FACT SHEET: The President’s Budget Improves Customer Experience to Better Serve the American People
To build on the historic progress made under President Biden’s leadership, the American people need a modern and effective government. A high-performing Federal government—staffed by expert civil servants—plays a critical role in ensuring Americans can easily access reliable services and resources, from helping the American people file taxes and apply for benefits, to confronting the risks and opportunities presented by Artificial Intelligence (AI). The Budget funds the expertise and tools necessary to ensure excellent service delivery and customer experience across the Federal government. The President’s Budget:
Modernizes Service Delivery
Provides More Passport Services Online. The Budget increases investments for the Department of State to improve on and expand online passport renewal, delivering on the commitment outlined in the Customer Experience Executive Order to enable Americans to renew their passport without having to go in-person and mail original documents.
Improves Social Security Administration (SSA) Services. The Budget builds the capacity of SSA’s Customer Experience team to fulfill commitments outlined in the Customer Experience Executive Order. The Budget also supports SSA’s efforts to take a customer-focused approach to service delivery, such as by improving how people access SSA services online, on mobile devices, by phone, and in-person. SSA will also work with states to enable online replacement of social security cards and name changes due to marriage nationwide.
Modernizes Taxpayer Services. By protecting annual funding for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and restoring and extending Inflation Reduction Act investments, the Budget continues initiatives that are already expanding digital, phone, and in-person taxpayer assistance options. Improved data analytics are helping the IRS work smarter by staffing customer service functions to meet projected demand. With ongoing investment, taxpayers can expect easier, secure access to their data, as well as the tools to help them use it, to meet their tax obligations and receive the incentives for which they are eligible.
Improves Traveler Experience. The Budget includes $3 million for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to continue piloting the Customer Experience Manager model at four airports focused on streamlining passenger screening, easy-to-understand signage, and better collection and analysis of customer feedback to take improvement actions.
Modernizes Federal Retirement Services. The Budget invests in the Office of Personnel Management to reduce processing times for Federal retirement and improve customer satisfaction, including hiring additional employees to process cases and $3 million to continue to develop a digital file system and online retirement application.
Brings America’s Great Outdoors Online. The Budget makes investments to better connect Americans with public lands through updates, added features, and performance improvements to the National Park Service app, NPS.gov, Recreation.gov, and Volunteer.gov. Funds will also support the expanded use of digital activity passes to access the more than 560 national wildlife refuges managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service and digital special use permits issued by the Forest Service.
Improves Service Access for Rural Communities. The Budget includes $3 million for the Farm Service Agency to modernize its information technology systems and pilot a technical assistance program to better support farmers and ranchers applying for farm loans. The Budget also includes $1 million for the development of digital tools and customer feedback activities at Rural Development within the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Supports Services for Senior Homeowners and Low-Income Renters. The Budget for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) supports an expansion of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) digital self-service portal that would streamline customer support for seniors with FHA-held reverse mortgages. HUD will also pilot a customer-centered approach for individuals and families seeking affordable housing that aims to increase their understanding of available housing options and reduce the time spent on waiting lists for HUD-assisted rental housing.
Builds Shared Products and Platforms to Enable Simple, Seamless, and Secure Services Across the Federal Government. The Budget provides funding for continued maintenance of the Federal Website Standards, U.S. Web Design System, Digital Analytics Program, Site Scanning Program, Digital.gov, Search.gov, Touchpoints, and Feedback Analytics. The Budget also supports design exploration for creating government-wide web content standards and search engine optimization practices, including the potential of using Search.gov to better structure and connect information across agency websites.
Builds On Lessons from Life Experience Pilot Projects
Supports Parents Following the Birth of a Child. The Budget increases funding for the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Healthy Start program to improve health outcomes for parents and infants, including by building on lessons learned through the Benefits Bundle pilot to connect families welcoming a baby to a bundle of supportive services. The Budget additionally directs the Veterans Health Administration to develop a maternal supply kit pilot for veteran mothers.
Improves Efficiency, Program Integrity, and Accessibility of Safety Net Benefits. The Budget provides $11 million for HHS to work with cross-agency partners to improve benefits-related income verification services and determinations for benefits programs. In doing so, multiple agencies will simplify access to supports for families facing a financial shock and improve administrative efficiency.
Supports Underserved Seniors Making Retirement Decisions. The Budget continues efforts by the Administration for Community Living to develop a new model of community outreach to connect older adults with resources to inform their retirement and healthcare decisions, building on lessons learned from a community stakeholder-centered design process pilot.
Invests In Customer Experience Capacity Across Government
Increases Customer Experience Teams, Digital Service Capabilities. The Budget invests in the retention and hiring of more than 170 full-time employees with customer experience and digital service delivery experience across Federal agencies. These customer experience strategists and digital service experts will conduct customer research, analyze quantitative and qualitative feedback, and lead iterative design sprints to power the Federal government’s service improvements.The Budget also makes investments to support more than fifteen customer experience teams across government.
Helps Improves Service Accessibility for Tribal Communities. In keeping with Executive Order 14112 on Reforming Federal Funding and Support for Tribal Nations, the Budget makes investments in dedicated and coordinated work, in partnership with the General Services Administration’s Technology Transformation Services, that will make it easier for Tribal Nations and members to navigate federal services provided by the Bureaus of Indian Affairs and Trust Funds Administration. Additionally, the designation of the Indian Health Service (IHS) as a High Impact Service Provider supports IHS collecting feedback and implementing targeted reforms that will improve the quality and accessibility of health services for Native communities.
Builds Digital Service Capacity, Helps Agencies Listen to Their Customers. The Budget addresses long-standing challenges in accessing digital service expertise across the Federal government by investing $55 million across 11 eleven agencies to more effectively deliver critical government services through priority projects with the U.S. Digital Service (USDS). The Budget also includes $30 million for USDS to further integrated, efficient, secure, and effective uses of information technology in the Federal government, as well as an additional $30 million in agency contribution to USDS for digital service expertise and assistance to attract and hire top technical talent.
###
