April 29, 2004
Labor Department Announces Expansion of GovBenefits.gov
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) today celebrated the second anniversary of their groundbreaking government-to-citizen e-Gov initiative, GovBenefits.gov, at an event featuring Deputy Secretary of Labor Steven J. Law and Congressman Adam Putnam, R-FL. The event demonstrated the effectiveness of this award-winning website for the American public, including the debut of GovBenefits.gov En Espaņol and expanded state program information.

GovBenefits.gov En Espaņol offers Spanish-speaking communities greater access to available Federal and state benefits. Through expanded state information, GovBenefits.gov will offer Americans a broader gateway to state benefits and allow local community-based organizations to better assess eligibility for administered programs.

"GovBenefits.gov succeeds because it offers customized outreach to our diverse American population. Americans have never before had such a citizen-centered one-stop shop," said Deputy Secretary of Labor Steven J. Law. "The website captures each visitor's unique needs, helps them sort out the variety of available Federal and state assistance and puts this information at their fingertips," he said.

Since the site was launched in April 2002, GovBenefits.gov has provided government benefit eligibility information to more than 10 million visitors, and generated nearly 1.7 citizen referrals to benefit programs tailored to their needs. More than 500 Federal and state assistance programs now participate on the website, earning it an Excellence.gov Award from the Industry Advisory Council and a Gracie Award for Excellence in Government Technology from Government Executive Magazine among many other awards.

GovBenefits.gov is one of 24 key initiatives that comprise the President's e-Government Strategy, which focuses on creating a more accessible government. GovBenefits.gov is the collaborative effort of 10 Federal agencies, including the U.S. Departments of Labor (managing partner), Agriculture, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, State, Veterans Affairs, and the Social Security Administration.

Visit http://www.govbenefits.gov/ to learn first-hand how the U.S. Department of Labor is redefining citizens' access to benefit information.