Multiple Safety Net Program Participation: Incidence and Impacts from Reducing Administrative Burdens
A growing concern regarding U.S. safety net programs is the administrative burden imposed on needy families during the application and recertification processes. For particularly disadvantaged families who are eligible for multiple programs, these burdens may compound and limit take-up, preventing access to essential resources. Economists Derek Wu and Neil Cholli will examine the impact of administrative burdens on participation in multiple safety net programs and explore how reducing burdens affects program access and downstream outcomes for low-income families. They will analyze longitudinal administrative data from the state of Virginia, focusing on the introduction of a technological platform called CommonHelp platform for their study.