San Diego County (“the County”) wanted to address error rates in eligibility decisions after recognizing that new caseworkers needed more “real world” experience to help them conduct interviews. The County selected the award-winning Accenture Virtual Experience Solution (AVEnueS) to train caseworkers and worked with Accenture to build a virtual reality scenario in which trainees interview applicants. When trainees put the headset on, they find themselves in one of three scenarios where they need to walk a family through the basic benefits application. Once the trainees take the headset off, they participate in a seminar where they work together to unpack their thinking, review their experiences and biases, and learn essential skills. The eligibility program has been so successful that the County won the Information Technology Solutions Management for Human Services (ISM) affinity group national award for the Best Use of Technology for Operations with an Internal Focus.
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