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November 09, 2022

New Mexico WIC pioneers a first-in-the-nation integration with the Human Services Department on Azure, expanding access to public services

New Mexico’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) boosted participation by working with Microsoft subsidiary Vexcel to complete a first-in-the-nation integration with the state’s Human Services Department (HSD). Nationally, WIC participation has been declining rapidly for over a decade, and a time-consuming enrollment process prevented many qualified people from accessing resources. To change that, New Mexico WIC worked with Microsoft to introduce a new integrative process with the HSD on Microsoft Azure. Now when anyone applies for services through New Mexico HSD for SNAP, TANF, or Medicaid, they are automatically and securely assessed for potential participation in WIC.

New Mexicos Special Supplemental Nutrition Program For Women Infants and Children Wic

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) was suffering from a nationwide problem: its participation rates were declining rapidly. In the last 10 years, WIC has seen a 36 percent decline in use. After registering for one of the three adjunct programs—Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—few people have time to deal with another administrative process. As a result, those in need are missing out on valuable resources.

Though technically a federal program, WIC is administered by states, which can find new ways of working within the regulations. New Mexico saw an opportunity to reverse the downward trend by becoming the first state to integrate eligibility across federal programming. The state’s WIC program collaborated with the Human Services Department (HSD) to reduce the administrative process. 

Working with Microsoft subsidiary Vexcel, New Mexico started automatically referring potential applicants to WIC based on their eligibility for and participation in other programs—removing the need for duplicate processes. New Mexico’s game-changing approach to adjunct eligibility promises to reverse the national decline in WIC participation. 

Increasing the availability and efficiency of public services

“WIC offers a holistic approach,” says Gavino Archuleta, New Mexico WIC Program Analyst. “We educate folks about nutrition and lifestyle and maximize their SNAP and WIC dollars.” Yet program staff members often spend their short time with clients gathering basic information already provided to other state agencies.

Because participants had to go through two screening processes, the barrier to application was high. As a result, many of New Mexico’s most vulnerable people could not access the service, even though they were eligible. State administrators had an additional burden of 10–15 minutes per applicant.

To lower the administrative burden, government institutions would have to enter long-term partnerships with one another to integrate their aging infrastructure. Many states had attempted such moves, but they often proved too difficult. Meanwhile, national WIC participation fell from 9.7 million to 6.2 million from 2012 to 2022.

Taking on a nationwide challenge using Microsoft tools

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham started Children’s Cabinet in 2019, helping all New Mexico–based departments that focused on childhood hunger to streamline efforts and simplify access to services. “Why put our customers through multiple steps?” asks Archuleta. “When they apply for one thing, if we can see that they’re adjunctively eligible for other programs, why not approve them?”

When the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) announced a highly competitive grant in 2021, it was time to turn that idea into reality. “I mentioned the WIC project to APHSA team members, and they were super excited,” says Archuleta. New Mexico’s WIC program had created a detailed plan with vendors Microsoft and Deloitte. APHSA awarded the grant to six states, including New Mexico.

The New Mexico WIC program teamed up with the HSD to integrate the application process across state-administered programs. Using Microsoft Dynamics 365 and data analytics through Microsoft Power BI, the teams built a solution that notifies the New Mexico WIC program whenever an individual qualifies for a new program. Then the program informs the individuals of their ability to receive benefits. This has increased access to key resources for vulnerable populations and minimized paperwork, freeing staff time and letting nutritionists focus on nutrition.

Microsoft saw the value that the project could bring to mothers and children in need. “Microsoft management gave us its blessing and invested in a further stretch than the grant allowed,” says Sarah Flores-Sievers, WIC and Farmers Market Director for the New Mexico Department of Health. “It recognized that this would be a game changer, not only for New Mexico but also for the rest of the nation. So many states have been trying to crack the code, and we did it.” 

Measuring and maximizing the impact of government resources

Christa Mitchell, the Microsoft lead on the project, attributes its success to the team’s agile iterative mindset. After implementing Dynamics 365 and Power BI to collect, analyze, and use data, the New Mexico WIC program can view analytics that capture all an individual’s programs, enhancing strategy and reporting.

The introduction of automated referrals has brought WIC program resources to those in need. More than 30,000 individuals have learned of their eligibility since the integration went live in 2022, and approximately 3,000 have been fully certified to start receiving WIC benefits. That is a 5 percent increase in just over two months, even as national participation continues to decline.

Now New Mexico hopes to kick-start a wave of similar integration projects nationwide. “We got bombarded after we presented the integration at our national WIC conference in May,” says Flores-Sievers. “When we read the numbers, the room gasped.” Microsoft is working to implement similar integrations for the rest of the WIC MOSAIC consortium, consisting of New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, and eight Indian Tribal Organizations.

Using Microsoft to bring leading-edge tech to WIC program families

New Mexico’s WIC program plans to continue to use Microsoft technology to drive impact for people in need. “We’re going to keep making the WIC experience better and better,” says Flores-Sievers. “We believe that our WIC families deserve all the same access and technologies that people are accustomed to when they go to the doctor.” 

Those technologies help New Mexico WIC program participants receive coaching that improves their nutrition and health. It also helps conserve public resources. New Mexico WIC program participants qualify for Medicaid, and every dollar spent on the WIC program corresponds to a three-dollar savings on Medicaid. 

The return on investment that really matters to the New Mexico WIC program can’t be quantified. “There’s no way to put a price on changing people’s lives every day, and Microsoft feels the passion,” says Flores-Sievers. “It believes in what we’re trying to do. This is by far the best business relationship that I’ve ever had.”

New Mexico plans to continue using the power of Microsoft Azure capabilities to deliver innovative services. The next step is a big one: a mobile application. “The future is bringing the WIC program to mothers’ fingertips,” says Mitchell. “That’s where the game is really going to change.”

“Microsoft feels the passion. It believes in what we’re trying to do.”

Sarah Flores-Sievers, WIC and Farmers Market Director, New Mexico Department of Health

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