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Authority partners with MDRC to study why claimants fail to complete documentation
Summary
MDRC will conduct surveys and paid focus groups to learn why many claimants start paid-leave claims but do not submit required documentation; staff said 72% of denials relate to missing medical documentation and MDRC will use IRB-approved, opt-in research with gift cards for participants.
The Connecticut Paid Leave Authority announced a partnership with MDRC to research why many claimants begin paid-leave claims but do not complete required documentation, a problem staff identified as the leading reason for denials.
Jessica, who introduced the item on the committee call, said staff have been meeting with Rebecca and her team at MDRC for several months to design research to surface barriers to claim completion. "We have been meeting with Rebecca and her team over at MDRC, for the past couple of months," she said.
Rebecca, of MDRC’s Center for Applied Behavioral Science, told the committee the project — called "Using behavioral insights to advance paid family leave programs" — is funded by private foundations and will focus on claimant behavior, particularly people who get as far as starting a claim but do not submit documentation. "Our project is called using behavioral insights to advance paid family leave programs," she said.
MDRC described a two-step, opt-in process: an initial short screener followed by paid Zoom focus groups for those who consent. MDRC said Connecticut and Aflac (the program administrator) would perform the initial outreach to claimants; MDRC would not receive claimant names and said it would operate under its institutional review board (IRB) protections and provide gift cards to participants. MDRC emphasized it would not share personally identifying information with the authority and that participation would be voluntary and would not affect claim outcomes.
Staff and committee members said documentation problems are a major driver of denials. Molly noted a staff analysis showing 72 percent of claim denials were for reasons related to missing medical documentation. Rebecca and others said the qualitative research is intended to surface structural and behavioral reasons — for example, whether claimants never fit the policy definition, whether they change circumstances, or whether paperwork, employer interactions or medical provider processes create hurdles.
Committee members asked about related research by other groups. Rebecca said MDRC is coordinating with New America’s New Practice Lab and other researchers doing related work in states such as Minnesota and Maryland, and that each state's program context differs. She said MDRC will synthesize findings and return insights to the authority without sharing participant identities.
Staff said the research is intended to produce actionable insights — for example, form or process changes — that could reduce denials caused by missing documentation. No formal procurement or contract award was reported during the meeting; staff described the relationship as a partnership with MDRC under private foundation funding.
