MI Bridges, the new, streamlined website where Michigan residents can apply for state benefits and connect with community resources, has been recognized with state and national awards.
MI Bridges, the new, streamlined website where Michigan residents can apply for state benefits and connect with community resources, has been recognized with state and national awards.
The state recently announced MI Bridges has garnered a national honor for excellence in health and human services technology, along with a state award for providing the best people-centered user experience.
As CMF has reported, MI Bridges launched statewide in April as part of a multi-year project by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to streamline the system for Michiganders who apply for benefits such as food assistance, child development and care, the Healthy Michigan plan, Medicaid and other critical services.
In one of the two briefings in the past two years, MDHHS shared with the Office of Foundation Liaison (OFL) and CMF members how the old system unintentionally created barriers for those it serves, with a person facing an application of more than 60 pages and more than 1,000 questions as well as a separate application process for each benefit.
MDHHS said Michigan’s previous application was the longest assistance application of all 50 states.
The department estimated as many as 75 percent of Michiganders seeking benefits were denied due to barriers in the complex application process.
That’s why the state, Michigan Association of United Ways, OFL, CMF and several of our members worked to support the effort to integrate service delivery under the new MI Bridges model, to make the process more user-friendly and timelier, unlocking state-funded benefits for those in need.
MDHHS worked with Civilla, a nonprofit organization, to create a more human-centered design for its application, using a “holistic, proactive, and preventative approach focused on outcomes.”
Now that MI Bridges has been underway statewide for six months, MDHHS joined CMF members at CMF’s 46th Annual Conference to walk us through the changes, provide an update and share a demonstration of the new model.
MDHHS shared the latest data on the new and improved platform:
The average application time is now 17 minutes.
There are more than 487,000 registered users.
More than 394,000 applications have been submitted.
Users have checked their benefits through the online platform more than 723,000 times, which MDHHS says has reduced the number of calls to caseworkers.
There are more than 2,500 community partner users registered with the system that make it possible for individuals to find access to government and non-government programs within one system.
MI Bridges now has a call center so individuals don't have to reach a specific case worker if they have a question or concern about their case.
At the conference, MDHHS shared how foundations can help scale use of the system by connecting their grantees with MI Bridges.
For instance, MDHHS is looking for community partners who can promote MI Bridges by displaying promotional materials, provide a computer or mobile device for residents to access MI Bridges and/or serve as a referral partner so they can receive referrals on their MI Bridges dashboard and connect with the client directly.
MDHHS shared these additional ideas for funders who want to be involved:
Ask your grantees to register their services with Michigan 2-1-1.
Utilize your community leadership and convening role to recruit partners.
Support MI Bridges community partners who have technology needs to ensure they can connect users with the system.
Support community partners to help them integrate MI Bridges into their business processes.
Now in the second phase of development, MI Bridges is working toward a stronger 2-1-1 partnership; Great Start to Quality childcare database integration; Women, Infants and Children (WIC) integration and assistance from Legal Services of Michigan as part of increasing its person-centered network.
Anyone can check out the new platform and Michigan residents don’t need an existing MDHHS case to use the new website, they can connect with resources throughout the state.
If you’d like more information on MI Bridges or want to learn more about supporting this model with your grantees, please connect with Stephen Arellano, foundation coordinator, OFL.
Want more?
Connect with MI Bridges.
View the MI Bridges promotional video.
Check out the slides from MDHHS’ presentation at CMF’s 46th Annual Conference.
