The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) touches nearly every Michigan resident through its programs and services. In Michigan, there are over 2.6 million residents that seek Healthcare, Food Assistance, Cash Assistance, Child Care, and State Emergency Relief each year. These programs are administered by MDHHS and the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) through 4 separate applications (DHS-1171, DHS-1426, DHS-1514, and DHS-4583) which provide access to Michigan's key safety net services for men, women and children of all ages and ethnicities.
The current public benefits applications in Michigan create a significant barrier to services. Combined, they represent 40 pages, over 1000 questions, and more than 18,000 words - one of the longest applications of its kind in the US. The length and complexity of these applications makes the eligibility process disruptive to the lives of applicants and cumbersome for field staff to manage. Public benefits are critical in providing stability for individuals, increasing participation and retention in work supports, and ultimately, improving the wellbeing of families.
Discovery + Development
Developing an integrated, field-driven application for Michigan's largest safety net programs
September 2015-December 2016
In Fall 2015, MDHHS and Civilla, a design studio based in Detroit, partnered with a shared interest in identifying ways to streamline and improve access to public benefits in Michigan. The team leveraged human-centered design, a problem solving methodology used by some of the most successful organizations across the public and private sectors, as a way of rooting their collective efforts in the needs and perspectives of the field. The team spent hundreds of hours conducting interviews and observations in order to understand the experiences of clients and field staff. This fieldwork was strengthened by academic research that lifted up best practices from similar systems in the US and abroad. The result was a set of user insights that demonstrated clear opportunities to improve public benefit delivery across MDHHS.
New concepts for an integrated, streamlined application that reflected user insights were generated and rapidly prototyped through co-design sessions. These prototypes were tested and iterated upon in order to improve their effectiveness and fidelity. The process resulted in a field-driven application that was embraced by both clients and field staff while meeting federal and state regulations.
Pilot
Testing the new application in the field to strengthen the design and measure outcomes
january 2017 - May 2017
In Winter 2017, MDHHS and Civilla ran a pilot program in 2 field offices across the state of Michigan. The purpose of the pilot was to conduct mixed-methods research that would allow the team to gather robust feedback on the design for the new application and fully measure benefits for both clients and caseworkers. This pilot took place in Hamtramck and Eaton county. In total, it engaged 270 clients.
The pilot demonstrated significant success. Overall, clients embraced the new application, reporting that they could complete the application more quickly and more independently. For field staff, the new design resulted in more complete and accurate applications - which decreased processing times overall. The pilot’s findings resulted in a field-driven application that has the potential to greatly reduce the burden on the Michigan public benefit system and improve outcomes for millions of residents.
Statewide Rollout
Scaling the new application across the State of Michigan
MAY 2017 - January 2018
The new, streamlined application is scheduled for statewide rollout beginning in January 2018. It will be accompanied by a new online application in MiBridges. In order to bring this project into the next phase of implementation, MDHHS is working through a process that will deliver the necessary federal, state, and internal approvals and create readiness within the organization. The statewide launch will be the culmination of 27 months of integrative work across 5 major programs.