LITTLE ROCK, Ark. August 5, 2016-Two Arkansas digital government programs "Gov2Go and ClaimItAR.com" developed in partnership with the Information Network of Arkansas (INA) have been named finalists in the 2016 National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) State IT Recognition Awards competition. The prestigious award program honors outstanding information technology achievements in the public sector and recognizes states with exceptional programs that have made an important contribution to the operation of state government.
“Arkansas has long been a digital government leader in creating innovative ways to connect citizens to government,” said Mark Myers, state chief technology officer and director of the Arkansas Department of Information Systems. “It is an honor to once again be recognized for innovation in using technology to make it easier for citizens to access public services through these two programs.”
Selected as a finalist in the Emerging and Innovative Technologies category, Gov2Go is the nation’s first digital government assistant that offers a personalized way for more than 145,000 Arkansans to interact with government. Gov2Go learns about its users, keeps track of their deadlines such as property tax payments, car tag renewals, and property assessment and sends important reminders to their computers, mobile devices, and Apple watches. For example, when a driver shares her license plate number, Gov2Go looks up the expiration date, reminds her when her registration is about to expire, and helps her quickly renew. Arkansans can visit Get Gov2Go.com to download the mobile app or enter an email address to start using Gov2Go.
Selected as a finalist for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Information Technology, Arkansas Auditor of State’s (AAOS) ClaimItAR.com helps Arkansans find and claim lost property in minutes on their mobile phones, and receive checks in a few short days. The system automates a previously paper-based unclaimed property filing process that enables AAOS to pay most claims without staff intervention. After two full years of electronic filing, AAOS paid 18,873 claims worth over $12.3 million in 2015, representing a 150 percent increase in filings and a 70 percent increase in dollars paid to claimants a direct result of efficiencies created through the system.
“We are extremely proud of the mobile-friendly unclaimed property search we have created with our partner INA, and the conveniences we are delivering to citizens because of it,” Arkansas Auditor of State Andrea Lea said. “It is an honor to be recognized for our use of technology to serve citizens with unprecedented efficiency, and it is rewarding to know that thousands of Arkansans are using ClaimItAR.com to find their property in minutes and collect what’s theirs in a matter of days.”
This marks the second NASCIO finalist award for ClaimItAR.com, which was also recognized in 2015 in the Government to Citizen category. Arkansas Auditor of State has won more awards for the system including the Center for Digital Government’s Digital Government Achievement Award in 2015 and a StateScoop 50 State IT Project of the Year award in 2014. Gov2Go has won several other national awards for innovation including finalist in the 2015 Amazon Web Services City on a Cloud Innovation Challenge, StateScoop 50 State Innovation of the Year in 2016, and top eight finalist in the American Council of Technology’s Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) 2016 Igniting Innovation Award challenge.
NASCIO’s official announcement of the award finalists can be viewed at
http://www.nascio.org/newsroom/. Twelve award recipients will be named from the 36 finalists at an official awards ceremony on September 19.
