RAPID: Developing a Benefits Distribution System to Facilitate Economic Recovery from the Impact of COVID-19

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The project aims to serve the national need of developing Pandemic Response benefits distribution systems to support individuals eligible for unemployment benefits and other services. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused the shutdown of many sectors in the US economy, resulting in an unprecedented amount of unemployment claims in a short period of time. This project seeks to (1) help states develop and deploy Pandemic Response benefits distribution systems needed to meet the high demand of unemployment insurance claims, including for workers newly eligible under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program; (2) analyze administrative data to understand needs of the impacted population; (3) develop and deploy outreach and support systems to connect the impacted population to government support systems and labor training programs to help individuals find gainful re-employment; and (4) facilitate the sharing of findings to increase the national impact. This project builds upon a pilot that was designed to facilitate and deploy a benefits application collection system for Rhode Islanders (NSF award 1937061). The pilot successfully developed and deployed the system through a collaborative effort with Research Improving People's Lives, Amazon Web Services, and the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training. This current project will expand and refine the pilot effort to be openly shared with other states. This project aims to design and deploy Pandemic Response benefits distribution systems, such as those needed for unemployment insurance claims, so that states can support their residents during the crisis. The project will analyze state administrative data, including administrative data on earnings, employment, and public assistance programs to quickly deliver insights that help identify needs of the impacted population. By deploying outreach support systems to connect impacted individuals to training programs and government support systems, this project aims to help individuals find gainful re-employment after the COVID-19 shutdown. The project will facilitate sharing findings through video conference meetings to disseminate results and evidence-based practices to the public, including state policy leaders, as an effort to support a national economic recovery.This RAPID award is made by the Convergence Accelerator program in the Office of Integrative Activities and is associated with the Convergence Accelerator Track B: Future of Work and the Human-Technology Frontier.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.