ASSIST: Refinement of a Benefits Navigator Intervention Among Low‐Income Pediatric Oncology Families

Background/Objectives Children with cancer living in poverty experience worse survival and quality of life. Interventions connecting low‐income families to benefits (e.g., Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program [SNAP] improve health outcomes; yet nearly 50% of SNAP‐eligible pediatric oncology families are unenrolled. We developed ASSIST ( As sisted Benefit s Nav i gation S uppor t ) to connect pediatric oncology families to SNAP, the Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) via benefits navigation. Methods This was a single‐center intervention pilot refinement study among 10 low‐income families of children with newly diagnosed cancer directly assigned to ASSIST for 6 months. We evaluated refinement endpoints of intervention acceptability, delivery, and content based on descriptive analysis of parent surveys at study entry and 6 months, and thematic analysis of semi‐structured interviews at 1, 3, and 6 months. Results Ten families consented to participation (64% of approached) with 0% attrition over 6 months. ASSIST was acceptable to families; 9/10 participants completed benefits applications or renewals. No families utilized free tax preparation. The navigator spent an average of 6.5 h per participant across a median 9.5 encounters; participants were highly satisfied with intervention delivery. Despite benefits navigation, most (80%) reported unmet basic needs at study exit. Conclusions Opportunities to refine intervention content included: (1) a “bundled” approach of benefits navigation alongside short‐term direct resource provision to address unmet needs and (2) modification of the EITC component to increase uptake. These findings will inform ASSIST optimization for a future dual‐site pilot evaluation of the refined ASSIST.