Improvement of service delivery of agencies and public perception of agency interactions

(a)

Sense of Congress

It is the sense of Congress that—(1)the agencies subject to the requirements of this Act should—(A)improve their understanding of customers;(B)reduce administrative hurdles and paperwork burdens to minimize the time it takes to process benefits, enhance transparency, and create greater efficiencies across Government;(C)improve public perception of agency interactions by systematically identifying and resolving the root causes of any challenge experienced by the public with respect to such interactions, regardless of whether the source of any such challenge is statutory, regulatory, budgetary, technological, or process-based; and(D)to engender public trust, ensure that the efforts of the agency appropriately maintain or enhance protections afforded under law and the policies of the agency, including protections related to civil rights, civil liberties, privacy, confidentiality, and information security; and(2)the Federal Government should—(A)make improving service deliveries and public perception of agency interactions fundamental priorities; and(B)measure performance empirically and by on-the-ground results for the people of the United States, especially for experiences of the people of the United States with services delivered by agencies.(b)

Reforms To improve agency service delivery and customer experience

(1)

Reforms

In order to improve the overall economy, efficiency, and management of government operations and activities, reduce the paperwork of agencies, and provide high-quality services to the public—(A)the Secretary of State shall redesign the passport renewal process to allow for a fully online renewal application that does not require any physical documents to be mailed;(B)the Secretary of the Treasury shall design and deliver new online tools and services of the Internal Revenue Service to—(i)expand electronic filing options for taxpayers;(ii)provide the option for taxpayers to receive customer support via secure email; and(iii)provide the option for taxpayers to schedule customer support telephone call-backs;(C)the Secretary of the Interior shall design and deliver a centralized, modernized electronic permitting system to accept and process applications for permits; (D) the Secretary of Agriculture shall design and deliver new online tools and services—(i)for online purchasing under the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children under section 17 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786);(ii)to simplify enrollment and recertification for nutrition assistance programs such as the supplemental nutrition assistance program (commonly known as SNAP) and the program described in clause (i), including expanding the use of direct certification; and(iii)for a simplified process for applying for direct loans under subtitle A or B of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act;(E)the Secretary of Labor shall—(i)update existing rules and policies, consistent with applicable law and to the extent practicable, to allow individuals entitled to medical treatment under any Federal workers’ compensation program to conduct their routine medical treatment appointments using telehealth platforms; and(ii)update rules, policies, and procedures to eliminate, consistent with applicable law and to the extent practicable, requirements for workers’ compensation claimants to submit physical documents, but to retain the option for physical submission for claimants who cannot otherwise submit them;(F)the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall—(i)continue to design and deliver new, personalized online tools and expanded customer support options for individuals entitled to benefits under part A of title XVIII of the Social Security Act or enrolled under part B of such title;(ii)strengthen requirements for maternal health quality measurement, including—(I)measuring perinatal quality and patient care experiences; and(II)evaluating the measurements by race and ethnicity to better identify inequities in maternal health care delivery and outcomes;(iii)to the maximum extent permitted by law, support coordination between the Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.), the Medicaid program under title XIX of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.), the Children’s Health Insurance Program under title XXI of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1397aa et seq.);(iv)to the maximum extent permitted by law, propose ways to streamline State benefit program enrollment and renewal processes in order to reduce administrative burden on customers and remove barriers to enrollment and renewal, including by eliminating face-to-face interview requirements and requiring prepopulated electronic renewal forms, to ensure eligible individuals are automatically enrolled in and retain access to such benefit programs; (v)develop guidance for covered entities and business associates of such entities as such terms are defined in section 160.103 of title 45, Code of Federal Regulations, on providing telehealth in compliance with HIPAA privacy regulation (as defined in section 1180(b)(3) of the Social Security Act) to improve patient experience and convenience following the end of the COVID–19 public health emergency; and(vi)test methods to automate patient access to electronic prenatal, birth, and postpartum health records (including laboratory results, genetic tests, ultrasound images, and clinical notes) to improve patient experiences in maternity care and health outcomes;(G)the Secretary of Education shall—(i)submit to Congress a plan for providing eligible recipients of Federal financial aid under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.), with the option to receive information about relevant recommendations for benefits and services provided by the Federal Government that such recipients may qualify for (including healthcare subsidies, broadband support, and food assistance) to connect such recipients with support to lower additional economic barriers to postsecondary education completion; and(ii)design and make available to the public a centralized loan repayment portal through the website of the Department of Education that enables a borrower of any loan made under part D of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087a et seq.), regardless of loan servicer, to make payments on such loan;(H)the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall provide digital services through a single, integrated, and equitable digital platform on VA.gov and an appropriate mobile application of the Department of Veterans Affairs;(I)the Secretary of Homeland Security shall design and deliver—(i)innovative technologies at airport security checkpoints to reduce passenger wait times;(ii)new opportunities for customers to connect with the Transportation Security Administration, including as appropriate, through—(I)online chat;(II)improved communications during additional screenings; and(III)additional mechanisms to provide customer feedback; and(iii)a streamlined, online disaster assistance application;(J)the Administrator of the Small Business Administration shall develop and implement a streamlined, online disaster assistance application;(K)the Commissioner of Social Security shall—(i)develop a mobile-accessible, online process so that any individual applying for or receiving services from the Social Security Administration can upload forms, documentation, evidence, or correspondence associated with their transaction without the need for service-specific tools or traveling to a field office;(ii)consistent with applicable law and to the extent practicable, maintain a public policy of technology neutrality with respect to acceptable forms of electronic signatures;(iii)consistent with applicable law and to the extent practicable, revise any necessary regulations, forms, instructions, or other sources of guidance (to include the Program Operations Manual System of the Social Security Administration) to remove requirements that members of the public provide physical signatures; and(iv)to the maximum extent permitted by law, support applicants and beneficiaries to identify other benefits for which they may be eligible and integrate Social Security Administration data and processes with those of other Federal and State entities whenever possible;(L)the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Administrator of General Services shall collaborate to provide seamless integration of Login.gov accounts to allow customers to access any websites and applications of the Department, and other customer-facing digital products and to eliminate outdated and duplicate customer sign-in options;(M)the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Education, and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall collaborate to enable a more streamlined Public Service Loan Forgiveness process for eligible borrowers, including those who serve in the United States Armed Forces or as civil servants, or who work for eligible nonprofit organizations;(N)the Director of OMB, acting through the Administrator of the United States Digital Service, shall collaborate with agencies in the executive branch and Tribal governments to conduct research and document challenges related to accessing grant programs to which the Tribal governments are entitled, and shall propose ways to streamline processes and reduce administrative burdens for Tribal government customers; and(O)the Director of OMB, acting through the Administrator of the United States Digital Service, the Administrator of General Services, and the Postmaster General, shall develop ways to update mailing address records across Government so that members of the public may change their respective mailing addresses for purposes of all Government services only once, through the United States Postal Service.(2)

