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Programs Database

The programs table is the heart of Pathfinder—a structured catalog of 2,500+ federal, state, and local benefit programs.

Schema Design

The programs table stores everything needed to display, search, filter, and match benefit programs.

Program Categories

Programs are organized into categories that match how users think about their needs:

Pathfinder uses PostgreSQL’s built-in full-text search with weighted rankings.

Search Vector Setup

Search Query

Search features:
  • websearch mode supports natural language queries
  • Weights prioritize name matches over description matches
  • Tags enable synonym matching (e.g., “EBT” finds SNAP)

Geographic Filtering

Programs are filtered by geographic coverage at query time.

Coverage Types

Query Pattern

FIPS Code Resolution


Eligibility Rules Schema

Rules are stored as JSON for flexibility. The eligibility engine evaluates them at runtime.

Example: SNAP Rules


Required Documents Schema

Each program specifies what documents are needed for application.

Example


Common Queries

Get Programs by Category

Get Programs with Deadlines


Data Sources

Programs data comes from multiple sources: The source_url and last_verified_at fields track data provenance.

Next Steps

Eligibility Engine

How programs are matched to users

Search Implementation

Full-text search and autocomplete