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Helping Vulnerable Populations Access Public Benefits through Web-based Tools and Outreach

Background

In 2010, ASPE partnered with ACF and the HHS Center for Partnerships to fund the research study, “Helping Vulnerable Populations Access Public Benefits through Web-based Tools and Outreach.”  Interest in this topic stemmed from the explosion of web-based technologies in recent years that have been reinventing the way government programs connect with potential benefit applicants and participants.  A greater understanding of the array of web-based tools in use could inform the design and development of new benefits access initiatives so they build on past experiences and are better prepared to meet challenges in serving vulnerable populations.  The funding offices contracted with Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. (MPR) to conduct the study, which ran from September 2010 to December 2011.

Publications

The study had two main components:  a summary, or scan, of existing private and public sector benefits access initiatives across the country, and an in-depth case study of selected benefits access tools in eight locations.  Products from the study include: