Help Streamline Social Service Benefits with Automated Verification: The Work Number® Solution

Social service agencies have a critical mission: delivering vital benefits to eligible individuals and families in need. However, outdated, manual processes for verifying income and employment can create frustrating roadblocks that delay much-needed aid. 

Imagine caseworkers spending countless hours on the phone and sifting through paperwork, chasing down pay stubs and contacting employers, only to find the information they finally receive is already out of date. This is the reality for many agencies relying on state wage data or  traditional manual verification methods. In fact, as our eBook reveals, state wage data is typically anywhere from 30 to 120 days old.* This reliance on outdated information can have serious consequences.

Delays in benefit delivery can severely impact eligible beneficiaries who rely on timely decisions and assistance for basic necessities like food, housing, and healthcare. Instead of waiting up to 45 days for manual income verification, The Work Number® can provide results instantaneously..** This speed is crucial because the median monthly income of individuals can change as much as 20% month-over-month.*** Initial eligibility and redetermination decisions based on old data can not only lead to potential delays and process inefficiencies draining limited resources, but also result in frustration for eligible applicants already facing difficult circumstances.

The Work Number: A Modern Solution for a Critical Mission

The Work Number offers a powerful alternative to these outdated practices and data sources. As the largest centralized commercial repository of payroll information in the United States, it provides credentialed verifiers with access to current income and employment data - as of the last time payroll was processed by a contributing employer or payroll provider -  for millions of employees and can return those results instantaneously. With a network that includes nearly 3.8 million employer contributors, representing more than two-thirds of the U.S. non-farm payroll, The Work Number offers unique insights, quickly accessible data, and opportunities to conduct automated verifications.

Instead of relying on cumbersome processes, agencies can integrate The Work Number directly into their workflow for a more seamless and efficient verification process. This means accessing employment and income information - including salary history, pay frequency, and employment dates as and if that information is reported - directly from contributing employers and payroll providers.

The Benefits are Clear

By leveraging The Work Number, social service agencies can help achieve significant improvements:

• Faster Benefit Delivery: Reduce processing times and time-to-benefit delivery, to help eligible individuals receive timely assistance.

• Accessible Data: Access income and employment data contributed directly to participating employers and payroll providers, helping promote eligibility decisions based on current data (as of the last time payroll was processed by one of these contributors).

• Improved Efficiency: Automate verification tasks, freeing up caseworkers to focus on other priorities or providing personalized support and guidance on more complex cases.

• Enhanced Applicant Experience: Reduce the burden on applicants by eliminating the need to gather and submit extensive documentation, making the process less stressful and more dignified.

Proven Results

The Work Number has a proven track record of success. In 2023 alone, it provided social service verifications for 25 million people seeking benefits  from government assistance programs in the United States. The Work Number is a valuable tool for a range of social service needs, including:

• Accounting for seasonal income changes: Promote effective initial eligibility determinations and renewal redeterminations for individuals with fluctuating incomes.

• Expediting Medicaid renewals: Automate verification for faster processing and continued access to healthcare coverage through continuity of care.

• Strengthening SNAP program integrity: Efficient, effective, and automated verifications help promote program compliance, quicker determinations, and potentially reduce any unintentional manual processing errors.

Ready to transform your benefit verification process? Download our eBook, "Put Your Benefit Eligibility Processes on the Fast Track," to learn more about how The Work Number can help your agency deliver timely and efficient assistance to those in need.

* “A Guide to the National Directory of New Hires,” U.S. DHHS OCSE, December 1, 2021
** “County Social Service Agencies Reduce Burden on Applicants,” Nov. 20, 2020, theworknumber.com.
*** “County Caseworkers Benefit from Better Data,” Oct. 13, 2020, theworknumber.com. 

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