Customer Service
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
IRS gears up to launch Direct File pilot
The pilot will only be available on a limited basis to certain taxpayers.
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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.
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.”
Education Department withholds payments from student loan servicers
The department says Maximus' Aidvantage subsidiary, EdFinancial and Nelnet are not sending timely and accurate statements to borrowers.
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