Author Archive

Natalie Alms
Staff Writer
Natalie Alms is a staff writer at FCW covering federal technology policy, service delivery, customer experience and the government's tech workforce. She is a graduate of Wake Forest University and has written for the Salisbury (N.C.) Post. Connect with Natalie on Twitter at @AlmsNatalie.
Natalie Alms is a staff writer at FCW covering federal technology policy, service delivery, customer experience and the government's tech workforce. She is a graduate of Wake Forest University and has written for the Salisbury (N.C.) Post. Connect with Natalie on Twitter at @AlmsNatalie.
Tech
Digital Identity Challenges Could Be a Roadblock to Improved CX
Government agencies are currently wrestling with how exactly to verify Americans who want to access federal programs and services.
- Natalie Alms
Tech
Biden Signs a Bill Creating a Federal Cybersecurity Rotational Program
Certain cyber and IT federal employees will be able to rotate to other agencies under a new law signed Tuesday.
- Natalie Alms
Tech
How the Tech Modernization Fund Is Managing its Commitment to Customer Experience Projects
Having technologists on the team assessing potential projects and active TMF investments has been a key change over the past year, program leaders told FCW.
- Natalie Alms
Management
$100M of Technology Modernization Fund Spending Is Tagged for Customer Experience Projects
The money, coming from the $1 billion investment in TMF made by the American Rescue Plan Act, will help implement the executive order on customer experience.
- Natalie Alms
Oversight
Pandemic Response Watchdogs Urge Agencies to Focus on ID Theft
Federal agencies need to contend with outdated tech, identity proofing and data issues while also helping identity fraud victims, inspectors general told a House panel on Tuesday.
- Natalie Alms
Management
The IRS Launched a Tax Credit Website Without the Authority to Operate, Watchdog Reports
The agency's CIO told auditors that the short-lived problem arose from a "one-time user error."
- Natalie Alms
Workforce
Digital Corps Launches with 41 Fellows Across 13 Agencies
The program, run out of the General Services Administration, is meant to help government woo early-career tech talent.
- Natalie Alms
Management
Unemployment Insurance Has Been Added to GAO's 'High Risk' List
The government watchdog says more than $78 billion in improper unemployment insurance payments were made in fiscal year 2021, and cited fraud, poor customer service, inequitable access, legacy tech and staffing shortages as key drivers of failure.
- Natalie Alms
Workforce
The EEOC Will Keep Online Mediation Around Post-COVID
The EEOC had to offer mediation sessions online because of the pandemic and the agency wants to keep the virtual option for the future.
- Natalie Alms
Workforce
Solarium Successor Wants the White House to Lead on Cyber Workforce Strategy
One recommendation: establish cyber excepted service authorities, like the Department of Homeland Security's newly launched cyber hiring initiative, government-wide.
- Natalie Alms
Management
USDA Launches Outreach Project for a Key Nutrition Program
The WIC program struggles with participation and retention rates, but a new push is afoot to identify eligible recipients.
- Natalie Alms
Tech
After 7 Years, DHS's New Cyber Talent System Boasts Just One Hire
Officials at the Homeland Security Department say that change management efforts will help scale the Cybersecurity Talent Management System.
- Natalie Alms
Workforce
Federal Call Center Workers Strike Over Pay, Healthcare Costs
Employees at Maximus call centers working on Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services contracts, conducted a two-day strike this week seeking pay and better healthcare coverage.
- Natalie Alms
Management
The Labor Department Wants to Staff Up Worker Protection Agencies
Some of the department's worker protection agencies, like the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, also have a role to play in rolling out the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh told lawmakers.
- Natalie Alms
Workforce
OPM Issues Guidance on Implementing a Trump-era Hiring Policy
The U.S. Digital Service has also been embedding in agencies to help build internal competency-based hiring abilities in federal agencies.
- Natalie Alms
Tech
Federal CIO: The Tech is 'The Easy Part' of Improving Customer Service
Blockers to implementing service improvements frequently center around policy and process requirements, top tech officials said at the Code for America Summit on Tuesday.
- Natalie Alms
Tech
The Postal Service Should 'Act Swiftly' To Scale Up Identity Services, IG Says
USPS is working with the General Services Administration on more in-person options for Login.gov, according to a new whitepaper from the U.S. Postal Service's Inspector General.
- Natalie Alms
Tech
ICE Has Assembled a 'Surveillance Dragnet' with Facial Recognition and Data, Report Says
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has used facial recognition to search through the driver's license photos of one in three adults in the U.S., according to a new report by Georgetown Law's Center on Privacy and Technology.
- Natalie Alms
Oversight
Senate Bill to Train Acquisition Workforce on AI gets House Counterpart
The AI Training Act, which passed the Senate last December now has a House companion from Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and James Comer (R-Ky.).
- Natalie Alms
Management
Measuring Administrative Burden
Recipients have to invest time and energy to obtain government services and the burden of compliance can take a toll, especially in marginalized communities.
- Natalie Alms