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Workforce board reviews coordination for SNAP/Medicaid work requirements, WA Works replacement and No Wrong Door data-sharing plans
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Summary
Board members were briefed on HR 1-driven SNAP/Medicaid work requirements and cross-agency coordination to verify compliance, the WA Works (WIT) platform replacement for case management and labor exchange, No Wrong Door data-sharing and referral work, and early steps on Workforce Pell (short-term Pell eligibility). The board also conditionally approved Washington's WIOA combined plan and extended two local direct-service provider contracts.
Board staff and partner agencies used the April 3 meeting to update members on several systemwide operational efforts prompted by federal changes and long-running modernization projects.
SNAP/Medicaid work requirements and verification: Board staff outlined the coordination that followed passage of HR 1. Emily (coordination group lead) said policy drafts are under DSHS review and a crosswalk of workforce and SNAP activities was developed to identify which workforce services count toward SNAP work hours. The group is developing staff guidance, documentation protocols and a new verification hub intended to use existing federal and state data sources to confirm client attestations where possible and minimize manual re‑verification. The board emphasized serving clients with meaningful activities, not just hours-counting, and discussed capacity and privacy concerns with back-end verification.
WA Works / WAIT case-management replacement: ESD presenters described the WA Works (case-management and labor-exchange) replacement project, built on a Salesforce-based platform and delivered with an agile approach. The vendor-led project emphasizes stronger data migration and continuous improvement; the team reported a May 19 go-live target for the new WA Works platform and showed a streamlined WorkSource service catalog (reduced from ~180 services to 74) to simplify intake and referrals.
No Wrong Door and data sharing: State technology and policy leads presented the No Wrong Door initiative to support cross-agency data sharing and a single referral portal (wa.gov) to reduce duplicate intake and improve client navigation across workforce, social service and education programs. Presenters said governance is in place (50+ decision-makers) and prototypes of secure data-matching tools are under review; privacy and regulatory alignment remain focal points.
Workforce Pell (Pell for workforce): The board heard the governor’s cross-agency steering-committee plans for implementing the federal Workforce Pell option that permits Pell-like aid for short-term, employer‑validated programs. Agencies are identifying eligible, accredited programs that are stackable and linked to in-demand occupations; an initial, limited program submission to the U.S. Department of Education is expected in mid-2026/July planning windows.
Board actions: The board conditionally approved submission of Washington’s WIOA combined program plan to USDOL (staff will reconvene only if materially different public comments arrive), and approved an update to local-board certification policy (Policy 10-40) to align WIOA requirements and timelines; both votes passed. The board also approved extensions to allow SkillSource (North Central LWDB) and the Northwest Workforce Council to continue as direct service providers through June 30, 2027.
Next steps: Staff will continue cross-agency technical work for verification and No Wrong Door prototypes, finalize WA Works rollout readiness, support SBCTC and community colleges on Workforce Pell grant coordination, and bring additional implementation and legislative proposals back to the board as they solidify.