In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Congressional Families First Coronavirus Response Act authorized the implementation of Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT), which allows school aged children who qualify for free and reduced-price meals at school to receive replacement food benefits on an EBT card. Families can use these funds to pay for groceries while schools are physically closed.
While this program provides an important avenue to support families during this ongoing crisis, the implementation of this policy surfaces numerous technical challenges. In many states, data letting states know who is eligible to receive P-EBT benefits are spread across multiple sources, and need to be aggregated, standardized, and matched. In some cases, data might not exist at all to issue P-EBT benefits to eligible populations. Many states are working with legacy systems, or planning to stand up new digital applications.
That’s why in California, at the outset of the P-EBT program, Code for America partnered with the California Department of Social Services to devise an online, mobile-responsible web application for the program. This application responded to California’s unique need to capture accurate mailing information for a large volume of eligible children in the state who were eligible for free and reduced-price school meals.
The challenges around Pandemic-EBT are complex, and different in each state. U.S. Digital Response (USDR) and Code for America have partnered to support implementation of this program for state social services agencies at no cost to states.
USDR brings the right people to solve complex problems
U.S. Digital Response pooled a team of engineers from our vast network of highly skilled volunteers to help build, launch, and maintain the online application. USDR organizes a network of over 5,500 volunteers from every state in the nation. USDR volunteers are highly qualified and motivated, and are skilled in diverse disciplines, such as engineering, communications, operations, and project management.
How we can support your state
Meanwhile, U.S. Digital Response and Code for America have continued to extend support for P-EBT implementation beyond the online application. Together, we’re helping states navigate the numerous technical and operational barriers to implementing P-EBT. While every state is unique, P-EBT poses logistical and technical challenges that have been practically ubiquitous across state plans and processes.
- We’ve been able to provide states with support and technical assistance in areas like data engineering to improve the data matching process, safe and efficient data management and sharing between agencies.
- We’re also helping conduct state-wide outreach to raise the visibility of P-EBT amongst likely-eligible people.
- USDR and Code for America can offer generalized troubleshooting with states encountering technical barriers to the implementation of P-EBT.
- We can organize a small team to provide hands-on assistance solving technical challenges, or we can offer consulting to advise states on the P-EBT implementation process.
If you’d like to learn more about how USDR and Code for America can offer free support to implement P-EBT, contact Code for America program manager Eleanor Davis (edavis@codeforamerica.org) and USDR volunteer Sara Soka (sara@usdigitalresponse.org).
Code for America and U.S. Digital Response share a vision for government that puts people first. We are excited to work together to help governments become more agile as they respond to emerging and important community needs.
U.S. Digital Response is a free, non-partisan service that helps government teams build responsive, people-centered services with modern and resilient technology that works at the speed of need. Founded in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, USDR connects experienced technologists with public servants and organizations responding to any emergency or crisis. Our volunteers work with governments to identify tools to deliver critical services — safely and securely — for the people who need them. If we can help, we will. Learn more at www.usdigitalresponse.org and follow @USDResponse.
Code for America, founded in 2009, believes government can work for the people, and by the people, in the digital age, starting with the people who need it most. We build digital services that enhance government capabilities, and we help others do the same across all levels of government. We organize thousands of volunteers across over 85 chapters nationwide who improve government in their local communities. Our goal: a 21st century government that effectively and equitably serves all Americans. Learn more at codeforamerica.org.
