For officials

Staff time and money saved

How many caseworker hours and dollars a year Washington could save when applications arrive complete. Change any number. Numbers with a source say where they come from. Boxes marked Your estimate are left for you to fill in, because no one has published that number.

What people ask for Open data

Saved each year

Nothing to add up yet. Start with What Front Door changes below: those boxes are your estimates, because no one has measured them. The rest already hold published numbers where there are any.

What one minute is worth

Across 952,133 applications a year, each minute of staff time saved on every application is 15,869 hours, about $780,749 a year. This uses only published numbers.

The link holds only the numbers on this page. Nothing personal.

What Front Door changes

Your estimate of what changes for applications that come through Front Door. We have not measured these yet, so we leave them to you.

Share of applications that come through Front Door
Start small: Front Door is new.
Your estimate
%
Data entry and rework saved
Front Door sends answers already filled in from the vault, checked and labeled.
Your estimate
%
Fewer that arrive missing something
Front Door lists each program's documents and asks for them before sending, and turns agency letters into tasks with dates.
Your estimate
%
Fewer calls
Front Door shows where each application stands and explains letters in plain words.
Your estimate
%
Fewer paperwork closures at renewal
Front Door emails reminders before each renewal is due.
Your estimate
%

Applications each year

New applications in a year, by program.

Basic Food applications a year
Not published. For scale: about 545,582 households a month got Basic Food in fiscal year 2025. Source 8
Your estimate
a year
Apple Health applications a year
New applications to the Medicaid and CHIP agency, July 2025 to June 2026. Washington Healthplanfinder took 1,072,323 more applications for financial help, some for Apple Health. Source 2
a year
Child care applications a year
Working Connections Child Care applications received, fiscal year 2025. Source 4
a year
Cash applications a year
Not published. For scale: about 35,912 TANF and SFA households and 34,761 ABD clients a month in fiscal year 2025. Source 8
Your estimate
a year

Staff time for one application today

Minutes of caseworker time. The same for every program unless you change it.

Taking the application
The federal estimate of state staff time for a SNAP application. Source 1
minutes
Interview
The federal estimate for SNAP. Source 1
minutes
Checking documents
The federal estimate for SNAP. Source 1
minutes
Data entry
Typing answers into the eligibility system, if not counted above.
Your estimate
minutes
Rework
Fixing errors and answers that do not match.
Your estimate
minutes

Missing papers

Applications that arrive without a document the agency needs, and the work to chase it.

Share that arrive missing something
Not published for Washington. For context: in one other state, 33.7% of new SNAP applications were denied for a missed interview or missing papers. Source 9
Your estimate
%
Minutes for each missing-paper follow-up
Not published. For context: a federal estimate gives 2 minutes to send a request notice; DSHS change-request calls took about 25 minutes in 2024. Source 1, Source 7
Your estimate
minutes

Calls

Calls to the call center about an application: where it stands, or what a letter means.

Calls per application
Not published for DSHS. For context: HCA reported 738,115 calls and about 1.9 million applications in a year (different call centers). Source 2
Your estimate
calls
Minutes per call
Not published for status calls. For context: DSHS phone queues averaged about 25 to 44 minutes in 2024. Source 7
Your estimate
minutes

Renewals

People who lose benefits at renewal because of paperwork, and apply again later.

Basic Food renewals a year
Not published.
Your estimate
a year
Apple Health renewals due a year
People with a renewal due, July 2025 to June 2026. Source 3
a year
Child care renewals a year
Not published.
Your estimate
a year
Cash renewals a year
Not published.
Your estimate
a year
Share of renewals closed for paperwork
Apple Health, July 2025 to June 2026: 144,133 of 1,438,316. We use it for every program unless you change it. Source 3
%
Share of those who apply again
Not published for Washington.
Your estimate
%

Staff cost

What one hour of caseworker time costs, with benefits.

Hourly cost with benefits
Public Benefits Specialist 3, middle step, $30.11 an hour, divided by 0.612 because wages are 61.2% of pay and benefits for state and local government. Source 5, Source 6
an hour

How we calculated this

For each program, A is applications a year and F is the share that come through Front Door. Minutes saved:

Complete answers: A times F times (data entry plus rework minutes) times the share of that work saved.
Fewer missing papers: A times F times the share that arrive missing something, times how many fewer, times the minutes for each follow-up.
Fewer calls: A times F times calls per application, times how many fewer, times minutes per call.
Renewals on time: renewals a year times F, times the share closed for paperwork, times how many fewer, times the share who apply again, times the minutes of a new application (taking it, interview, checking documents, data entry and rework).
Hours are minutes divided by 60. Dollars are hours times the hourly cost with benefits.

This counts staff time only. It does not count benefits paid, office space, mail or systems. Federal programs share admin costs with the state, so not every dollar is a state dollar. The federal staff-time estimates are for SNAP; we use them for every program until you enter your own.

