FAQs
Reduce Time to Benefits Project Overview
- Minnesota is working to improve how applications for public benefits are processed so that people receive timely and accurate access to the services they need.
- The Governor and agencies have heard and are responding to the feedback from counties, Tribal Nations, and families regarding outdated human services technology.
- The state is prioritizing foundational near-term solutions, while advocating for investments to address the most pressing challenges.
- The state is also planning for more comprehensive solutions that support state and county social services, improve worker experience, and enhance program integrity mechanisms.
- This work was prioritized through the Governor’s One Minnesota Plan and is being led collaboratively by the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families, Minnesota Information Technology Services, and the Minnesota Department of Human Services.
- Today, county and Tribal Nation workers manage high workloads using systems that were built decades ago and do not effectively share information with each other.
- Improving the systems and the technology connecting them, will help eligible Minnesotans receive benefits more quickly and accurately while improving the tools that county and Tribal Nation workers rely on every day.
- Programs currently in MNbenefits, Minnesota’s online benefits application: SNAP, Cash, Housing Support, Emergency Assistance and Child Care Assistance.
- The effort begins with implementing an integration layer, a digital connection between systems that introduces critical automation and modern integration capabilities.
- Initial work will focus on connecting programs in MNbenefits with MAXIS.
- MNBenefits: Minnesota’s online benefits application for SNAP, Cash, Housing Support, Emergency Assistance and Child Care Assistance.
- MAXIS, the State system of record for cash and food eligibility determinations and for some Medical Assistance program participants, utilized daily by county and Tribal Nation eligibility workers to determine and administer benefits.
- An integration layer enables different systems to share and transfer information easily and reliably on a modern technology platform.
- This technology will create a foundation for future improvements to Minnesota’s human services systems. It is helping us to upgrade our current system connections to current technologies.
- An integration layer is also an exclusive system, not an additional layer on an existing system. Like the nervous system in the body, it connects and can operate exclusively from other systems.
- When systems connect and information sharing is automated, it reduces administrative burden for staff. Our county and Tribal Nation workers review and process tens of thousands of applications each year.
- Today, many of our human services systems do not easily share or automate information. Because of this, workers enter the same information more than once, sometimes in the same system, but often in multiple systems that are not well connected.
- With the focus of this project, we anticipate that workers will be able to spend more time helping families understand their benefits and get the support they need.
- The integration between MNbenefits and MAXIS will reduce manual data entry, resulting in less time spent on duplicate work and leading to fewer errors to identify and correct.
- Minnesotans who apply for benefits often depend on quick decisions to support their families. By connecting these systems, the goal is to see applications move through the process more smoothly.
- These improvements can help reduce delays in benefit determinations and make the application process more reliable.
- It will help make applying for benefits simpler and give workers better tools to review applications and help families.
- Using the integration layer, future improvements could include new tools for workers and applicants.
- It will also enable a gradual reduction in reliance on MAXIS for core functions that no longer meet current user experience requirements.
- The effort will move forward in small, manageable phases to allow the state to test improvements, learn from early pilots, and minimize disruption.
- County and Tribal Nation partners will play a key role in shaping the pilot and identifying future priorities.
- This phased and iterative approach allows the state to improve systems while continuing to serve Minnesotans effectively.
- This implementation is in addition to and happening simultaneously with other systems modernizations efforts (i.e. SSIS and PRISM). Additionally, it is seen as a step in modernization plans to start immediately addressing pain points, making application processing easier for families and workers.
- Creating system connections enables data sharing between state systems, reduces the potential for errors with manual transfer, and brings visibility into how programs operate.
- These improvements help ensure benefits reach eligible Minnesotans while maintaining strong stewardship of public resources.
- This more immediately addresses current needs and pain points while working toward a shared vision of a more modernized human services infrastructure.
- A robust and modern integration layer is a long-term investment in building a more connected and reliable human services technology ecosystem.
- Early phases focus on reducing the time to benefits, while the broader goal is to create systems that are easier to use, more resilient, and better able to meet the needs of Minnesota families.
- DCYF and MNIT currently have funding for the initial costs of the One MN Reduce Time to Benefits project. This includes initial costs for the integration layer, the pilot, and contracting vendors to support the work.
- This initial funding includes $1 million from Minnesota Technology Modernization Funds.
- Funding to cover the ongoing costs of the integration layer, as well as several high-priority additional improvements and long-term, comprehensive modernization planning, is included in the Governor’s supplemental budget and will need to be allocated by the Legislature.
- The Governor’s supplemental budget funds planning and capacity to develop a phased roadmap to update human services IT systems and create a modernized application and eligibility system. Specifically, this proposal has three investments to create this phased roadmap:
- First, the Governor recommends addressing MAXIS inefficiencies by creating improvements on the current system, leveraging the integration layer.
