Many policy analysts described wanting a thought partner — someone to double-check their readability and help with policy interpretation — in a role that rarely has one. One participant reflected:

“Sometimes I feel like I’m working very much alone. I wish I had someone else who knew it all off the bat.  Someone I can ask ‘Am I doing this right? Is this the best way I can do it?'”

In analyzing the experience of beneficiaries, PPL found that the consequences of unclear notices are concrete and serious. Dense text blocks, technical jargon, and action items buried in long paragraphs all contribute to notices that people can’t make sense of or take action on. When beneficiaries can’t act on a notice, they may lose benefits they are entitled to — and often don’t know they had the right to appeal.

Frontline staff underscored the consequences of beneficiary confusion. Most reported that they spend 5 to 10 hours a week fielding phone calls, emails, and in-person visits from beneficiaries seeking clarity about a notice. Commuting to the SNAP office or waiting on hold for staff support costs beneficiaries time and money, against the backdrop of an already-precarious financial situation. One caseworker remarked:

“A lot of our clients don’t have the means to get [to the SNAP office] to begin with. So they’re trying to get a ride, they’re walking from across town, they’re trying to catch a bus, doing anything they can to get up here because the notice didn’t make sense to them. That’s the biggest thing. It’s not just the calls. It’s people that are having to miss work or use the very little money they have to try to come up here to get an explanation on this notice.”​