Washington D.C. Department of Human Services

The COVID-19 pandemic emphasized the District’s need to modernize how its residents interacted with the SNAP, TANF and Medicaid programs. The pandemic meant that it was no longer viable to have clients visit offices to apply, recertify, or get information about their benefits. The surge in application submissions also meant there was not enough time to process all the applications manually or answer all the phone calls from clients asking about their circumstances. With increased caseloads and workers also needing to stay home, the Department of Human Services (DHS) needed to optimize how benefit applications were processed and how clients accessed benefit information.

To enable people to interact with the District digitally, DHS deployed District Direct, a mobile solution based on Diona Self Service. The District Direct solution allows District residents to apply for and recertify food, cash, and medical benefits. Clients can review outstanding verifications and upload documents to satisfy them, review their case and payment information, view their notices, and receive push notifications in relation to outstanding verifications, recertifications and other activities they are required to undertake to maintain their benefits.

District Direct is a huge step forward in modernizing how clients interact with their benefits, while also making it easier for workers by automating traditionally manual processes.