unemployment
Nearly 75% of states launched chatbots to aid pandemic response
Surging demand at health and labor departments spurred adoption of chatbots in state government, according to a new NASCIO report.
As unemployment fraud spreads, Washington state recovers $300M
Adjustments to screening techniques are driving down phony claims, Washington officials say. But in other states, illegitimate claims clog systems already overburdened.
Florida's unemployment agency leaked Social Security data last month
Florida, which decommissioned its centralized IT agency last year, has compromised the personal information of 98 unemployment insurance applicants.
Washington state says unemployment system lost 'millions of dollars' to fraud
The head of the Washington Employment Security Department said the scheme, which appears to have originated in Nigeria, could delay payments to legitimate filers.
States' rushed IT upgrades spark data leaks, transparency concerns
The pandemic is forcing states to accelerate upgrades to critical IT systems, which in turn is compromising personal data and upending normal procurement steps.
Despite old mainframe, Oklahoma's unemployment system holding up
Oklahoma officials said they didn't have time to replace the 1980s-era mainframe that its unemployment system relies on, but they were able to layer in cloud-based software to streamline claims approvals.
State unemployment systems are still struggling
Governors continue to apologize for computer systems that continue to have new problems as the pandemic wears on.
Coronavirus 'magnified' states' IT shortcomings, experts say
The unemployment surge hit all states' systems hard, but it's also separating those who've prioritized their technology upgrades from those who haven't.
Senators want USDS to aid state and local government's IT modernization rush
In a letter to congressional leadership, a group of senators requested funding and waivers on barriers preventing collaboration between levels of government.
