Aligned Customer-Centered Ecosystem of Services & Supports (ACCESS)

Building capacity for customer-centered health, human services, and workforce systems alignment

Join Data SAIL

APHSA is inviting state health, human services, and workforce agencies to apply to join the Data & Impact State Action & Innovation Lab - "Data SAIL." Three cross-sector state teams will have access to technical assistance and innovation funds to develop data-enabled solutions to create cohesive services across the health, human services, and workforce ecosystem.

Data SAIL RFP Webinar: August 21, 2025 4:00 pm ET
RFP Submission Deadline: September 19, 2025

WOOL

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Data SAIL Request for Proposals

Get ready to apply to join the State Action + Innovation Lab! APHSA, NASWA, the Coleridge Initiative, and U.S. Digital Response will provide innovation grants and technical assistance to 3 cross-agency state teams advancing health and human services and workforce ecosystem alignment goals by using data-enabled solutions.

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Journey Maps

The customer journey maps below cover the current state of benefit access across the HHS and workforce ecosystem, the desired future state of benefit access, and key action steps that can be taken to bridge the identified gaps. These maps were created in consultation with strategic consultants with lived experience accessing health, human services, and workforce programs.

Current State Journey Map

Future State Journey Map

Customer Insights

Learn more about centering customer needs in aligned health, human services, and workforce ecosystem through the resources below. All items below were co-created with people with lived experience accessing health, human services, and workforce programs.

Customer Personas

Co-created with the Customer Advisory Council, these customer personas can support public agency program strategy development.

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ACCESS Ecosystem - Advisors & Collaborators

The ACCESS Ecosystem consists of project advisors and key collaborators from the health, human services, and workforce sectors. Project advisors also include customers with lived experience accessing public benefits—they make up the Community Impact Council.

State Advisory Council

The State Advisory Council in ACCESS Phase 1 included 11 state public agency leaders that oversee health, human services, and workforce programs. Its members provided deep subject matter expertise, assisted with resource development and distribution, and facilitated greater buy-in among their networks.

Washington
Connecticut
Arkansas

California
Michigan
Utah

Arizona
Minnesota
Wisconsin

Hawaii
Colorado

Community Impact Council (CIC)

Formerly known as the Customer Advisory Council, the CIC consists of 8 strategic consultants with lived experience accessing health, human services, and workforce programs. Its members have heavily contributed to establishing the foundation of the ACCESS project’s findings and guiding the direction of the project’s next phase of work. The CIC will continue to stay involved through the Data & Impact Insights State Action & Implementation Lab - "Data SAIL".

Abundance Zaddy
David Loaeza, California
Essence Gray, Indiana
Erinna Hinds, Texas

Keith Lowhorne, Alabama
Michelle Denae Garcia, Colorado
Queen "Dedria" Johnson, Colorado
Sneha Bhakta Preyer, Arizona

Peer Associations

The listed peer associations have been engaged through surveys, interviews, and focus groups to enable ACCESS to gather valuable insights, benefit from their expertise, and understand the challenges and opportunities within the human services and workforce sectors.

Collaborating Organization	Relevant Project Sector
Human Services IT Advisory Group	Data & Technology
National Association of Medicaid Directors	Health
National Association of State Directors of Adult Education	Education
National Association of Workforce Boards	Workforce Development
National Association of Workforce Development Professionals	Workforce Development
National Child Support Engagement Association	Human Services
National Council of Child Support Directors	Human Services
National Governors Association	Cross-Sectional
Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehab	Workforce Development

Internal Member Networks

These collaborators are committees within APHSA and NASWA memberships. Each committee has engaged their complex networks of collaborators in the alignment and modernization space. These groups play a crucial role in facilitating the involvement of diverse collaborators in alignment and modernization.

Member Committees	Focus Area
Unemployment Insurance (UI) Committee	Workforce Policy & Practice
Workforce IT Support Center Steering Committee	Data, Technology, & Innovation
State Workforce Administrators	Program Leadership & Management
UI IT Support Center	Data, Technology, & Innovation
E&T Policy Committee	Workforce Policy & Practice
National Association of State TANF Administrators	TANF
IT Solutions Management for Human Services	Data, Technology, and Innovation
Human Services CEOs	Executive Leadership Management
American Association of SNAP Directors	SNAP
Process Innovation Community of Practice	Data, Technology, and Innovation

National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA)

The National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) is the national organization representing all 50 state workforce agencies, D.C. and U.S. territories. These agencies deliver training, employment, career, business and wage and hour services, in addition to administering unemployment insurance, veteran reemployment and labor market information programs. NASWA provides policy expertise, shares promising state practices, and promotes state innovation and leadership in workforce development. Learn More Here.

The Coleridge Initiative

The Coleridge Initiative is a nonprofit organization working with governments to ensure that data are more effectively used for public decision-making. We achieve this both by providing a platform to securely link confidential data within and across states and agencies, and by providing data literacy training to agency staff. Our platform is the Administrative Data Research Facility (ADRF) which is a secure, FedRAMP-authorized, cloud-based environment that enables government agencies to link their longitudinal data with other states and agencies. Learn More Here.

Multi-State Data Collaborative (MSDC)

As a collaborative initiative among NASWA, the Coleridge Initiative, APHSA, and other partners and funders, the MSDC brings state agency program, policy, and data experts together to focus on using agency administrative data to address critical program and policy questions. The MSDC provides agency staff with a supportive network to share ideas, access technical assistance, and share their practices and products across functional, sectoral, and state lines. MSDC members can also join topic-based and technical working groups to develop projects that lead to data products that inform policies and improve programs and practices at the local, state, and regional levels. Learn More Here.

United States Digital Response (USDR)

U.S. Digital Response (USDR) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works alongside governments at all levels to ensure they have the capacity to meet the public's needs. USDR leverages a network of pro bono technical expertise to address common, systemic challenges facing public servants. As of January 2025, USDR has partnered with over 500 government and nonprofit partners on nearly 600 projects, across 50+ states and territories. USDR has built a dedicated community of over 10,000 pro bono specialists driven to serve in a time of need. Learn More Here.

Project Resources & Ways to Get Involved

Project Background Resources