PA Engineering Initiatives Centered on Tax Modernization and Human Services Named Finalists for Nationwide Awards

Harrisburg, PA – Secretary of Administration Michael Newsome announced currently that technological innovation initiatives for the Department of Income and Department of Human Expert services have been picked as finalists by the Nationwide Affiliation of Point out Main Info Officers (NASCIO) for its 2022 Condition IT Recognition Awards.

The tasks are amongst 31 finalists chosen from more than 100 state nominations. Winners in 10 classes will be declared at NASCIO’s yearly convention in Oct.

“Every yr, the Place of work of Administration partners with organizations on hundreds of technology initiatives to strengthen client provider, boost effectiveness and accomplish greater outcomes for their plans,” claimed Newsome. “To have two of these assignments chosen for national recognition is a testomony to the Wolf administration’s leadership and the commonwealth’s IT specialists.”

The two Pennsylvania finalists are:

Department of Revenue: My Pennsylvania Tax Hub (myPATH)

The Office of Revenue’s modernization hard work replaces legacy mainframe programs from the 1980s and expands the array of on the web taxpayer solutions offered from the department. To day, 40 new products and services have been extra to myPATH, the online portal that features submitting and payment solutions for taxpayers. As a result of myPATH, buyers can file a broader array of tax return varieties electronically, get correspondence on the net, connect with the office by an on the web service, test the status of a refund or rebate and perspective believed payments and credits.

The on line software for the Residence Tax/Hire Rebate (PTRR) system demonstrates the rewards of myPATH. The House Tax/Hire Rebate program added benefits older and disabled Pennsylvanians, amongst other folks. Prior to myPATH, there was no online filing selection for PTRR. In 2021, people submitted roughly 35,000 on the internet PTRR apps. In 2022, the office received 56,000 on-line PTRR applications by means of the very first 7 months, which is by now 60% additional than in 2021. Almost 80% of assets tax/hire rebate candidates who offered customer comments “strongly agreed” they experienced a constructive working experience employing myPATH.

Individual Money Tax (PA-40) return processing has also enhanced with myPATH. In 2021, the office been given 176,000 Personal Earnings Tax returns by way of myPATH, with only 2% requiring handbook review. For comparison, paper returns had a 10% mistake amount and Modernized e-file (MeF) returns a 4.5% mistake rate. In the initially four months of 2022, the office obtained 212,000 PA-40 returns as a result of myPATH.

In addition to replacing legacy tax techniques, myPATH will switch the providers now made available in the e-TIDES and PA-100 on line programs, making it the central location for all the on line providers available by the section.

“One of our key aims at our agency is to force ahead with revolutionary projects like this one that significantly make improvements to client assistance,” Profits Secretary Dan Hassell reported. “At the identical time, we are making efficiencies for our staff and delivering them with new instruments to make their day-to-working day jobs much easier. We’re also proud of the reality that this project has remained on time and on budget since its launch in 2018.”

Division of Human Expert services: Event-Primarily based Mass Texting for Advantages

The Division of Human Providers is applying textual content information notifications to raise responsiveness to other correspondence it is lawfully demanded to deliver as a result of the mail, these types of as renewal packets and requests to give verification paperwork to help a advantages application. When homes do not reply in a well timed manner, their rewards may well be closed, or they might not be licensed for a new method or gain – risking pointless disruption to wellbeing treatment, meals assistance and other supportive products and services. When this comes about, County Support Office (CAO) staff need to have out steps to renew the household’s reward or accomplish outreach for the missing details.

“Implementing text messaging outreach allows us to far better converse with Pennsylvanians we provide by delivering crucial updates and facts in serious-time,” explained Human Providers Performing Secretary Meg Snead. “By serving to the people and households we provide keep entry to necessary services and supports, we are improving upon efficiency by decreasing scenarios of avoidable disruption.”

Persons can subscribe to acquire textual content messages by way of COMPASS. When a renewal packet is mailed, for instance, a textual content information is immediately sent to the head of domestic informing them that they can expect their renewal packet in the mail. This combination of time-based textual content messaging paired with physically mailed correspondence aids specifically make improvements to open up costs and steps taken by the receiver. The office measured a 30 percent maximize in the well timed submission of on line renewals among the gain recipients who opted to receive textual content messages.

DHS has sent in excess of 850,000 textual content messages to about 475,000 households due to the fact October 2021. Based on the beneficial results, DHS programs to extend the textual content messaging capabilities in the future and is exploring more communications capabilities to streamline interactions among CAO staff and gain recipients.

NASCIO provides the Remarkable Achievement in the Subject of Facts Technological innovation awards to states that have executed fantastic systems that have built an vital contribution to the operation of condition authorities. To master much more about the awards, visit nascio.org.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Dan Egan, Office of Administration, [email protected]

Jeffrey Johnson, Income, [email protected]

Brandon Cwalina, Human Providers, [email protected] 

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