The California Department of Technology (CDT) is partnering with the U.S. General Services Administration to help victims of the Los Angeles firestorms more easily access Federal, state, and local government benefits and services through Login.gov.
In press release, Gov. Gavin Newsom confirmed that CDT and GSA have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to expand their existing Login.gov partnership to aid those impacted by the recent fires.
The governor’s office said that within weeks firestorm victims will be able to use a single Login.gov account to access their state benefits, as well as Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) services. The state believes integrated service will provide disaster survivors with seamless, secure, and privacy-preserving digital access to critical services. The expanded partnership will also help in the case of future disasters.
“In the aftermath of this tragedy, state technology teams are on the ground doing everything possible to give survivors a path to a smooth process,” said California Government Operations Agency Secretary Amy Tong. “Our teams are moving quickly and looking for all the ways we can be innovative to serve those who need it most.”
The expanded partnership follows the CA.gov/LAfires website, announced last week, which is designed to help connect Californians to needed resources. In the past week, more than 200,000 people have accessed that website for support.
The California Government Operations Agency, CDT, and their partners at the California Office of Data and Innovation have moved to stand up digital Disaster Recovery Centers for firestorm survivors. Staff from each organization were deployed to Disaster Recovery Centers in Los Angeles County to learn more about how the tools in the agreement can be fully leveraged to benefit those who have been impacted.
“This partnership with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) and Login.gov will make recovery easier and faster for Los Angeles wildfire survivors,” said California State Chief Information Officer and Department of Technology Director Liana Bailey-Crimmins.
The state plans to use the services from the MOU, as well as their internal teams, to build digital Disaster Recovery Centers and will provide those most affected by the wildfires with continuous access to benefits information, while also ensuring that critical funds are flowing to legitimate beneficiaries.
“With this partnership, we’re making great strides towards improving access and meeting Californians where they are, especially in their time of need,” said Office of Data and Innovation Director Jeffery Marino. “Human-centered design is a discipline that helps ODI focus on the people’s needs first. This is important when it comes to designing all government services, but it is critical during a time of crisis.”
