During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, state unemployment insurance (UI) systems have been stressed to their limits, and have been used to help nearly 53 million workers nationwide.

After the COVID-19 pandemic led to an uptick in demand for digital services, the city of Raleigh, N.C. responded with a series of IT service management transformation steps to better meet the needs of its constituents.  Beth Stagner, the city’s Director of Enterprise Applications and Data, talked about the challenges and next steps in that transformation during a virtual webinar hosted by Government Technology on July 22.

The Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) said July 8 it has created, along with its partner UiPath, the first-ever public-sector offering for robotic process automation (RPA).

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced the creation of two statewide dashboards that should show how the state is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and make more state-wide health equity available to residents.

The New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF) partnered with the Institute for Families at the Rutgers University School of Social Work to launch a new dashboard on the New Jersey Child Welfare Data Hub.

The age of government IT systems has negatively impacted agencies’ missions and their ability to attract young talent, according to a recent report.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, New York City’s 311 call center has answered a record-setting 23.5 million calls in 2020. Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office said the call count, which is the highest in the center’s 18-year history, was due to the unprecedented need for essential services and information.

The State of Illinois has launched the Connect Illinois Computer Equity Network, which is intended to expand digital access for low-income households throughout the state.

The state of Wisconsin is turning to a new online tool to help stop the spread of COVID-19. On Aug. 19, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) launched the online Decision Tool for Individuals and Families. The Tool is intended to help residents assess their COVID-19 risk and determine the best course of action to keep themselves and those around them safe.

As state governments look to slow the spread of COVID-19, they are having to stand up massive contact tracing efforts practically overnight. When deciding how to best tackle the new project, the state of Maryland turned to a cloud-based call center.