State of Tennessee Leverages ServiceNow for Public Disaster Relief

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“We know the next few months are going to be a challenge for families across our state who unexpectedly lost a job through no fault of their own. This emergency cash assistance will provide families with the temporary resources they need to support themselves during what we hope will be a short time away from their jobs. Helping families through this emergency is how we continue building a thriving Tennessee.”

Summary

In response to the devastating tornado that hit Nashville in March 2020, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) needed an urgent, scalable solution to provide emergency financial assistance to citizens. GlideFast Consulting worked hand-in-hand with TDHS to deploy a remote-capable Emergency Cash Assistance application within 72 hours. The solution also enhanced fraud detection and ensured faster assistance to families in need. By leveraging the ServiceNow platform, GlideFast helped TDHS streamline disaster relief efforts, ensuring Tennessee families received the support they needed during a time of crisis.

The Problem

On March 3, 2020, a devastating tornado struck Nashville, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which triggered a national state of emergency. TDHS needed a solution that could quickly provide financial relief to Tennessee citizens who were severely impacted by these disasters. To respond to this crisis, TDHS needed a system that would streamline the disaster relief process, support remote applications, and enable citizens to apply for assistance safely from their homes.

Within just 72 hours, GlideFast Consulting worked with TDHS to design, build, and implement the Emergency Case Assistance application—a custom digital solution that would allow Tennessee citizens to apply for emergency financial assistance remotely. The need for a self-service portal that could handle large volumes of applications quickly became a critical requirement, as the situation evolved rapidly.

Tennessee Department of Human Services' Need for an IT Solution:
With the combined challenges of a tornado and a global pandemic, TDHS required an IT solution that could quickly scale and support disaster relief efforts. The state needed a platform that could automate the application process, reduce manual work, and ensure faster assistance for those in need.

A New Emergency Assistance App to Support Disaster Relief for the State of Tennessee:
The Emergency Cash Assistance program was funded by the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, providing financial aid to families that lost employment or experienced at least a 50% reduction in their earned income due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to the GlideFast solution, the process was entirely manual, requiring paper applications, lengthy verification periods, and multiple touchpoints. GlideFast helped TDHS digitize this process, reducing the application processing time from several hours to just 20 minutes per citizen, while also accelerating fraud monitoring from weeks to mere minutes.

The Solution: Emergency Cash Assistance

GlideFast Consulting delivered a robust, cloud-based solution that met the needs of both citizens and TDHS staff during the disaster relief effort. Key features of the solution include:

Remote Application and Self-Service Portal: Enabled citizens to apply for emergency cash assistance online from anywhere, reducing the need for in-person visits.
Streamlined Verification Process: The application automated data validation and verification, drastically reducing the time required for case processing.
Fraud Detection: Enhanced fraud monitoring capabilities ensured faster identification and response to potentially fraudulent claims.
Improved Citizen and Staff Experience: The new portal simplified the process for applicants and allowed TDHS staff to efficiently manage applications and approvals.

How It Works:
The Emergency Cash Assistance program was implemented as part of a larger Disaster Response effort by TDHS, which included multiple disaster relief programs such as:

Emergency Care Assistance
Tornado Disaster Relief (Disaster SNAP)
Pre-Qualification Questionnaire for Families
Additional Applications as Needed

GlideFast worked closely with the TDHS team to integrate these services within a unified platform. The new system allowed for seamless processing of applications and real-time tracking of case statuses, providing much-needed relief during both the tornado aftermath and the ongoing pandemic.

The Results

Thanks to GlideFast’s swift implementation, TDHS was able to:

Process Emergency Cash Assistance applications in under 20 minutes per citizen, a drastic improvement from the previous paper-based process.
Provide timely financial support to thousands of Tennessee families during a state of emergency.
Reduce fraud monitoring time from weeks to just minutes, improving both security and efficiency.
Helped Tennessee citizens access much-needed relief quickly, improving the overall response to both the natural disaster and the pandemic.

The Senior IT Manager stated: “We want to say thank you for being all-around great partners. When we embarked on this journey no one could have expected this turn of events. Through it all, you and your team have proven to be the right choice as a development partner as we navigate these new uncharted waters helping to support our Tennessee Citizens. We have been touted by the USDA FNS Agency as a huge success in part because you all joined with us in helping bring our vision to reality. There really are no other words we can say except, thank you.”