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Martin O’Malley is on a one-year sprint to save Social Security
Despite shaking up the culture one of Washington’s most risk-averse agencies, the former governor said his biggest task is convincing Congress to reinvest in the Social Security Administration’s administrative overhead.
Tech
DOJ launches a CX-focused initiative
The first project in the new push is focusing on improving the portals Americans use to report crimes to the Justice Department.
Tech
Agencies are on the clock to improve their digital accessibility — here’s how they’re doing so far
Guidance issued last fall set standards and benchmarks for agencies to improve their many public-facing websites.
Management
Inside the Department of Labor’s collaboration with New Jersey to overhaul unemployment programs
A new application for unemployment claims in the Garden State marks the result of a years-long federal effort to help states modernize their jobless aid efforts.
Management
House takes a bipartisan vote to hold agencies accountable for better customer service
The measure would make improvements to an "unaccountable, antiquated and Byzantine" federal bureaucracy.
Tech
House passes GSA transparency bill to track tech projects
Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, said he introduced the bill to respond to the agency's misrepresentations about the capabilities of the government-run digital identity service Login.gov.
Tech
SSA launches a public data hub for customer service goals
The new online portal offers a look at how the agency is doing, as its new commissioner passes his 100-day mark on the job.
Tech
States get streamlined access to Treasury’s Do Not Pay system for unemployment
The move comes as federal agencies have worked with states to combat the rise in jobless aid fraud following the pandemic.
Tech
Education secretary pledges troubled online student aid tool will be ready for next fall
The online Free Application for Federal Student Aid tool had a rocky release, with bad data and uptime problems, but the Department of Education is looking for improvements next year.
Tech
Feds move to make gov websites more accessible to people with disabilities
It’s the first time the federal government has ever issued rules clarifying how the more than 30-year-old Americans with Disabilities Act applies online. But the new rules come with a hefty price tag for state and local governments.
Tech
100,000 have used IRS Direct File to submit their tax returns
The agency has not yet determined whether the pilot program for the tool will be extended into a permanent offering.
Management
The Labor Department wants Congress to help to fix unemployment insurance tech and delivery
Among the asks: fund the program adequately, the Labor Department says.
Management
OMB overhauls federal grant guidance to simplify it for recipients
The Biden administration offered new updates to the Uniform Guidance that governs federal grant programs, aiming to slice red tape and simplify the language recipients use to apply for funding.
Management
New bill aims to bring SNAP card security up to credit card standards
Security standards for SNAP cards have not kept pace with industry advancements, lawmakers say.
Tech
USDA seeks fellows for its new digital service team
The tour-of-duty positions will “act as firefighters” to address pressing challenges across the Department of Agriculture, according to the agency’s CIO.
Tech
Vet centers need better systems, data to enhance support services
Watchdog officials warned lawmakers that the community-based counseling centers for returning veterans use a platform for identifying those at high risk of suicide that is “neither effectively nor consistently utilized.”
Tech
IRS gears up to launch Direct File pilot
The pilot will only be available on a limited basis to certain taxpayers.
Management
FEMA to overhaul its disaster aid system after decades of criticism
The agency will offer upfront cash payments to disaster survivors and slash some of its infamous red tape.
Tech
Senators call for Transportation to offer ‘accessible, mobile-friendly’ service animal form
Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., called the paperwork that disabled Americans need to complete before traveling with their service animals “poorly designed and needlessly difficult to complete.”
Management