Description

The Benefits Explorer Tool (BET) is a free, bilingual (English and Spanish) web and mobile platform that helps families learn about and access public benefits, community programs, and social services.

Developed as part of the Medical-Financial Partnership (MFP) care model, the BET was co-designed with parents, clinicians, social workers, and the technology partner, One Degree. Families can use the BET to explore benefits such as Medicaid, CalFresh (California’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program [SNAP]), Women, Infants, and Children [WIC], utility discounts, Head Start, and other anti-poverty supports. The BET is anonymous, free, and includes vetted, factual information regarding immigration and public charge concerns, ensuring that all families—regardless of status—can safely access resources that support their health and well-being.

Need / Problem Statement

Public benefit programs such as SNAP, WIC, and housing or utility supports are critical to mitigating intergenerational poverty and improving child and family health.

However, many eligible families remain under-enrolled due to complex application processes, language and literacy barriers, fear stemming from immigration policy, and stigma. 

In Los Angeles County, many eligible residents do not access CalFresh benefits—leaving an estimated $560 million unused annually, enough to lift hundreds of thousands out of poverty. Surveys from MFP clinics found that only one-third of eligible families were enrolled in CalFresh, yet 95% of families wanted help from their health care team in connecting to programs such as CalFresh, childcare, and transportation. This gap underscored the need for an accessible, trustworthy, and family-centered tool that would link healthcare to financial well-being. 

Process

Using a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) framework, the MFP team co-designed the BET based on years of experience providing one-on-one social work support for families in pediatric care.

The design process involved family leaders, who helped validate and refine the user experience and content, clinicians and social workers, who ensured the tool was practical for clinical workflows, and the technology partner One Degree, who built the web/mobile platform. Additionally, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (LAC-DHS) and UCLA supported implementation and communications strategies. 

Organizational readiness was grounded in existing collaborations across four large prenatal and pediatric clinics, with strong administrative and family partnerships already established through the broader MFP model.

Partnership

Families were central to every stage of the BET’s development.

Members of the MFP Family Leader Group participated in multiple co-design sessions to validate and improve the user flow and interface and refine language and clarity of content. Along with MFP Staff, MFP Family Leaders also helped develop plain-language explanations addressing public charge and immigration concerns, and they co-designed materials (flyers, text campaigns) to introduce the BET to other families. 

The collaboration also involved community-based organizations, clinician leaders, and LAC-DHS’s Patient Engagement Communications team, creating a sustainable feedback loop between families, providers, and systems.

Implementation

The BET was rolled out across multiple DHS clinics and integrated into preventive health workflows—particularly during prenatal and well-child visits—ensuring families were connected to resources at key developmental milestones. Implementation took 12–24 months and followed an iterative, collaborative process that included: 

• Co-design sessions that refined usability, language, and outreach approaches
• Weekly meetings with One Degree to translate parent and clinician feedback into platform updates
• Coordination with clinician leaders and DHS teams to finalize the launch strategy
• Evaluation cycles that included user metrics, surveys, and focus groups to inform continuous improvement

Changes & Outcomes

Since its launch, the BET has significantly expanded family engagement by making resource access part of the care experience.

Parents reported strong comfort with this integration. Over 95% said they wanted their healthcare team to provide benefits enrollment support.

Iterative improvements based on parent feedback, particularly revisions to outreach messaging and simplification of tool navigation, which led to measurable increases in click rates and platform use. The BET has become a trusted bridge connecting thousands of families to public benefits, improving financial stability, and fostering stronger provider-family relationships. One parent leader described the BET as “a tool that makes getting help feel like part of care, not something separate from it.”

Measurement for Success

Success is tracked through both quantitative and qualitative data, including: 

• Number of unique users and click-through rates

• Qualitative surveys and interviews with families to understand usability and impact

• Clinician and staff feedback on integration and workflow alignment

• Observation studies to assess efficiency and family comfort

• Iterative evaluation cycles to adapt the tool and improve engagement

Payment & Funding

• Funding type: The BET and its development were supported through philanthropic funding. This investment enabled co-design facilitation, platform development with One Degree, and ongoing evaluation.
• Anticipated gains: The innovation demonstrates potential for long-term financial return through improved benefit enrollment, reduced material hardship among families, and enhanced care team efficiency in addressing social needs.

To learn more about this innovation please email Drs. Monique Holguin ([email protected]) and Adam Schickedanz ([email protected]), Co-Directors of the Medical-Financial Partnership and PSP’s Los Angeles Proof Point Community.