DCYF and MNIT Request County and Tribal Nation Participants for M2M Pilot

The State of Minnesota values strong collaboration with Tribal Nations and counties. We know that our shared goals can only be achieved through strong partnerships. Improving the worker experience with state information systems, is best informed by the people who use them in their daily work. We are reaching out to ask for your participation as we engage in our efforts to integrate MNbenefits application data into MAXIS.

Background on Reduce Time to Benefits: MNbenefits to MAXIS (M2M) pilot project

Through the use of an Integration Layer product, the M2M project aims to achieve specific outcomes informed by counties and Tribal Nations and aligned with the project’s pilot priorities:

  • Reduction of manual data entry of information from the MNbenefits online application into the MAXIS eligibility system.
  • Improvement in application processing timeliness rates for program eligibility determinations, like SNAP.
  • Improvement of the public assistance application and enrollment experience for county and Tribal Nation staff, applicants, and people who support them.

This effort sets out to establish a pilot within an iterative learning environment to help us build, test, experiment and evaluate a new worker interface tool, that supports the secure, accurate and efficient transfer of data from MNbenefits to MAXIS. We are looking for looking for 4-7 agencies to participate in the pilot.

Who we’re looking for

We are excited to engage with partners who are motivated to improve upon current processes and tools. If you, or members of your staff, align any of the following values, we’d love to hear from you:

  • Driven to achieve positive outcomes
  • Embraces change and experimentation
  • Curious about new topics and ideas
  • Willing to ask hard questions and help us think differently
  • Open to try new approaches
  • Can see possibilities for improvement and innovation
  • Are excited to help shape future work

What you can expect

Pilot participation will involve a variety of activities over several phases. While the exact level of effort may adjust throughout the pilot process, participants can expect the following general commitments:

Phase 1 - Design and Build

  • This phase will include engagement in a learning network for iterative improvement, actively participating in design meetings, requirements gathering, planning for feasible launch window, and trainings.
  • Work in this phase is likely to occur through weekly meetings, review of designs and prototypes, ad-hoc feedback collection, etc.
  • Participating staff can expect to engage with the pilot roughly 5-10 hours per week during this phase.
  • This phase is expected to last about three months.

Phase 2 – Launch and Iterate

  • This phase will include worker training, launch, and use of the new pilot Worker Interface. After launch, designated staff will begin day-to-day application processing using the new pilot worker interface. Our feedback loops will be more frequent with continuous engagement and learnings happening in real-time, as the participants are using the pilot interface. During this time, partners will be asked to provide regular feedback to support improvements, participate in process improvement meetings, and engage in state monitoring activities conducted in person and/or virtually.
    • These activities are likely to occur through increased meeting frequency, open feedback loops (synchronous and asynchronous), report generation and/or direct engagement with the project team.
  • The time commitment during this phase will be higher at the start and will include providing feedback on the initial release and participating in training. After this initial period, participants should expect to spend approximately 2-8 hours per week, in addition to identified workers modifying and experimenting with their standard work processes during Phase 2.
  • This phase is expected to last approximately 6 months.

Phase 3 – Evaluate and Expand

  • This phase will include analysis of the outcomes observed through pilot use of the worker interface, providing information to share and collaborate with non-participating partners, and to inform decision making processes to continue, expand or adjust the pilot approach.
  • Participating agencies and the project team will work together to better define this phase through learnings found during earlier pilot phases.

Other considerations

Some counties and Tribal Nations have expressed interest already, and have highlighted some of the following considerations toward participation in the M2M Pilot:

  • BlueZone Scripts - The worker interface will not replace or prevent use of BlueZone scripts currently used to enter application data into MAXIS. Non-participating counties and Tribal Nations will continue to have access to all the current tools and methods available for entering applications into MAXIS. We will ask counties and Tribal Nations participating in the pilot to use the new worker interface in lieu of, or in combination with, other tools, such as BlueZone scripts. This will be for the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of the worker interface along with observing any processing efficiencies gained.
  • IT Support - The worker interface software, and its supporting systems, will be hosted by the State and/or its contracted vendors. Participating pilot agencies will not need to install or provide technical support for the worker interface. However, there will likely be some level of access management required. We expect this to follow existing security liaison protocols.
  • Some agencies may choose to make modifications to their workflow tools and EDMS systems, based on any process efficiencies observed with use of the worker interface. If so, the pilot project team will work with the participating agencies’ IT staff to provide technical assistance, as needed.
  • Pilot obligations/exiting the pilot – The expectations mentioned for the pilot phases are general guidelines and may evolve over time. The pilot project team will work with participating agencies on any adjustments to these expectations, based on shared learnings during the pilot. Any agency participating in the pilot can stop participating in the pilot at any time, if they choose. The project team will also work with any participating agency to find a balance of activities that supports both learning/experimentation and workload, as needed.

Timeline

We are targeting the following dates for the pilot phases:

  • Design/Build phase: Q3 – Q4 2026
  • Launch/Iterate: Q4 2026 – Q2 2027
  • Evaluation and expansion: Q2 2027 and beyond

How to participate

If your agency is interested in participating in the M2M pilot and can meet the expectations described in this document, please complete the pilot interest form found here: Mnbenefits to MAXIS Integration Pilot Interest Form by by Friday, June 12.

All submitted responses will be reviewed. and 4-7 agencies will be selected to participate in the pilot. All agencies that submit an interest form will be notified of their selection status by July 1.

Thank you so much for your interest in joining the M2M pilot. The value of your collective input and knowledge cannot be overstated. Whether your agency is selected to participate in the initial pilot phases, we commit to collaborating with your agency to support our shared goals and equitable outcomes through person-centered worker experience improvement efforts.

Printable PDF of Mnbenefits to MAXIS Integration Pilot Interest Form

Share DCYF and MNIT Request County and Tribal Nation Participants for M2M Pilot on Facebook Share DCYF and MNIT Request County and Tribal Nation Participants for M2M Pilot on Twitter Share DCYF and MNIT Request County and Tribal Nation Participants for M2M Pilot on Linkedin Email DCYF and MNIT Request County and Tribal Nation Participants for M2M Pilot link