By C.L. “BUTCH” OTTER, Governor of Idaho.
Similar to many states, Idaho has spent much of the past five years weathering the Great Recession and its challenges, from job losses to home foreclosures to budget shortfalls. Such dire challenges, however, can often bring change, and these recent changes in our economic landscape have opened the door to a great opportunity.
In 2010, Idaho became one of nine states partnering with the Urban Institute and the Ford Foundation in the Work Support Strategies project, a focused effort to transform the landscape of health and human services—and specifically the delivery of those services to low-income working families—by sharing innovative ideas, identifying best practices, and collaborating on solutions. Idaho’s goal is to approach “welfare” from a new perspective: not as a handout, but rather as a strategic hand up.
There is broad consensus in our state that government services should be aimed not at growing entitlement programs but rather at helping families enter and succeed in the workforce. This isn’t a new idea. As Thomas Jefferson once said, “If we can but prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them, they must become happy.”
Through the Work Support Strategies project, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare has joined with community partners, policymakers, officials in other states, and the Urban Institute to identify gaps in the services available to low-income working Idahoans and reduce the impediments to receiving those services for which they are eligible. We have specifically focused on improving delivery of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits—formerly known as food stamps—Medicaid, child care subsidies, and our temporary cash program to the working poor, while streamlining administration and reducing our own operating costs.
For instance, we have introduced technological innovations such as a cloud-based phone system for statewide universal case management. Now when someone calls to apply for or recertify benefits, any eligibility decision maker anywhere in Idaho can take the phone call and complete the interview. In addition, our new case management system auto-loads verified information, triggering eligibility immediately. We have also enhanced our verification process into one easy-to-use, on-demand tool for those who make eligibility decisions. That increases the accuracy of decision making, while decreasing costly interactions with applicants.
Idaho is also on the cutting edge of what we call “business process re-engineering” to simplify cumbersome agency processes and reduce red tape. One example is our integrated application and interview process, which puts the person in direct and immediate contact with an eligibility decision maker, eliminating the need to fill out our typical eight-page paper application. We are also reducing application-processing time by using telephonic signatures, eliminating the delay caused by moving forms through the mail. One result of all this: Idaho now consistently approves SNAP applications in less than two days on average.
A big focus of our Work Support Strategies project has involved integrating the various programs for low-income families. States have to deal with multiple federal programs administered through multiple federal agencies, each with competing policies, budgets, and reporting requirements. Idaho has spent the past two years integrating our SNAP; Medicaid; Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF; and child care programs as much as possible. To do this, our state rules on poverty levels, income calculations, verification standards, and reporting requirements have been changed across all programs.
So now with federal waiver requests, integrated application and recertification processes, and new case-management disciplines, Idaho has created a holistic, family-centric approach to service design and delivery.
Improving the Idaho Child Care Program has been another one of our goals. For breadwinners in families living near or below the poverty level—particularly single-parent families—finding and paying for child care is very often a big roadblock to finding and maintaining stable employment. We have redesigned our subsidy calculations to provide a flat rate per child, thereby creating stable, reliable subsidies for both parents and child care providers. We also have changed policies to ensure access for students receiving child care assistance while in school, but not at the expense of low-income working families.
Idaho’s commitment to enabling low-income families to enter and stay in the workforce has meant investing in innovative solutions such as these. Yes, acquiring the right technology is critical. But technology is not the driver for innovation; it is only a facilitator. Real change and effective governance come from policy and eligibility innovation, simplified business redesigns with reduced paperwork, integrated verification systems, and improved communication. Now our Welfare Division, which serves one in three Idahoans over the course of a year, operates with one of the lowest-cost and most effective program administrations in the country. Outcomes such as these are proof that government can operate effectively at lower costs and with better results.
We believe that providing cost-effective administration is a responsibility of government. So, too, is providing key supports such as health coverage, food and nutrition assistance, and child care. We also believe that the path to self-sufficiency cannot be found in welfare programs alone but must include integrated and supportive services that help families get into and stay in the workforce, take advantage of new opportunities unfolding as the economy improves, and pave their own path out of poverty and into the mainstream of Idaho’s economy. That’s not just good for our families but also for our state.
A hand up, not a handout. Idaho’s spirit of self-determination and independence is based on this principle, and we value the partnerships we’ve gained with the Ford Foundation, the Urban Institute, and community and state leaders who are helping us put this spirit into practice.