Benefits.gov
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (February 2023) |
Type of site | US Government Information |
|---|---|
| Available in | English, Spanish |
| Owner | U.S. Department of Labor |
| Created by | U.S. Department of Labor |
| URL | www.Benefits.gov |
| Launched | April 2002 |
| Current status | Retired |
Benefits.gov (formerly GovBenefits.gov) was launched by the U.S. Department of Labor in April 2002, as a website designed to provide American citizens with access to government benefit eligibility information. Benefits.gov helps citizens determine their potential eligibility for more than 1,000 government-funded benefit and assistance programs. Visitors can complete an on-line questionnaire, and Benefits.gov matches benefit programs with their needs and provides information on how to apply.
Benefits.gov includes information on a variety of benefit and assistance programs for veterans, seniors, students, teachers, children, people with disabilities, dependents, disaster victims, farmers, caregivers, job seekers, prospective homeowners, and more.
Facts and figures
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- People served: over 220 million people (as of Aug 2024)[1]
- Referrals to partner agencies: 32 million
- Average monthly visitors: 1.1 - 1.3 million
- Benefits provided: over 1,100 (as of Aug 2024)[1]
Shutdown
[edit]At the end of September 2024, the website was shut down and replaced by benefits subpages found on the websites USA.gov and USAGov en Español[1]. This was a result of Executive Order 14058 by President Biden in 2021, which directed the General Services Administration to “develop a roadmap for a redesigned USA.gov website that aims to serve as a centralized, digital ‘Federal Front Door’ from which customers may navigate to all Government benefits, services, and programs, and features streamlined content, processes, and technologies that use human-centered design to meet customer needs, including consolidating content currently appearing on Benefits.gov, Grants.gov, and other appropriate websites […][2]”
Key features include[1]:
- A centralized, singular, user-friendly location to access benefits information.
- A search engine called Benefit Finder that helps users locate benefits programs and determine eligibility.
- Category-based navigation organized by type and “life events”.
However, there was some opposition to the new design. The first Federal Chief Information Officer, Mark Forman, told Nextgov/FCW that “A big focus for the original design was finding what you needed within 3 clicks or less […] noting that he was skeptical of USA.gov's new focus on ‘life events’ as a way to organize parts of the website.”[3]
Govloans.gov
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Govloans.gov, the sister site of benefits.gov, was launched in 2004, and provides information about government loan programs. Govloans.gov features information about loans for:
- Housing
- Education
- Agriculture
- Small business
- Veterans
- Disaster relief
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Department of Labor, General Services Administration to centralize government benefits information on USA.gov and USAGov en Español". U.S. General Services Administration. 2024-08-07. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
- ^ House, The White (2021-12-13). "Executive Order on Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government". The White House. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
- ^ Alms, Natalie (2024-08-05). "Benefits.gov to shutter in September". Nextgov.com. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
- The Facts About the President's Management Agenda. https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/results/agenda/PMA-MythFact20061003.html
- Computerworld Honors Program Case Study, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20070927104323/http://www.cwheroes.org/case_studies/USDepartmentofLabor.pdf
- Benefits.gov and GovLoans.gov are both available in English and in Spanish. Benefits.gov en Español and GovLoans en Español offer Spanish-speaking communities greater access to benefit information.