Eliminating paper application forms

Every government service starts with an application form. But what if you didn’t have to apply for services at all? How could we redesign government service delivery to start with data first? Paper forms burden clients, take hours to complete, and create barriers to equity and inclusion, but they are still often the first step to accessing government services. We know there is another way—a better way.

Join this breakout session to learn about Code for America’s approach to automating government service delivery in order to serve clients and drive impact at scale. You’ll learn lessons from the design process around Clear My Record, a project that automated the paper-based record expungement process and cleared over 85,000 marijuana convictions in California. You’ll hear client stories from the field from our work redesigning safety net services in response to COVID-19 in California and Minnesota. And we’ll discuss what to think about before you implement or design another application form, how to use data to empower government workers, and how to help clients at scale even in the face of thin resources and overwhelming need.