New government benefits Web site easy as 1, 2, 3

The Labor Department launched April 29 a new federal Web site, , that brings together information from many agencies about federal benefits programs. The site, developed in three months by Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. of McLean, Va., is designed to eliminate the burden of navigating 31 million federal Web pages with information about benefits programs. Borrowing the "three clicks to service" approach used by FirstGov.gov, GovBenefits takes each user through a three-step screening process and then presents a list of benefits the user may qualify for. GovBenefits is organized the way citizens see the world, accessed by simple, yes or no questions, said D. Cameron Findlay, deputy secretary of the Department of Labor. The first release of GovBenefits includes 55 programs administered by 10 federal agencies, representing a trillion dollars in spending. Within the next two to three years, the site will include all federal, state and local benefits programs ? about 300, Findlay said. Planned additions to GovBenefits include a call center for people without Web access, and the ability to apply for benefits online through a streamlined process.More than 80 million people receive benefits through federal assistance programs and federally funded programs managed by state and local governments. GovBenefits is one of 24 e-government initiatives announced by the Office of Management and Budget in October 2001. Some of the 24 projects are new; others are existing federal initiatives that are being expanded or revamped. GovBenefits is the first new e-government initiative to be launched. In February, the General Services Administration relaunched federal information Web site FirstGov.gov, another of the 24 initiatives. The 24 projects are designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of government operations, bettering government interaction with citizens and businesses and between federal agencies. The projects could save several billion dollars by improving operations and cutting redundant spending and excessive paperwork, according to the Office of Management and Budget.GovBenefits has laid an e-government benchmark that other programs will follow, said Mark Forman, associate director for information technology and e-government in OMB. The Labor Department is the managing partner of the initiative. Nine other federal organizations are participating, lending staff, money and other resources to the effort. About $1 million has been spent on GovBenefits to date, Forman said. About $800,000 came from this year's $5 million federal e-government fund, he said. Participating organizations are the departments of Agriculture, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, State, Veterans Affairs, Federal Emergency Management Agency and Social Security Administration. "Without the assistance of the other CIOs, we would not be where we are today," said Patrick Pizzella, chief information officer at the Labor Department.Initiatives such as GovBenefits are a "sign that government can work together and with our state and local partners ... busting the self-sustaining bureaucratic walls around government," Forman said.