Ongoing accountability for improving Federal service delivery and improving trust in government

Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 90 days thereafter—(A)the head of each agency subject to a requirement under subsection (a) shall certify in writing to the Director of OMB that the requirement has been satisfied; and(B)the Director of OMB shall—(i)in coordination with each head of an agency identified under paragraph (1), submit in writing to Congress, reports on the status of the progress of agencies in satisfying the requirements required by subsection (a), until such time as those requirements have been satisfied; and(ii)with respect to each agency subject to a requirement under subsection (a), certify in writing to Congress that the head of each agency has satisfied the requirement.(c)

OMB guidance

(1)

Agency customer experience initiatives

Not later than 270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of OMB shall designate a team of individuals within the Office of Management and Budget to lead and support agencies initiatives to improve public perception of agency interactions, including by facilitating the decision-making processes of such agencies that are needed to—(A)achieve the purposes of this Act;(B)coordinate the activities of high impact service providers as described in this Act; and (C)develop strategies for the integration of services and development of products involving multiple agencies as described in this Act.(2)

Guidance of OMB

Not later than 1 year after the enactment of this Act, the Director of OMB shall update guidance issued by the Director and supporting processes (such as information collection reviews or data sharing approvals) as necessary and applicable, to implement the provisions of this Act.(d)

Definitions

In this Act:(1)

Customer

The term customer means any person or governmental entity that interacts with an agency of the executive branch, either directly or through a federally funded program administered by a contractor, nonprofit, State or local government, or other entity of the Federal Government/executive branch.(2)

Public perception of agency interactions

The term public perception of agency interactions means the perception of the public regarding interactions with the agency, including interactions with the agency through a contractor, non-profit, or other Federal entity, and the overall satisfaction of the public regarding such interactions.(3)

Director of OMB

The term Director of OMB means the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.(4)

Service delivery

The term service delivery means, with respect to all points of the agency-to-customer delivery process, an action of the agency related to providing a benefit or service to a customer of such entity, including providing a benefit or service to a customer that is related to an application for a benefit or loan, health care or small business counseling, requests for documents, such as a passport or Social Security card, filing taxes or declaring a good, using resources such as a park or historical site, or seeking information such as notices about public health or consumer protection.