Lena Selzer, Cofounder and Senior Director, nonprofit Civilla, and Sam Brennan, Design Lead, Civilla ocus: Partner with public-serving institutions to research, design, F pilot, iterate and scale solutions to pressing problems Innovation: Reduced the public benefits enrollment process in Michigan from a standard of 30 to 45 days to as fast as one day “We often ask the question: What antibodies need to be put in place to ensure this change doesn’t revert back?” – Sam Brennan
It has long been standard for Michigan residents to wait up to a month for their benefits applications to be approved or denied. As in many states, different programs, whether Medicaid or food assistance, have different allowable processing times. Now imagine you’re the person or family in crisis, waiting for an answer on your case. Michigan’s Genesee County not only imagined this scenario before the pandemic hit, they mapped out the journey, Selzer said. During that process, county leaders within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reframed the problem and asked a radical question: Why can’t we get people a same-day response when they apply for benefits? “It was out of those conversations and contacts that the concept of One Day started to emerge, based on resident and staff needs,” Brennan said. Lessons From State & Local Innovators on the Ground
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