NGA Convenes State and Territory Leaders Focused on Strengthening Safety Net Programs and Implementing New Federal Requirements

On September 14 and 15, 2026, NGA convened state and territory leaders at the Microsoft Innovation & Policy Center in Washington, D.C. to help them strengthen their human services programs. Hosted by the National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices, with support from Microsoft and U.S. Digital Response (USDR), the convening brought together teams from American Samoa, Hawaiʻi, and Louisiana to launch a 12-month Policy Academy focused on strengthening the administration of and access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid amid new federal requirements under H.R. 1.

Each participating state and territory sent a cross-agency delegation to the event, including Medicaid and SNAP directors and deputy directors, chief information and technology officers, governors' policy advisors, and program staff spanning children and family services, workforce development, and health and human services. After welcome remarks from Microsoft, NGA staff, along with representatives and USDR, facilitated the two-day kickoff alongside subject matter experts from Code for America, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program, and Steady IQ.

Identifying and Setting Goals

The kickoff opened with welcome remarks from NGA and Microsoft, followed by introductions from each state and territory team, who shared their goals for the Policy Academy and the unique context shaping their SNAP and Medicaid systems. Examples ranged from American Samoa's distinct eligibility structure to Louisiana's newly created Office of Economic Independence. USDR then led a goal-setting workshop grounded in a shared framework distinguishing problems, goals, strategies, and action steps.

Following the workshop, a panel of national policy experts, moderated by NGA's Anna Heard and featuring speakers from Code for America, the Aspen Institute, Katch Strategies, and CBPP, unpacked the practical implications of H.R. 1 for SNAP and Medicaid compliance and integration. Panelists discussed new Medicaid work and community engagement requirements, more frequent eligibility redeterminations, shifting SNAP administrative cost-sharing, and the downstream effects these changs may have on related programs such as TANF. The discussion also addressed common misconceptions about benefits administration, the tension between reducing payment error rates and maintaining access for eligible residents, and strategies for cross-agency data sharing and crosswalking SNAP and Medicaid work-requirement policies.

The kickoff also featured a session on strategies to strengthen SNAP and Medicaid technology infrastructure and governance, moderated by NGA's Jess Kirchner with speakers from Steady IQ, Code for America, the Aspen Institute, and USDR. The conversation covered human-centered design practices for both frontline caseworkers and program participants, frameworks for evaluating vendor solutions and prioritizing technology investments amid budget constraints, core metrics states should track, and approaches to building trust and reducing perceived risk around interagency data sharing.

Key Takeaways

Throughout the convening, speakers and participants reflected on several common themes, including:

• Goals Should Describe Change, Not Just Activity. Many state and territory applications described activities, such as signing agreements or standing up committees, rather than the outcomes those activities are meant to produce. Teams were encouraged to continually ask what will actually be different for staff and clients, and to establish baselines now so progress can be measured over time.
• H.R. 1 Implementation Is a Marathon, Not a Sprint. Panelists emphasized that statutory deadlines are milestones within an ongoing body of work, not finish lines, and cautioned against treating technology alone as a solution. Panelists also noted that sustained improvement requires dedicated staff, well-designed processes, and realistic expectations.
• Cross-Agency Data Sharing Can Be More a People Problem Than a Tech Problem. Participants pointed to procurement timelines, legal review processes, funding transfer challenges, and interagency trust deficits, not technical infrastructure, as the primary barriers to integrating SNAP and Medicaid systems. Establishing clear governance structures, data-sharing agreements or compacts, and escalation pathways ahead of time can help address these barriers.
• User Research Should Inform Every Investment. Speakers underscored the value engaging directly with caseworkers and program participants, including those with lived experience, to identify real pain points before selecting technology solutions, and to help state leaders prioritize investments and defend them to legislatures and budget offices.
• A Strong Support Ecosystem Exists. States and territories have been connected to no-cost and low-cost technical assistance available through the Safety Net Response Network, Code for America, the Aspen Institute, USDR, and CBPP, spanning policy analysis, procurement support, data governance, and hands-on service design work. NGA will further this work by identifying additional providers who can help the state make more progress toward meeting their goals.

Next Steps

This kickoff launches a 12-month Policy Academy that will continue through July 2027. American Samoa, Hawaiʻi, and Louisiana will refine the goals and success measures developed during this convening, receive tailored technical assistance from NGA and partner organizations, and participate in additional virtual and in-person peer learning opportunities. Teams will use the expert panels featured at the kickoff convening as a springboard for the technical assistance requests they bring into upcoming state-specific facilitation sessions with NGA.

For more information, please reach out to Jess Kirchner ([email protected]).