Poster #5 - Administrative Burden and Cross Program Enrollment: New Evidence from State Benefit Portals

• In Event: Friday Poster Reception

Abstract

This paper investigates the effects of improving accessibility to social insurance program applications, with a focus on the heterogeneity in online benefit portals across U.S. states. While most social insurance programs are federally funded, their administration at the state level results in varying levels of integration in online applications. Thirty-four states offer an integrated application for at least three benefits, while others maintain separate portals for each program. Using a novel dataset of changes to state benefit portals, I explore the impact of more accessible applications. The paper addresses three key questions. First, what is the direct effect of more accessible applications on enrollment in programs? Second, what are the indirect (spillover) effects on other safety net programs, and how do these effects vary depending on how integrated applications are? Third, how do more accessible applications affect program targeting? Additionally, the paper assesses the welfare implications of such changes using a sufficient statistics approach. The findings will contribute to understanding how changes in application systems impact both enrollment behavior and program targeting. 

Author

• Swati S Joshi, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  Presenting Author