Following up on efforts that began in May of this year, the General Services Administration (GSA) and Department of Labor (DoL) have expanded their partnership to now offer all states the opportunity to use Login.gov to help improve access, decrease fraud, and increase security in the delivery of unemployment insurance (UI) benefits.
“Login.gov is serving a vital government function, providing the American people with a simple, secure, privacy-protecting way to access government services,” said Ann Lewis, director of GSA’s Technology Transformation Services organization. “We are excited about our growing partnership with DoL, as well as our partnerships with other agencies, which are helping make it easier for the public to have access to services they need.”
Back in May, DoL announced that it was going to expand digital identity verification services as it seeks to upgrade and strengthen unemployment insurance systems nationwide. The UI modernization efforts were part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). As part of its efforts, DoL outlined a 2023 roadmap for its UI modernization plans.
“[Achieving this long term vision] will also require the Department to serve as a ‘helper agency’ to state workforce agencies,” the DoL said in a May 3 blog post. “The department can do this by providing foundational perspectives around ‘what good looks like’ across the various dimensions of modernization, as well as providing core infrastructure, or building blocks, for states, vendors, and other groups to build on and extend in ways that strengthen equitable access, timeliness, and program integrity.”
The agencies explained in a press release that through the Login.gov site Americans can use a single, secure login to access government benefits and services at more than 40 Federal and state agencies. On the agency side, organizations using Login.gov can take advantage of enhanced security and strong government-wide anti-fraud controls that help ensure that government benefits are being delivered to eligible recipients, not fraudulent actors.
This partnership expansion follows a 2022 pilot in Arkansas. In the pilot, Login.gov helped verify the identities of more than 19,000 Arkansans, enabling them to seek unemployment benefits. Additionally, GSA and DoL cited Login.gov being used recently to accelerate a planned integration with the state of Hawaii that helped thousands impacted by the Maui wildfires access unemployment and other benefits.
“This growing partnership will make it easier for eligible members of the public to receive unemployment benefits when they need them, and protect UI systems from potential fraud,” said Andrew Stettner, deputy director for policy in DoL’s unemployment insurance modernization office. “We are thankful for GSA’s partnership, and particularly for the Login.gov team’s support in moving quickly to help those in need in Hawaii.”
