Customer Service
House votes to make IRS publish call metrics online
The bill would require the tax agency to release detailed, real time and monthly call metrics. The House also passed a technology proposal meant to move the IRS off paper.
AI is helping VA speed up claims processing, but Dems worry about errors
“Speed does not equal success,” Rep. Tim Kennedy, D-N.Y., said about VA’s use of automation and AI to process veterans’ benefits claims.
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VA has touted appointment wait time reductions, but new data shows a more mixed reality
A comparative analysis of select wait-time data for new patients at more than 100 medical centers indicates the department has made progress in some areas, but not all.
Why the federal government needs to stop obsessing over process
COMMENTARY | Government performance systems often reward documentation, activity and procedural defensibility more than real-world impact. Federal managers must ask three critical questions to eliminate counterproductive rules.
Much of the government’s technology isn’t accessible, internal report finds
Just over a third of the government’s most-viewed websites met legal requirements that they be accessible for people with disabilities.
New White House design team aims for ‘delightful’ websites — changing design ethos in the process
Trump’s chief design officer says that his work shouldn’t be controversial, but his team’s track record has raised questions about who their websites are for, who they leave out and whether the White House can garner trust based on sleek design alone.
VA doesn't know how many calls it's answering or how long veterans are waiting to get through
The department's failure to track call data is putting "veterans who may need timely and critical care at risk," the inspector general finds.
VA’s National Cemetery Administration earns top customer satisfaction scores
For the eighth year in a row, the small agency earned the highest rankings in the American Customer Satisfaction Index.
Satisfaction with government services rises, despite recent layoffs and turmoil
The Trump administration has touted some service delivery projects and launched a design initiative, but it has also fired and pushed out thousands of civil servants.
I spent 50 years in government and here’s how to fix it
COMMENTARY | After serving under presidents from Johnson to Obama, David Mader has seen what works and what doesn’t in government and why improving it is about making it serve the public better, not running it like a business.
A developing database of constituent complaints to Congress could help agencies find systemic issues in their public services
While Capitol Hill staffers help constituents when they have trouble getting assistance from an agency, there’s currently no way to track that information across congressional offices.
USDA wants to modernize farmer services, even as staffing cuts could hurt the effort
The department plans to digitize farmer-facing applications that are still on paper.
Smarter, Faster, Lighter: A roadmap for agile evidence building
COMMENTARY | With DOGE initiatives fundamentally changing the state of federal policy evaluation, it could be time to embrace more evidence-based approaches to assess agency actions.
‘Over half’ of federal websites got better in the past year, OMB official says
Metrics released by the Office of Management and Budget offer insight into how agencies are implementing the 21st Century IDEA Act.
Agencies still struggle with online accessibility, GSA says
The landscape under Trump 2.0 isn’t clear, either.
HHS’ 2024 AI use case inventory shows move toward internal chatbots
The agency reported 271 AI use cases in 2024, which it said represented a 66% increase from its reported 2023 total.
Satisfaction with government hits record high just before a new Trump admin
The incoming Trump administration casts an uncertain light on the customer experience gains made in recent years.
HHS to crack down on providers blocking access to electronic medical records
The Health and Human Services Department has received more than a thousand claims of blocked or stymied access to electronic health record information in recent years.
GSA's Login to offer face recognition to customer agencies
Agencies using the government-created service will have the option to incorporate new face-matching capabilities or stick with existing offerings.
Hill Dems question IRS on identity verification requirements for Direct File
Taxpayers had to go through outsourced identity verification to use Direct File during the last tax season, a level of assurance the lawmakers note is not required for commercial tax prep companies.
