Insights From The Social Equity Applicant Experience Survey

By Sarah Okey, PhD, LCB Research Manager

LCB was interested in learning more about the application experience for those who applied to the HB2870 Social Equity Program. As a result, the LCB Research Program sent out an anonymous and voluntary online survey to all HB 2870 applicants. Responses were collected between February 8 and February 23, 2024. There were 73 total responses.

Main Findings

• The average application cost to apply was around $1,500. A little under half (about 43%) of survey respondents reported spending between $0 and $500 on the application process.
• More than half of respondents reported receiving assistance in completing their application. The most common assistance was through friends/families, consultants, lawyers, and current licensees.
• Obtaining documents to demonstrate eligibility was generally rated as the most difficult step in the application process.
• The top three most difficult documents to obtain were those verifying housing loss, employment loss, and rental agreements.
• The top three easiest documents to obtain were tax returns, bank records, and loan documents.
• Getting questions answered by LCB and understanding why an application was withdrawn were also rated as difficult.
• On average, survey respondents rated LCB a 3 out of 5 on having information that was helpful and providing clear instructions to provide input on rules.

What This Means For LCB

LCB strives for continuous improvement. These results demonstrate areas of growth for the agency and the upcoming social equity program. Divisions have discussed with the LCB Research Program how they plan use the feedback to improve procedures and processes. Some areas that LCB is working to improve include:

• Making rule language easier to understand
• Determining ways to be more effective in communication
• Finding innovative strategies to get feedback from stakeholders
• Creating resources that are helpful and straightforward

What You Can Do

We want your feedback in order to improve. Here are some ways you can provide feedback:

• Respond to online and anonymous surveys. You can subscribe to our Gov Delivery listserv to be notified when these surveys go out.
• Participate in Board Meetings which occur every other Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
• Attend stakeholder feedback and listening sessions to participate in the rule development process.
• Email us:
  Rules Inbox at Rules@lcb.wa.gov
  Licensing Inbox at LicensingSocialEquity@lcb.wa.gov
  Research Inbox at LCBResearch@lcb.wa.gov

Interested in Learning More About This Survey?

If you are interested in viewing a presentation on this social equity applicant experience survey, please see the Board Caucus meeting recording on April 23, 2024.