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Ed Walz
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Washington — The Coalition for Access and Opportunity co-released a new paper today recommending information-sharing reforms federal agencies can implement to improve the efficiency of federal investments in children and other Americans. The paper, Data Sharing in Public Benefit Programs: An Action Agenda for Removing Barriers, recommends 26 specific efficiency reforms designed to eliminate barriers that deny eligible people the help they need and deliver government services and benefits more cost-effectively.

The Coalition for Access and Opportunity includes more than 20 organizations working to promote opportunity and pathways to the middle class by ensuring that individuals and families eligible for federal benefits are able to access those benefits. The analysis was commissioned by three lead organizations: Single Stop USA, CLASP, and First Focus.

“Especially now, when the recession and natural disasters have made the need even greater, our leaders should be looking for solutions that cut the red tape that denies eligible kids and families the help they need,” said First Focus CEO Bruce Lesley.

“Too often we waste both client and caseworker time asking for information that another agency already has collected and verified. Data sharing is a win-win for both,” said Elizabeth Lower-Basch, Senior Policy Analyst and Policy Coordinator at CLASP (Center for Law and Social Policy).

The analysis was authored by Cari DeSantis, former Secretary of the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families, and Sarah Fass Hiatt, a policy analyst affiliated with Single Stop USA. It recommends specific reforms in four categories:

  1. Increase data sharing — Government should borrow from data sharing improvements that make everything from online shopping to hurricane relief donations easier and more effective. Reforms in this category would eliminate barriers to efficient data sharing, establish data sharing ‘rules of the road’ through clear guidance to governments and industry partners, and accelerate data sharing by creating startup kits and providing training.
  2. Protect data privacy and confidentiality — Data sharing only works when both agencies and the public can trust that the data is accurate and secure. Reforms in this category would establish privacy and security rules and guidance on specific issues, like opt-in or out and restricting HIPAA-protected or citizenship status data.
  3. Create consumer-centered access — To improve the quality and efficiency of service, data sharing must result in less red tape for both agency staff and the American people. Reforms in this category include simplified applications that allow qualifying individuals and families to apply for multiple initiatives at once; streamlined documentation requirements and standards for e-signatures and electronic document submission; and, guidance to ensure that reforms result in improved service to Americans with limited English language proficiency.
  4. Facilitate the use of third-party partners — Efficient systems only work when they connect with people. Faith communities, neighborhood organizations, and other ‘third parties’ often have closer relationships with individuals and families than federal agencies. Reforms in this category capitalize on those relationships, with guidance and resources to eliminate legal, economic, and technological obstacles and improve partner engagement.

“Leaders from every part of the country and every political persuasion want smarter government that uses the latest technology to deliver more value for taxpayer dollars. Here you have dozens of concrete suggestions to operate programs more efficiently, bolster public-private partnerships and help families achieve economic security,” said Elisabeth Mason, CEO of Single Stop USA.