State agencies deliver needed services with help from Speridian and Google Cloud

Agencies at all levels of government are looking to technology in order to scale their efforts, respond quickly and provide critical services to the community. When $10B was allocated to the Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) local state agencies needed to act quickly to assist homeowners avoid mortgage delinquencies, defaults, foreclosures or loss of utilities. All of the funds needed to be securely distributed, and the burden of that distribution fell directly on the states. With the well-being of families and communities at risk, states needed to go live with the HAF portal quickly to get funds to constituents in need.

Responding to the need

Implementing a successful technology solution to provide efficient case adjudication and distribute funding requires states to work with a vendor they can trust. States need someone with the technology capability and experience to set up the program, define eligibility criteria, create application processes, establish the intake and case management infrastructure, and generate reports to measure the program’s effectiveness. The success of the program depends on the:

• Ease and speed of setup and deployment

• Strength of security and fraud prevention

• Flexibility alongside policy changes

• Automation options

• Ability to scale with need

Speridian, a Google Cloud Partner, was quick to respond, ensuring its FedRAMP-certified CaseXellence platform could handle specific needs of the HAF. Five states—Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Indiana, and Arizona—chose the CaseXellence Financial Aid Management System (FAMS) to deliver financial assistance programs. For all five states, customer-facing portals went live within 45 days of project kickoff, and the first payments were dispersed within three days of application approvals.

A flexible, scalable base for an advanced solution

Choosing CaseXellence for their HAF platforms gave states several advantages. The FAMS Module was flexible enough to meet the needs of the ARPA as a whole without neglecting the individual needs of each state. With hundreds of thousands of people applying for aid, the platform needed to scale. A combination of core Google Cloud serverless technologies like Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), Firebase, Google Translate, Cloud SQL, BigQuery, and Looker worked to accommodate this.

The CaseXellence platform’s low-code workflows and automation tools enabled states to set up, change, and manage processes as their needs change. Application intake, case processing, counseling, eligibility and verification, payment disbursement, user administration, business rules, workflow engine, document management, and reporting could also be tailored for each state. 

CaseXellence paired perfectly with BigQuery and Looker to bring agencies key program performance metrics and create reports to meet state and federal mandates. This data also let them forecast how the response to the program might fluctuate alongside policy changes.

Tailored experiences for all

The commitment Speridan and the states it serves made to customized programs and community outreach paid off. Homeowners were able to apply for the program online and via mobile devices. Automated delinquency verification streamlined agency collaboration and fast-tracked application processing time. 

Caseworkers and counselors could review applications and perform adjudication quickly. They were able to correspond with applicants not only through the portal but also on mobile devices. Program managers could use the data from the platform’s easy-to-use reporting and analytical features to submit federal and state reports. On average, the 5 Speridan states were able to disburse up to 68% of their funds in the first 12 months.

Each state’s HAF program demonstrates how a tailored approach can significantly affect program results. Case management and business process management applications can be crucial to the success of mission-critical initiatives for state and local government. Speridian can help states limit fraud, create a positive impact with its programs, and ensure communities are well supported.