- Second, the Governor recommends funding a comprehensive plan to establish a roadmap for modernization, with the goal of a cross-agency application and eligibility system, making it easier for families to get what they need and reducing burden for the county and Tribal eligibility workers.
- Third, the Governor recommends increasing staff capacity at the agencies to coordinate strategic planning and leadership for the cross-agency systems modernization.
- The state is developing strategies related to MAXIS modernization. We intend to include partners at the table to ensure that the future state meets workers’ needs.
- An integration layer is a key component of a modernized technology infrastructure. The integration layer will allow the state near-term to reduce some dependencies on MAXIS.
- Future applications built using the integration layer could mean only using the parts of MAXIS that work well and facilitate not utilizing MAXIS at all as an option. This option has not existed in the systems infrastructure until now.
- MAXIS could be fully replaced in the future, if the funding is appropriated, but replacement is not required to improve the user experience.
- The integration layer serves both purposes.
- It allows us to begin addressing current system challenges and improve the worker experience right away. The MNbenefits to MAXIS pilot is the first way we will use the integration layer to deliver these immediate improvements.
- Lessons learned from the pilot will also help shape how the integration layer can support longer-term system modernization.
What is the Reducing Time to Benefits Project?
Why is this work needed?
What programs will be the focus of this project?
What is the first step?
What systems are impacted by this project?
What is an integration layer?
How will the integration layer help county and Tribal Nation eligibility workers in the near term?
How will these improvements help Minnesotans apply for benefits?
What benefits will the integration layer provide over time?
How is the State approaching this work?
How will this work help strengthen program integrity?
How is this project a long‑term investment in Minnesota’s human services systems?
How much of this work is currently funded?
How does the Governor’s supplemental budget support this work?
Does this approach mean MAXIS won’t be replaced?
Is the integration layer intended to help address an immediate need or is it part of a wider modernization effort?
MnBenefits to MAXIS Pilot Updates
A vendor, Boomi, has been hired and onboarded to support the implementation and installation of the integration layer.
A proof of concept has been completed, which successfully demonstrated that the selected technology can connect with MAXIS, confirming the integration layer approach can work within Minnesota’s existing systems.
- Initial design and development are underway for a pilot to connect MNbenefits and MAXIS.
- This next step was chosen based on counties and Tribes identifying manual data entry between these systems as an administrative burden, a major source of delays and an opportunity to introduce errors.
- The pilot will establish and test a limited functionality, web-based worker interface.
- Initial design and development are underway for a pilot to connect MNbenefits and MAXIS.
- This next step was chosen based on counties and Tribes identifying manual data entry between these systems as an administrative burden, a major source of delays and an opportunity to introduce errors.
- The pilot will establish and test a limited worker interface.
- No. Based on feedback, we know there are concerns with moving MNbenefits data automatically into MAXIS; additionally, there is no direct alignment between the MNbenefits application data and MAXIS.
- The worker interface will provide the opportunity for a human review and confirmation of any data before it’s sent to MAXIS. The distinction is that data from a MNbenefits application will not need to be re-keyed into MAXIS.
- DCYF and MNIT will lead an effort to scope and define the work for the pilot.
- An external implementation vendor will be hired to support project success.
- Once onboarded, the vendor will begin engaging with counties and Tribal Nations to inform the direction of the pilot, in partnership with state staff.
- Success for the pilot is defined by three key outcomes:
- 4–7 counties/Tribal Nations launch and operate the pilot, with eligibility teams actively applying the new workflow.
- An integration between MNbenefits and MAXIS is established through the integration layer.
- Application intake is streamlined through a worker interface that leads to a better worker experience and decreased manual data entry.
- Counties and Tribal Nations remain essential partners in this work and will help shape the pilot to ensure it reflects real operational needs.
- A small group of counties and Tribal Nations will be identified to participate in the pilot to test and use the MNbenefits to MAXIS integration.
- The state will also continue working closely with partners to identify and prioritize future improvements to ensure they address the needs of the workers.
- The goal is to begin pilot implementation in mid-2026, with testing and feedback continuing through the remainder of the year. This phase will serve as an opportunity to learn from real-world use and adjust as needed.
- Pilot outcomes will be evaluated against clearly defined measures, and findings will guide iterative next steps.
- Many local agencies have already invested in tools and technology to support their operations. These local innovations continue to play an important role and complement the statewide effort.
- Existing efforts align with this work. They share the same goals of supporting workers and improving public benefit processes. They can inform each other as the projects move forward.
- The state will collaborate with partners, share lessons, and apply insights across teams, agencies, and in future modernization efforts.
What recent work has been completed?
What work is currently underway?
In the pilot, will data move automatically from MNbenefits to MAXIS?
What can we expect as next steps?
What does success look like for this pilot?
What role will counties and Tribal Nations play in this project?
When will counties and Tribal Nations see changes because of the pilot?
How do current county and Tribal Nation technology investments fit with this work?