Verify - Submit verification documents via MMS

[lippytak]

Verify - Submit verification documents via MMS

BLUF: Let's see if picture messaging helps get people enrolled in the SF CalFresh program. AKA is this the right solution for the right problem?

We've been talking about this for a while:

• Clean issue on verification: Verification doc upload clean#21
• General project idea/discussion on MMSing stuff to gov: "Text it to us!": An MMS gateway for gov't project-ideas#20
• Twitter discussion on some risks and privacy considerations: https://twitter.com/lippytak/status/532659798538326016

The problem
While building Clean we've learned that a big barrier to enrolling in CalFresh is getting verification docs to HSA, like income statements, birth certificates, utility bills, etc. There are a few challenges here:

1. It's hard to figure out what docs you need because it depends a lot on the specifics of the case and sometimes you can't know what you need until AFTER you submit your initial application (longer story).
2. If you're missing something, HSA will usually send you a letter about it...need I say more?
3. Once you know which docs you need to submit, it can be a logistical pain to submit them.

Problems 1/2 above are tricky and mostly related to internal business process. We're considering that mostly fixed. But we think we can partially address 3 by letting clients submit verification docs via MMS (picture text message). This issue sketches out the problem and a proposed MVP spec.

Right now the SF CalFresh program accepts verification docs through a few channels:

• In person
• Mail
• MBCW if you have an account, which anecdotally is pretty rare (why create an account if you don't have to?)
• Fax
• Email (unclear if this is "officially" supported but they check it and have a business process for processing incoming docs)

Most of these require a scanner and printer. Not good. Email is better but requires a scanner and/or camera phone with internet access and an email address. Better, but not great. Can we get to GREAT with MMS?

MVP spec

• A passive twilio phone number that takes a picture message and body text and sends it all directly to food@sfgov.org. Internal business process takes care of the rest.
• Static auto response text along the lines of Thanks for submitting a doc to SF CalFresh! Remember to include your case number. Questions? Call the SF Food Bank at ### Or maybe call HSA?
• Link to google form in email so we can collect a bit of info from the HSA side
• Users have to include some info in the message body to make sure HSA can connect the doc to the right case (confirmed with Noel):
  • Case number or
  • Full name + Full DOB or
  • Full Name + last 4 digits of SSN or
  • Full SSN (we should not do this)
• I've confirmed (but not tested) that there's an internal business process to check this email address at least daily on weekdays and that they process verification docs
• Non-features/goals
  • No database
  • No outbound texts ever
  • No integration with Clean or Connect or anything
  • No new way for HSA to do outbound communication with clients
  • No encryption or anything fancy...not good in the long run and worth a discussion now. I don't think encryption this is MVP because many different people (5-10) check food@sfgov.org and I'm not sure it makes sense to have them all remember the same password and teach them to unzip things before basic validation.
• Validation
  • Do users like it? We'll get at this by talking to them (and ask them during user research)
  • Does HSA like it? We'll get at this by talking to them (mostly clerical team)
  • What % of submitted docs are processed and connected to the right case (hoping we can get this through Google Form)
  • How big is this problem in SF? Some proxies:
    • What % of applicatoins are denied due to missing verification docs
    • How many people/families have MMS but not data on their phones?

Note none of the validation bullets above capture the potential of enabling NEW types of applications like what Francesca/Liliana mentioned so open to ideas for how to capture that.

@alanjosephwilliams @daguar let's consider this in sprint planning on Mon. But feel free to drop questions/comments here if you want to start the convo before then. I'll raise this in the abstract tomorrow with HSA and see if I can get connected to the right people to do the validation part.

[lippytak]

Initial research email sent out to HSA folks to weigh in on ‘minimum info required to match with case.'