefits,\u201d they write.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As most applications are online, the authors also identify the need for technological improvements to the application process, such as mobile-friendly applications with clear visuals, and the ability for applicants to save their information in the system. Applications must be intentionally designed with diverse populations in mind\u2014particularly those who have historically faced the greatest barriers to access (i.e., people with disabilities, people whose first language is not English, and immigrants). States can make their applications more accessible with design adjustments such as high-quality translations, simplified instructions across all languages, and removing the requirement for open-text responses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lastly, these changes to states\u2019 applications should undergo comprehensive user testing to ensure that the updates succeed in simplifying the application process and create a more manageable experience for the intended audiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cToo often, lack of accessible, clear instructions results in unintentional misreporting and benefit denial, followed by multiple rounds of corrective resubmission\u2014wasting everyone\u2019s limited resources,\u201d the authors write. These errors now have significant financial consequences for states and applicants, as under the OBBBA, states must share the cost of SNAP benefits (which was previously 100-percent funded by the federal government), with the amount rising if the error rate (including both under and overpayments) rises above a certain threshold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Importantly, the authors note that implementing these design changes requires substantial time for research and development, as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/2026\/08\/08\/business\/hunger-strike-healey-task-force\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">robust funding for staffing<\/a>, training, infrastructure design, participant engagement, and more. Under the OBBBA, they write, states had a mere <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbpp.org\/research\/food-assistance\/many-low-income-people-will-soon-begin-to-lose-food-assistance-under\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">four months<\/a> to implement such changes that restricted SNAP eligibility from previously eligible refugees and those seeking or granted asylum, and incorporated new reporting processes for work activities, which are also now required for many more households. Since this bill passed in July 2025, more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/07\/23\/nx-s1-5903220\/over-4-million-people-are-no-longer-on-snap-since-last-july\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">four million<\/a> Americans have lost their SNAP benefits, and millions more <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rand.org\/pubs\/research_reports\/RRA4098-1-v2.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stand to lose<\/a> Medicaid by 2034.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cToo often, states are asked to make large systems changes quickly and with minimal resources, which results in outside vendors being hired to meet deadlines. However, metrics of vendors\u2019 success rarely account sufficiently for the importance of a human-centered process versus just reaching the finish line,\u201d the authors write. Therefore, they conclude, \u201crethinking efficiency in a human-centered fashion as we have described is all the more important. Efforts to educate decision-makers about the costs\u2014human and financial\u2014of ignoring these principles is vital.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories is-style-card has-two sphnews-block-editorial-relatedstories\">\n\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-title\">Related<\/h3>\n\t\t<ul class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"600\" height=\"362\" src=\"\/sph\/files\/2025\/09\/SNAP-600.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>food security<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2025\/halting-covid-related-snap-benefits-left-families-struggling-to-afford-food-household-expenses\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">Halting COVID-related SNAP Benefits Left Families Struggling to Afford Food, Household Expenses<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">September 19, 2025<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"600\" height=\"362\" src=\"\/sph\/files\/2026\/04\/close-up-arrow-symbol-table_39768-21063-600x362-1.png\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"close-up-arrow-symbol-table_39768-21063 600x362\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>health policy<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2026\/grant-supports-efforts-to-create-atlas-of-medicaid-spending\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">Grant Supports Efforts to Create Atlas of Medicaid Spending<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">April 27, 2026<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Each year, millions of Americans spend a significant amount of time applying to Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and other public assistance programs to meet their basic food and healthcare needs. The arduous process of completing forms, interviews, verifications, and potential appeals\u2014which often must be repeated for each program a person applies to\u2014places a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15205,"featured_media":267005,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[4415,2070,1976,3649,2023,2317,1616,5301],"bu-publication":[3516],"sphnews-article-category":[3519,3520,3525,3531,3535,3540,3545],"sphnews-topic":[],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"profile_tax":[4386,4072],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/266997"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15205"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266997"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/266997\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":267300,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/266997\/revisions\/267300"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266997"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=266997"},{"taxonomy":"sphnews-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sphnews-article-category?post=266997"},{"taxonomy":"sphnews-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sphnews-topic?post=266997"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=266997"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=266997"},{"taxonomy":"profile_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profile_tax?post=266997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}