To make it even easier for everyone to find services and benefits without needing to understand government structure, USA.gov is developing a new digital tool in partnership with 10x, GSA’s incremental technology fund.
The working name of the new tool is BEARS, the Benefits Eligibility Awareness Resource Service. It helps people discover and access the government services that meet their specific needs based on major life events. For example, if someone has recently lost a job and is experiencing financial hardship, they can identify benefits they might be eligible for with a few simple steps. Or if someone has recently lost a loved one, they can identify benefits relevant for that sad milestone.
A simple and straightforward filtering system allows users to view the benefits that are most likely to meet their needs for that life event. Each benefit is presented in a standard format, using simplified language. All the key eligibility criteria are presented in an easy-to-scan format. And the criteria that apply in the user’s situation are checked off.
BEARS is currently an MVP (minimum viable product) and has just been approved for 10x’s Phase 4, the final 10x phase intends to scale the app. The team will be adding more benefits, and validating the design along the way with plenty of user testing. In addition, they will be working on developing proactive notifications, so the system can notify users when they become eligible for additional benefits. After Phase 4, BEARS will graduate from the 10x program and will be fully owned and managed by USAGov, which along with 10x is part of TTS Solutions.
The platform will eventually cover all federal benefits from all agencies with simplified user experience and standardized benefits criteria across agencies without losing the subtleties of eligibility.
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