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Data Sharing Agreement for Data Matching and Outreach
By Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
The first step in a data matching and outreach strategy is to develop and execute a data-sharing agreement (DSA) between the programs that will participate in the process. A sample DSA template from a WIC outreach pilot project in Virginia provides a framework for this critical first step. For the Virginia pilot, the state’s Department of Health (which administers WIC) and the Department of Social Services (which administers Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and Foster Care programs) entered into the agreement along with a third-party organization, the nonprofit Benefits Data Trust (BDT). During the pilot BDT conducted text-based outreach to families enrolled in other means-tested programs but not in WIC. To identify the appropriate group of families for outreach, the two agencies exchanged and matched data under the agreed-upon security protocols, formatting, and other rules outlined in the DSA. Once the data match was complete, the data necessary for outreach was shared with BDT. BDT then regularly transferred data on outreach results back to the Department of Health to contact families interested in WIC and schedule them for certification appointments.
For more information on this and similar pilot projects, see:
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Date Added
June 14, 2021