News Release

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OPA News Release: [08/07/2002]
Contact Name: Yvonne Ralsky
Phone Number: (202) 693-4666

More than 100 Government Benefit Programs Now on www.GovBenefits.gov

WASHINGTON – The Department of Labor and the Office of Management and Budget today announced the latest expansion of www.GovBenefits.gov, a web site designed to facilitate the interaction between individuals and government. The site helps citizens find benefits relevant to their personal needs. Twenty-five new federal benefit programs representing more than $34 billion in annual benefit dollars have been added to GovBenefits, bringing the total number of programs featured on the web site to over 100.

“GovBenefits continues to make it easier and simpler to get service from the federal government as called for in the President’s E-Government Strategy,” stated Mark Forman, OMB associate director for information technology and e-government.

“We are enhancing the GovBenefits web site through a citizen-centered approach and maintaining our focus on the end users, the citizens,” said D. Cameron Findlay, deputy secretary of labor.

The addition of the newest benefit programs and system enhancements demonstrates GovBenefits commitment to delivering real results to the American public. Several new features have been added to the website to further enhance the user experience and make finding benefits even easier. With a simple online screening tool that asks basic questions about income, marital or employment status, and family size, GovBenefits helps citizens assess their eligibility for government services. Once informed, they may more quickly and easily apply for and receive benefits. Ultimately, GovBenefits will provide potential benefits recipients with direct access to information for all government benefit programs and services through this single portal.

When launched in April 2002, GovBenefits set out to add 20-40 government programs to the site each month. The 25 programs added this month confirm the collective commitment among the partner agencies to meet this goal. This most recent release features benefit programs from the Department of Agriculture (Rural Disaster Housing Assistance), the Department of Education (Student Support Services), the Department of Health and Human Services (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (Mortgage Insurance for Homes in Outlying Areas), the Department of Labor (National Farmworker Jobs Program), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (Specially Adapted Housing for Disabled Veterans). For a full list of programs, visit www.GovBenefits.gov.

The GovBenefits home page has expanded to include a section highlighting timely news about specific benefit programs. Visitors to the web site can now choose to see a full list of benefits by category and bypass the questionnaire that provides a personalized list of benefits. They can also now generate printer-friendly versions of each benefit details page and email benefit program information to others.

GovBenefits is one of 24 key initiatives that comprise the President’s E-Government Strategy, an integral part of the President’s Management Agenda. The project is the collaborative effort of 10 federal agencies including:

Departments of Labor (managing partner); Agriculture; Education; Energy; Health and Human Services; Housing and Urban Development; State; Veterans Affairs; the Federal Emergency Management Agency; and the Social Security Administration.

Web hosting services for GovBenefits are provided by www.USA.gov, an interagency initiative administered by the U.S. General Services Administration.

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