Appendix D. State Information Technology Director or Manager Interview Guide

OMB Approval No. 0584-####

Expiration Date: XX/XX/XX

Appendix D. State Information Technology Director or Manager Interview Guide

This information is being collected to assist the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) in understanding Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid coordination. This is a voluntary collection and FNS will use the information to aid in the administration of SNAP. This collection does request personally identifiable information under the Privacy Act of 1974. According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-[xxxx]. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 1 hour and 25 minutes (1.4167 hours) per response, including responding to recruitment outreach, participating in interviews, and reviewing and providing feedback on process maps. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Policy Support, 1320 Braddock Place, 5th Floor, Alexandria, VA 22306 ATTN: PRA (0584-xxxx). Do not return any completed materials to this address.

Information Technology Directors or Managers

Background

To start, we would like to ask for some background information about you, your role, and an organizational overview.

1. What is your current job title or position?

2. How long have you been in this position?

3. What are your primary responsibilities?

4. Do you work on both SNAP and Medicaid data systems?

Data Systems and Use of Electronic Data Sources in Eligibility Verification at Application and Renewal

Now we’re going to ask a series of questions about coordination activities between SNAP and Medicaid. We are particularly interested in MAGI Medicaid participants. When we use the word “coordination” we’d encourage you to think of that term broadly – it could encompass anything from policies, to procedures, to IT solutions to communication strategies that a state might use to coordinate between two programs. We are particularly interested in activities that have been shown to improve efficiency, customer service, accuracy, and/or program access.

To start, we’d like to ask you to provide details on the eligibility and enrollment data systems and use of electronic data sources in eligibility verification.

1. Can you provide an overview of how your State’s eligibility system works for SNAP and MAGI Medicaid participants?

1. Is it fully integrated, partially integrated, or separate?

   1. What is the name of the eligibility system(s)?

2. [If integrated or partially integrated] What was the process for integrating your State’s SNAP and Medicaid eligibility systems?

   1. What year were these integrated?

   2. What was the impetus for the investment in integrating eligibility systems?

   3. How do the programs interact as it relates to systems issues, maintenance, and upgrades/changes?

3. How does the eligibility system interact with online applications?

4. How does having a [insert type of eligibility system] impact your State’s ability to coordinate SNAP and Medicaid?

   1. What are the barriers and facilitators? (e.g., resources required to maintain, training staff, workforce requirements, etc.)

5. Is the eligibility system different for non-MAGI Medicaid participants?

6. Ask about existing process maps for the State’s data system.

2. Can you describe the electronic verification process for SNAP and MAGI-Medicaid participants?

1. What data sources are used?

2. Are electronic data sources unique to [State]?

3. Is this completed manually or is it automated?

4. Is this different for non-MAGI participants?

3. Can you walk us through what happens when a MAGI applicant applies for both SNAP and Medicaid?

   1. Is this the same process for non-MAGI applicants who are also applying for SNAP?

4. Can you describe what data sharing looks like between SNAP and MAGI Medicaid?

1. [If State uses auto eligibility determination and electronic verification]: Can you describe the process for conducting auto eligibility determination and electronic verification using SNAP data?

2. [If State conducts auto or ex parte renewals]: Can you describe the process for conducting auto or ex parte renewals using SNAP data?

3. What elements are shared (e.g., income, employment status, demographic characteristics, household information)?

   1. Are data ever shared with other community partners for the purpose of coordinating enrollment or renewal? If so, please describe the process and its effectiveness.

4. At what point in the process are data shared?

5. Is this the same process for SNAP and non-MAGI Medicaid participants?

6. What are barriers and facilitators to sharing SNAP and Medicaid data?

   1. Probe on:

      1. Data use agreements

      2. Updating systems/technology

      3. State rules about sharing personal identifiable information (PII) that impact sharing data with community partners or other outside organizations

7. How, if at all, has data sharing influenced how your State enrolls, renews, and serves applicants and participants?

Involvement of Vendors (if State involves vendors)

1. Did you work with any non-State vendors while coordinating SNAP and Medicaid?

   1. [If yes] What were their roles?

2. [If yes] Thinking about your relationship with these partners, what worked well in these partnerships? What has not worked well?

   1. Would you do anything to improve the partnership?

Lessons Learned and Promising Practices

To close, we would like to learn about any additional lessons that you have learned from coordinating SNAP and Medicaid processes and systems and any plans for the future.

1. What lessons have you learned coordinating SNAP and MAGI Medicaid?

1. What advice would you give to other agencies working to coordinate the programs?

2. Are there any promising practices or lessons learned from coordinating SNAP and non-MAGI Medicaid participants?

2. Have there been any unintended consequences of coordinating SNAP and MAGI Medicaid?

3. What changes, if any, would you make to Federal policies to improve the coordination of SNAP and Medicaid?

4. What changes, if any, would you make to State policies to improve the coordination of SNAP and Medicaid?

5. Is there anything we did not ask about you think is important for us to know?

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