News and Stories

“Code for America’s project of making benefits easier to access and use, though it may sound banal, can have huge ramifications… Lifting the bureaucratic weight from the shoulders of poor Americans can get them more resources, free them up to achieve their goals and even strengthen democracy.”

“For an application that used to take an average of 110 minutes to fill out, [Code for America] got to a form that takes 12 minutes on average, is available in multiple languages, is at a third grade reading level—for the same nine benefit programs.”

“The organization Code for America has long been focused on how to make it easier for people to get the benefits they’re eligible for … The point is not to do it for government, but to push government to do things better.”

“For the past decade ... Code for America has … studied applicants’ experiences and advised states on how to simplify their systems. It has built tools to clear a person’s criminal record, connect them with a volunteer tax preparer, and sign them up for valuable tax credits. Now, with $100 million in new donations, Code for America is planning to double in size and scope, and “unlock” $30 billion in benefits for millions of families in 15 states.”

“As marijuana is legalized, states are offering programs to expunge the records of people who were convicted of possession before legalization. But it often requires complicated paperwork. Code For America has automated that process in California…”

“[Code for America] started building a secure way for people to upload their tax documents with an online service called GetYourRefund, and still get help from a volunteer tax preparer. It’s aimed at helping low-income people, millions of whom don’t file each year, claim tax credits they’re due. It fully launched just days before the IRS volunteer sites shut down, quickly becoming the only way the volunteer tax preparers could keep working.”

“Code for America … launched a free, mobile-friendly platform in both English and Spanish … released in collaboration with the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the White House … Code for America’s sign-up tool uses a simplified return that only includes information needed to sign up for the credit, so it should be easier for families to submit their information.”

“Code for America, a nonprofit group, spent years devising a portal that makes it easier for Californians to apply for food stamps … With its California portal, Code for America cut the time it took to apply for food stamps by three-quarters or more.”