Code for America and Anthropic Partner to Create AI Tools for Caseworkers

New Claude integrations will enable caseworkers to process cases efficiently and accurately while navigating a complex and rapidly changing benefits landscape

CHICAGO, May 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Code for America, the leading civic tech nonprofit that's making public services easier to navigate through technology, today announced a new partnership with Anthropic to improve public benefits administration through the responsible use of AI.

Together, the two organizations are designing, piloting, and deploying Claude-based tools to help government caseworkers efficiently and effectively administer public benefits, starting with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Amid significant changes to federal benefits policy that have increased administrative complexity for state agencies, millions of low-income families across the country have already lost or are at risk of losing access to food benefits. At the same time, staff within government agencies are under immense pressure to meet large caseloads while navigating new policies and updating guidance.

The partnership will initially focus on developing the SNAP Policy Navigator, a Claude-powered integration that allows caseworkers to seamlessly access accurate, reliable, and real-time SNAP information across federal, state, and county policies.

"This partnership with Anthropic underscores our shared belief that responsible AI is a transformative tool, capable of easing caseworker burden, streamlining processing, and, ultimately, delivering benefits more quickly and accurately," said Amanda Renteria, CEO of Code for America. "Code for America is committed to working with our partners to build a future of government that is efficient, effective, and more empathetic through responsible AI."

The SNAP Policy Navigator is built on Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open standard created by Anthropic and now adopted across the AI industry to allow secure, two-way connections between trusted data sources and AI applications. This enables responsible deployment of AI in high-stakes public benefits settings, where every response is grounded in verified federal, state, and county policies. Through the SNAP Policy Navigator, caseworkers will be able to access reliable, up-to-date answers to case-specific questions, speeding up delivery for even the most complex cases.

"Technology is most impactful when it reaches the people with the deepest needs. SNAP caseworkers carry an enormous load, interpreting complex rules under tight timelines for the families who depend on the safety net," said Elizabeth Kelly, Head of Beneficial Deployments at Anthropic. "With Code for America, we're putting Claude in their hands so more eligible families get help quickly and accurately."

Beyond the initial pilot, the partnership is intended to produce reusable tools and approaches that can be adapted across states and counties, helping governments modernize service delivery while remaining compliant. Code for America and Anthropic will create a full suite of Claude integrations purpose-built to help administer critical benefits programs in an increasingly complex policy environment and save time for caseworkers. These integrations will focus on assisting with tasks like answering tough policy questions, reviewing eligibility documents, and drafting plain-language communications to benefit recipients.

The partnership was announced on mainstage during the 2026 Code for America Summit, held in Chicago. It also comes on the heels of Code for America releasing its second annual Government AI Landscape Assessment which sheds light on states' AI adoption journeys across four stages: readiness, piloting, implementation, and impact.

For more than 15 years, Code for America has worked shoulder-to-shoulder with partners across the country to identify a problem, find solutions, and deliver outcomes for real people across the social safety net, criminal justice, and tax benefit systems. In 2025, Code for America worked in 27 states and Washington, D.C. to help 7 million people access $22 billion.

About Anthropic
Anthropic is an AI research and development company that creates reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems. Anthropic's flagship product is Claude, a large language model trusted by millions of users worldwide. Learn more about Anthropic and Claude at anthropic.com.

About Code for America
Code for America, the country's leading civic tech nonprofit for over 15 years, believes that government can work for the people, and by the people, in the new digital age. We work with government at all levels across the country to make the delivery of public services better with technology. We partner with community organizations and governments to build digital tools and client-facing apps that help people navigate government, change policies, and improve programs. Our goal: a resilient government that works well for everyone. Learn more at codeforamerica.org.

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SOURCE Code for America