Connecting new parents to federal benefits faster with three customer-centered solutions

The Department of Health and Human Services

As part of an interagency Life Experience Research Team, including professionals from:

• the Office of Management and Budget (OMB),
• the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS),
• General Services Administration (GSA),
• the Department of Labor (DOL),
• the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD),
• the Department of Agriculture (USDA), and
• and the Department of Education (ED),

USDS conducted extensive research nationwide with 121 participants, documenting their experiences during pregnancy and childbirth and how they interacted with the federal government from the birth of their child to age five. Based on their findings, the teams developed and piloted three customer-centric solutions to alleviate the burden and provide better support and resources to these families:

• The Alumni Peer Navigator (APN) services help moms access social-emotional support, federally funded programs, and community resources, such as Medicaid, WIC, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), in a culturally responsive way.
• The Newborn Supply Kit provides families with basic physical supplies and resources crucial to the first few weeks after birth.
• Notify.gov sends families text message reminders and guidance to help families know about, enroll in, and re-certify for federal benefit and support programs.

Impact

The human-centered design research process that USDS contributed to the interagency team—a problem-solving method that prioritizes research and collaborative creativity to develop solutions for people’s needs—is helping to modernize and implement services that are simpler, more accessible, and equitable.

• APN services launched in six community-based organizations under Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Healthy Start program in July 2023. Fifteen navigators helped over 200 families across the U.S. in Atlanta, Baton Rouge, Turtle Mountain Reservation, Harlem, Pee Dee, and Los Angeles. 54% of 39 surveyed families felt less lonely with a peer navigator. Health Start pilot site leadership reported 100% positive impact by APNs on care teams.

• The Newborn Supply Kit has distributed 3,000 kits to families in Arkansas, Louisiana, and New Mexico. The team also launched a new, easy-to-understand website, hhs.gov/newbaby, with content from the federal government.

• Notify.gov for Families has partnered with Norfolk’s Department of Human Services in Virginia to send Medicaid renewal reminders using a federal notification system, Notify.gov. They have successfully sent over 5,000 text message reminders to help keep eligible families covered during the Public Health Emergency unwinding.