Biden order will streamline government services like passports, taxes and health care
Services like passport applications and student debt repayment should get faster and easier under the new order.
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The Biden administration wants to make dealing with government services an easier, faster experience.
President Joe Biden signed an executive order Monday to improve people's experience when seeking federal government services. It's designed to reduce the "tangled web of government websites, offices and phone numbers" when trying to access information or services from the government, the White House said.
The executive order designates 35 "high-impact service providers" like the Social Security Administration, and the Departments of Health, Veterans Affairs, State, Homeland Security, Education, Housing and Transportation. These agencies have been directed to improve their performance for services they offer.
Important cross-government agency services like retirement, applying for small business loans and having a baby will also be streamlined under the executive order, the White House said.
"Whether searching for vaccine safety information, claiming retirement benefits, receiving health insurance, passing through a security checkpoint or checking the status of a farm loan application, Americans expect government services to be responsive to their needs," the White House said in a statement. "The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring an effective, equitable and accountable government that meets the needs of its people."
Improvements will include things like:
- Online passport renewal
- Better maternity health care for the 43% of all births each year that are covered by Medicaid
- A streamlined grants application service for tribal communities
- A single online repayment portal for direct loan borrowers with student debt
- A mobile app for veterans and beneficiaries to access health care and benefits
- Direct certification for low-income facilities to enroll in federal benefits
- Shorter wait times for small business owners when they submit applications
- Personalized online tools for managing Medicare benefits online
- The option to schedule customer support call-backs from the IRS for tax filing help
- Making sure survivors of disasters don't have to "navigate multiple assistance forms across multiple agencies to get the help they need"
- Shorter security and check-in lines at airports thanks to new computers and machines.