GSA says states’ use of Login.gov has ‘rapidly expanded’

Officials at the General Services Administration said the use of Login.gov — the federal government’s identity-proofing service — has “rapidly expanded” across state governments since it opened access to non-federal agencies two years ago.

Expansion of the service, detailed in a GSA blog post on Monday, began after the federal agency announced in 2021 it wanted a limited number of state and local governments to try Login.gov with their federally funded programs. Now, the use of Login.gov is in use across several state and local agencies, like transportation departments and state unemployment insurance systems, with several others considering the service, GSA said.

In the blog post, GSA shares an evaluation of how California has used GSA’s authentication service for its Monterey-Salinas Transit bus line. California was one of the first states to adopt Login.gov, and the Monterey County public transit system uses the system to provide contactless payment and access to discounted transit benefits for senior citizens and veterans through Cal-ITP Benefits, a web application from the California Department of Transportation that allows riders to quickly and securely verify eligibility online for discounted fares.

The blog post says the use of Login.gov also takes data privacy into account, allowing riders to manage their personal information by allowing them to consent to sharing only the information they need to, and for most riders, verifying their eligibility takes less than five minutes.

Based on the success of the sign-on service in Monterey County, it’s been expanded to public transit customers of the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District, And Cal-ITP is considering expanding to 13 other transit operators to provide contactless payment and support reduced fares. Transit authorities in South Carolina and Connecticut are also exploring using the service, according to GSA.

“Cal-ITP is thrilled to partner with Login.gov on this project. Verification using Login.gov opens the door to delivering benefits digitally, making transit more accessible and welcoming to some of the people who need it most,” Gillian Gillett, chief of the Data and Digital Services Division of California’s Department of Transportation, says in the blog post.

States — including Arkansas, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Utah and West Virginia — have also partnered with GSA to modernize their unemployment insurance systems with Login.gov, the blog post points out. Login.gov partnered with the U.S. Department of Labor Unemployment Insurance to provide identity verification services to these states administering benefits through the systems, which are prone to identity fraud and were notoriously targeted during the pandemic.

“Whether accessing state or federal government services, the public expects and deserves secure and easy ways to get what they need,” GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan says in the blog post. “Expanding adoption of Login.gov to more states is an opportunity to demonstrate that we can deliver on that expectation and is a priority for GSA and for the country.”

GSA says states and localities looking to use Login.gov may benefit from its new pricing model, which is based on usage and allows governments to run pilot programs to test the service. State and city governments are eligible to partner with Login.gov through an inter-agency agreement — GSA says interested governments should reach out if they’re unsure of their eligibility.