BEARS Bi weekly Check ins

Phase 3 Status

June 8th, 2021

Continued development work on proof of concept
Continued design work
- Created rough draft end-to-end user experience map (in Figjam)
- Began exploring different designs for questionnaire
Continued on eligibility rules decomposition and questionnaire design for VA, FEMA and SSA benefits programs
Continued efforts on partnership development
- Created rough draft tiered partnership framework
Working with broader USA.gov team to address PII and PRA implications, and ongoing content management risks
Submitted the 30% Checkpoint report

Established an initial product backlog (for the first vertical slice)
Continued development work on proof of concept
Started on wireframes and microcopy
Continued on eligibility rules decomposition and questions design for VA and FEMA benefits programs
Had further partnership discussions with VA
Had a discussion with GSA Privacy Analyst about PTA, PIA and SORN processes and PII collection implications
Further researched PRA implications
Ben is back!!

Continue to pursue partnership discussions with VA and FEMA
- Meeting with VA's Burials and Memorials program folks to review eligibility rules and questionnaire
- Meeting with FEMA's Housing Assistance program folks to discuss potential partnership
Reach out to Benefits.gov team again to discuss SSA BEST
Continue building and refining the product backlog
Continue breaking down additional benefits programs' eligibility rules
Continue on proof of concept, wireframes and content
Chat with GSA/USA.gov
- ISSO regarding PTA with PII process
- Regarding PRA process
- Digital Council review
- Regarding email platform and user segments for benefits services
Demo the first iteration to stakeholders and start initial usability testing
Start on cross-cultural comparisons of proactive notifications and one-stop-shop e-government frameworks

Continued on user story writing and establishing a backlog
- Vertical slices workshop to better plan work and write user stories
Started on dev environment setup and proof of concept
Completed eligibility rules decomposition for the first VA benefits program
Continued to pursue partnership discussions SSA and VA
Verified no PRA implications of planned future research, but BEARS related information collection may require PRA clearance
Completed an initial design brief
Started doing BEARS Friday facts

Continue to pursue partnership discussions with VA, SSA and HHS
- Meeting with VA to discuss the next steps in developing a partnership
- Meeting with HHS to discuss potential partner programs
Connect with Benefits.gov team to discuss SSA BEST
Continue eligibility rules decomposition for the initial benefits programs
Continue on proof of concept
Chat with USA.gov SORN team
Start on cross-cultural comparisons of proactive notifications and one-stop-shop e-government frameworks

Have started regular check-ins with project stakeholders (USA.gov)
Had an initial conversation with USA.gov technical resource
Started mapping user flow and impact across multiple timescales
Started formalizing the technical approach for the first iteration of the solution
Started writing user stories
Had an initial conversation with VA regarding potential partnership
Completed usability benchmarking
Started a conversation with former Eligibility APIs Initiative team

Get approval from USA.gov for the initial technical approach
Continue on user story writing and establish a backlog (identify the first narrow vertical slice)
Start on proof on concept
Continue to pursue partnership discussions with VA and SSA
Continue discussions with USA.gov and 18F teams
Start on cross-cultural comparisons of proactive notifications and one-stop-shop e-government frameworks

Contact the team at [email protected] or reach out to Sarah Statz.