Citizen Engagement Blog

These are the calls that no one wants to make:

• That first call to establish eligibility for unemployment insurance (UI).
• The call to file an initial claim for UI benefits.
• And all the follow-up calls to maintain eligibility, schedule required appointments with the local program office or resolve issues.

It’s bad enough to be jobless through no fault of your own. Insult is added to injury if the customer support system for the UI program requires waiting on hold for a representative, standing in a long line at the local office, or accessing a website that doesn’t provide interactive, live support.

Navigating the procurement RFP process has always been tricky. At a recent conference, Karen Painter-Jaquess, Director of the State Systems Office in the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, offered these best practices for State EBT Administrators to engage successfully with vendors and obtain optimal contracts with their SNAP and WIC procurement processes.

While there appears to be latent demand for mobile apps from constituents of government prepaid card programs like SNAP, WIC, and TANF, there has still be very little adoption by government agencies despite robust citizen engagement technology being available today. 

How bad is child neglect and abuse in the U.S.?   And how much of an impact are State Child Protective Services departments having on this critical problem? States are making progress, but better technology and citizen engagement can help. 

The Big, the Bad and the Ugly

According to UNICEF, as many as 275 million children worldwide are exposed to violence in the home, with 339,000 to 2.7 million estimated in just the U.S. alone.

Government Agencies and Technology Providers (affiliates, vendors, consultants) must work together in a cooperative manner to address the needs of constituents and governments alike.

I had the chance to be with 6 State, City and County CIOs at the Industry Summit 2015 event in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.  The CIOs shared their vision, struggles, wishes and mistakes with a small group of industry folks. 

Here are a few things I took away from the show: