Justice, Fairness, Inclusion, and Performance.
Many Americans struggle with the health and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) and American Rescue Plan (ARP) Acts, funding has been made available for businesses and individuals, but accessing these programs has not been straightforward. The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC), with support from the Academy, conducted its fourth roundtable (on June 15th, 2022) to examine the effects of pandemic relief spending. This roundtable discussed what it is like applying for pandemic relief funds and featured:
These experts discussed the challenges associated with implementing COVID funding programs, specifically around efficiently accessing the funds. As the Biden Administration noted in an Executive Order related to customer experience in December, many federal programs impose a "time tax" to discover, apply for, and receive benefits. The roundtable's panelists identified how the IRS and states could improve their ability to reach those in need while addressing the abuse of these vital systems.
What are the key barriers, burdens, and costs of receiving COVID relief funding? Panelists identified three key problems:
Despite these pain points, panelists agreed that some burdens are seeing reductions:
The pandemic relief programs provide the nation with the opportunity to learn lessons on how to improve such efforts in the future. In the coming years, it will be necessary to continue improving inefficient and malfunctioning systems while undertaking new efforts to reduce fraud and identity theft. The Academy is grateful for the panelists' contributions and the continued partnership with the PRAC. Please utilize the following links to view a recording of this event or learn more about previous NAPA-PRAC roundtables and other Academy activities.