A new paradigm for civic technology
Some Public Programs should be public programs
Eligibility rules for government services are public policy. They should be open, machine-readable, and verifiable by anyone.
The rules exist. They're just locked away.
Every government program has eligibility rules. Income limits. Age requirements. Residency conditions. These rules determine who gets help and who doesn't.
But these rules are buried in PDFs, scattered across agency websites, and encoded in proprietary systems. They're public policy implemented as black boxes.
Rules as Code
What if eligibility rules were published as structured data? Open. Versioned. Verifiable.
service_id: snap
name: SNAP (Food Stamps)
rules:
- id: income-limit
key: household_income_fpl
operator: less_than_or_equal
value: 130
unit: percent
description: |
Gross monthly income must be
at or below 130% FPL.
source_url: https://fns.usda.gov/...
- id: citizenship
key: citizenship_status
operator: in
values:
- us_citizen
- qualified_alienOpen by Default
Every rule is public, traceable to its source, and versioned with full history.
Machine Readable
Structured data that AI assistants, benefit screeners, and developers can use directly.
Cryptographically Verifiable
Agency signatures and blockchain anchors prove authenticity and create an immutable audit trail.
Toward Smart Public Services
When eligibility rules are code, new possibilities emerge.
AI-Powered Navigation
Language models can reason over structured rules to help people find programs they qualify for, in plain language.
Automatic Enrollment
With consent, systems could proactively match people to benefits they're eligible for, reducing the burden of discovery.
Policy Simulation
Researchers and policymakers can model the impact of rule changes before they're implemented.
Join the movement
We're building an open database of eligibility rules. Contribute a program, integrate the API, or help us spread the word.