Sources

1. Agency Information Collection Activities: SNAP Forms: Applications, Periodic Reporting and Notices (OMB 0584-0064). USDA Food and Nutrition Service, Federal Register Vol. 80, No. 94, page 27886, May 15, 2015. State agency time for an initial SNAP application, revised baseline: application 19 minutes, interview 30, verification 24. A national paperwork estimate, not a Washington time study. Read it
2. State Medicaid and CHIP Applications, Eligibility Determinations, and Enrollment Data. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (data.medicaid.gov), September 2026 release. Washington, July 2025 to June 2026, added up month by month: 876,461 new applications to the Medicaid and CHIP agency. Another 1,072,323 applications for financial help went to Washington Healthplanfinder, some of them for Apple Health. June 2026 is preliminary. Read it
3. State Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility Processing Data (renewals). Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (data.medicaid.gov), September 2026 release. Washington, July 2025 to June 2026, added up month by month: 1,438,316 people with a renewal due; 144,133 lost coverage for procedural reasons (paperwork), which is 10.0% of renewals due and 85% of everyone who lost coverage at renewal. Read it
4. Working Connections Child Care metrics: applications processed and approved, state fiscal years 2015 to 2025. Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families, Fiscal year 2025. 75,672 applications received in state fiscal year 2025 (July 2024 to June 2025). Read it
5. Salary range for Public Benefits Specialist 3 (class 165I), range 49. Washington State Office of Financial Management, Effective July 1, 2026. Step G, the middle step: $30.11 an hour ($5,240 a month). Steps run from $25.96 (A) to $34.91 (M). Read it
6. Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Released September 9, 2026. State and local government workers: $66.45 an hour in total pay and benefits, of which wages are $40.67 (61.2%). So pay plus benefits is the wage divided by 0.612: $30.11 / 0.612 = $49.20 an hour. Read it
7. Community Services Division Service Delivery, State Fiscal Year 2024, Report to the Legislature. Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, Economic Services Administration, June 30, 2025. Average handle time by phone queue (page 7, read from the chart, so about): change requests 25 minutes, reviews 35, initial applications 44. Used as context only. Read it
8. Economic Services Administration Briefing Book, State Fiscal Year 2025. Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, 2025. Average households a month: Basic Food 545,582; TANF and State Family Assistance 35,912; Aged, Blind, or Disabled cash 34,761 people. These are caseloads, not applications. Used as context only. Read it
9. Administrative Burden and Procedural Denials in SNAP. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, September 18, 2026. In one state's data (not Washington), 33.7% of new SNAP applications were denied for a missed interview or missing papers (table A3). Used as context only. Read it

Staff time and money saved: a scenario

Made on October 10, 2026 at localcarehub.org/officials/savings. Front Door is an independent service, not a government website.

Saved each year

Program	Complete answers	Fewer missing papers	Fewer calls	Renewals on time	Dollars
Basic Food	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	$0
Apple Health	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	$0
Child care (Working Connections)	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	$0
Cash (TANF and ABD)	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	$0
Total					$0

Still needed: Basic Food applications a year, Cash applications a year, Data entry, Rework, Share that arrive missing something, Minutes for each missing-paper follow-up, Calls per application, Minutes per call, Basic Food renewals a year, Child care renewals a year, Cash renewals a year, Share of those who apply again, Share of applications that come through Front Door, Data entry and rework saved, Fewer that arrive missing something, Fewer calls, Fewer paperwork closures at renewal.

The numbers used

Apple Health applications a year: 876,461 (source 2)
Child care applications a year: 75,672 (source 4)
Taking the application: 19 (source 1)
Interview: 30 (source 1)
Checking documents: 24 (source 1)
Apple Health renewals due a year: 1,438,316 (source 3)
Share of renewals closed for paperwork: 10% (source 3)
Hourly cost with benefits: $49.2 (source 5, source 6)

How it was calculated

For each program, A is applications a year and F is the share that come through Front Door. Minutes saved: Complete answers: A times F times (data entry plus rework minutes) times the share of that work saved. Fewer missing papers: A times F times the share that arrive missing something, times how many fewer, times the minutes for each follow-up. Fewer calls: A times F times calls per application, times how many fewer, times minutes per call. Renewals on time: renewals a year times F, times the share closed for paperwork, times how many fewer, times the share who apply again, times the minutes of a new application (taking it, interview, checking documents, data entry and rework). Hours are minutes divided by 60. Dollars are hours times the hourly cost with benefits. This counts staff time only. It does not count benefits paid, office space, mail or systems. Federal programs share admin costs with the state, so not every dollar is a state dollar. The federal staff-time estimates are for SNAP; we use them for every program until you enter your own.

Sources

1. Agency Information Collection Activities: SNAP Forms: Applications, Periodic Reporting and Notices (OMB 0584-0064). USDA Food and Nutrition Service, Federal Register Vol. 80, No. 94, page 27886, May 15, 2015. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2015-05-15/pdf/2015-11752.pdf
2. State Medicaid and CHIP Applications, Eligibility Determinations, and Enrollment Data. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (data.medicaid.gov), September 2026 release. https://data.medicaid.gov/dataset/6165f45b-ca93-5bb5-9d06-db29c692a360
3. State Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility Processing Data (renewals). Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (data.medicaid.gov), September 2026 release. https://download.medicaid.gov/data/renewal-dataset-september-2026-release.csv
4. Working Connections Child Care metrics: applications processed and approved, state fiscal years 2015 to 2025. Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families, Fiscal year 2025. https://www.dcyf.wa.gov/node/4158
5. Salary range for Public Benefits Specialist 3 (class 165I), range 49. Washington State Office of Financial Management, Effective July 1, 2026. https://ofm.wa.gov/hr-policies/compensation-job-classes/job-classes-salaries/listing/salary-range/1344
6. Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Released September 9, 2026. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm
7. Community Services Division Service Delivery, State Fiscal Year 2024, Report to the Legislature. Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, Economic Services Administration, June 30, 2025. https://app.leg.wa.gov/ReportsToTheLegislature/Home/GetPDF?fileName=CSD+Service+Delivery+Report+SFY+2024+Final+Draft_ada01159-6f2c-4aa5-adbd-21568afd523e.pdf
8. Economic Services Administration Briefing Book, State Fiscal Year 2025. Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, 2025. https://dshs.wa.gov/media/390/download?inline
9. Administrative Burden and Procedural Denials in SNAP. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, September 18, 2026. https://www.cbpp.org/sites/default/files/9-18-26fa.pdf

This scenario: localcarehub.org/officials/savings